Finally got my 92 camaro going. went for a test drive around the block. i noticed that shifting into 3rd and 4th it grinds before engaging. and once it got stuck in 4th. took some force to get it out. some research sugest that a bad pilot bushing could be at fault, but others suggest internal issues. has anyone had or seen this problem? Manual trans of course. 5 spd.

 

Hmm I'm no master but I've dealt with my slew of problems with these trannies the pasty 2 years I've owned my car.

I would say it's very unlikely that a pilot bushing would cause those troubles for you, especially if it's having trouble getting out of gear. Clutch disengagement issues can cause some weird issues and grinding into gears, but I don't see that ever causing issues getting out of gear.

To me... it sounds more internal related unfortunately. Something I would do to double check before pulling the trans would be check the hydraulics/clutch setup. You can check the hydraulics by getting under the car and measuring the slave cylinder travel when someone presses the pedal down. I forgot the exact length it supposed to travel at the moment though.

To check and see if the clutch is fully disengaging, keep the clutch pedal DEPRESSED while you are in first gear. Then rev the engine up high around 3 to 4k rpm. If the car tries to lurch forward at or before that rpm, then the clutch isn't fully disengaging. You don't need to hold it at high rpm long, you'll know soon if it wants to move.

Another thing would be check the fluid and fluid level. If you have the original t5 transmission, I'd add ATF fluid, preferably something like Mobil 1 synthetic. It should take a tad under 3 quarts when empty.


Apart from that, I'd say you might want to pull the tranny and have it inspected by a reputable shop...