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Grinding 2nd gear

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LightningFastFord

CEG'er
Joined
Jul 12, 2007
Messages
51
Ok.. at first it wasnt too bad.. but now its getting rediculous.. its a 99 CSVT with a B&M short shifter.. its always been a pain in the ass getting it into 2nd gear.. but now it grinds almost every time i try.. how do i adjust the clutch cable? anyone have a how-to?!? i cant seem to find one when i searched..
 
There is no clutch cable. It is hydraulic linkage. There is no adjustment.

You might have a shift cable adjustment problem though. Do things line up smoothly at the neutral gate?
 
Oops.. the shifter cable is what i meant.. sorry.. but yea the shifter is very mushy in all gears.. especially 2nd gear.. how do i adjust the shifter?
 
im thinkin it might be as well.. but no help on shifter adjustment? thats something easy to check before spending $1000 on a tranny rebuild..
 
Put back in the stock shifter and adjust the shift cables. Your second gear syncro is defenitly going and the short shifter isn't helping. You might be able to get by with just putting back in the stock shifter and just don't mash it into second.

It may help to cheat your shift cable adjustment a smidge toward second if your shifts aren't quite making it completely into second on the trans side of the cable due to a previous poor adjustment or more than likely the lack thereof when your b&m was installed.

Search around for shift cable adjustment. It is a peice of cake, and you don't even need to jack up the car. Just turn your wheel all the way to the right and reach up there!
 
I had a second gear grind as well as a popping out of 2nd gear problem with mine after changing the cable end before I finally got the adjustment right. Absolutely no problem once the cable was properly adjusted.

Short throw shifters often require a little touch-up on the cable adjustment after installation. It is truly worth the effort to check it out. How dumb would you feel if you did a trans overhaul only to find it acted the same when you were done and that an adjustment would have solved your problem.

I struggled with adjusting mine until I had a helper inside the car while a played with the adjustment. I made a slight adjustment and he reported how well the neutral gate lined up as well as how it felt going into 2nd gear. After about the third try we got it right and it has stayed right ever since.
 
Are you having any clutch engagement/release problems? A clutch that is not fully disengaging, even if its just barely making contact, will cause some nasty grinding, especially in the lower gear.
 
mcgarvey said:
Are you having any clutch engagement/release problems? A clutch that is not fully disengaging, even if its just barely making contact, will cause some nasty grinding, especially in the lower gear.
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He would notice it throughout the gears if his clutch wasn't fully engaging/releasing.
 
LightningFastFord said:
adjusted cables.. no joy.. bad synchro.. this blows..
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did you try putting the stock shifter back in? The B&M is so much faster shifting causing the syncro to crunch. Your syncro defenitly has wear, but you may have many more non crunch shifts left if you do as I say. Trust me. :)
 
i hate puttin a bandaid on problems.. rather get it fixed since i know its worn.. i would put the stocker on but i dont have one.. bought the car with the B&M already installed..
 
Do you know what fluid is in it? Better fluid could make a big difference. My occasional 3rd gear grind is completely gone using Ford Honey. It didn't go away immediately. It took a few months.
 
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