Transmission questions?

[chinard]

1048874

Hey, peeps...



I've got a question for those of you that understand transmission repair... I myself have a very limited knowledge of how these things actually work, so bear with me...



Okay, i have an '82 CJ7 with 4 speed manual, and i've owned it and been pouring thousands into gettting it all fixed up since... oooh, about august...



I've been noticing lately that DOWNSHIFTING into first gear is really sticky... It just doesnt want to pop in until i'm almost at a stop.... Other times it pops in just fine...



I havent noticed any slippage while the clutch is engaged and i havent noticed any other problems with it "Sticking" when i try to downshift with the exception of the transfer case (engaging and disengaging 4wd is pretty sticky because it doesnt get used much)



Now i recently took my jeep into the shop to get them to fix some OTHER problems (not related to drivetrain) and they recommended that i need a new clutch. (mucho expensive)



Now I'm not at all opposed to getting a brand spanking new clutch put in my old clunker considering it is now 21 years old, and god knows WHAT the previous owners did to the poor thing.

What i'm trying to get stratight in my head right now is if replacing the clutch will solve THIS problem, and thats where things are starting to get a bit grey...

Now if i understand correctly, problems with downshifting into first would be more related to the synchros than anything else, wouldnt it? Are the synchro's part of a clutch replacement? Are there any other parts that i should be replacing while they are in there? Could this be something as simple as maybe just some low transmission fluid? (which i have NO way to check without taking it in for service)

I've already been looking through the documents on "howstuffworks.com" and that info is pretty basic and doesnt really help me understand if replacing the clutch is the right thing to do for this problem or not...

[addsig]

 

[CTJeeper]

1048877

I dont think that downshifting into first is good in ANY car. From how ive learned, you shouldn't downshift into first gear unless you are at a stop, or at least rolling very slowly. [addsig]

 

[chinard]

1048878

On a 4 speed you pretty much HAVE to be able to downshift into 1st on a regular basis.

Keep in mind that the power band and gear ratios on a 4 speed are spread MUCH wider than on a 5speed.

Downshifting to 1st if you are going less than 30km is perfectly fine, and with the absence of ABS on the older jeeps is a preferred method of braking rather than locking brakes and skidding into that tiny little honda in front of you.

Besides... Even WITH ABS, i still preffer to double clutch as a method of slowing down.[addsig]

 

[CTJeeper]

1048879

Ahh i see. My ignorance never fails me!

[addsig]

 

[jeepthrills]

1048957

DONT DO IT!!!! By downshifting into 1st gear you are creating excessive wear on your synchro. 1st gear should only be engaged when at a complete stop, unless its an emergency, then do it only when rolling at less than 3 mph. If you do it often enough, you will have to have the transmission repaired (talk about mucho $$). As far as your clutch needing to be changed, It sounds like the mechanic sees lots of dollar signs when you walk in. Dont change the clutch till its worn. If you change your habit of jamming it into 1st before you are stopped, I bet your clutch and transmission will have a long and happy life.

[addsig]

 

[RayOvac]

1049037

Yeah I agree with jeepthrills...there should be no need to downshift into 1st unless you are stopped...most of the older trannies didnt even have a synchro on the 1st gear anyway. I usually downshift into second while slowing and then when I stop I put it in first...also its not good to use your transmission to slow you down...that tears it up faster....your jeep is not a semi truck....it doesnt have "jake brakes" hehe. Truckers use the gears to slow down but semi trucks are setup especially with stronger trannies and stuff like that to use the compression braking on thier huge diesel engines.[addsig]

 

[dingus]

1049045

yeah, use the brakes to stop, brake pads = less than $100/set of 4, clutch = much more.[addsig]

 

[flyboy]

1049056

Even with everyone's advice, I'd have to say that a new clutch probably would not solve your problem. If it is only that I'd drive till it needs to be fixed.[addsig]