B6 6-speed tranny syncros bad??

[dtm4me]

Guys,

Can you chime in if you have similar problems or have any solutions for this?
My 04 A4 1.8T 6 speed will resist/grind while trying to engage 3rd and sometimes even 4th!

I do have a B&M short shifter installed and was thinking about swapping it for a JHM "solid" shifter.

Thoughts?!? THanks

[doublezero30]

could be syncro's. every now n then mine wont go into first, but its easily solved by putting it in 2nd then back into 1st and it works fine. are you sure whoever installed the shifter centered it properly? i hear thats a big thing when installing a shifter on a 6spd.

[dtm4me]

^^^ Thats an excellent point! I believe the last owner did, so I will have to take it in to have a decent shop re-align it. Currently, when its in neutral the shifter is angled off to the right by about 20 degrees. Should I stick with B&M?

[dougyfresh]

Read up on what Jay @ JHM has been doing with the B5 S4 6spd Transmissions. You'll gain a lot of information. Watch his video(s). Its the same transmission if I recall correctly.

http://audizine.com/forum/showthread.php?t=148841

Well, the symptoms are the same at a minimum....



EDIT:

^^^ Thats an excellent point! I believe the last owner did, so I will have to take it in to have a decent shop re-align it. Currently, when its in neutral the shifter is angled off to the right by about 20 degrees. Should I stick with B&M?

Recenter your B&M! It is very easy to get the B&M out of alignment when installing it. It is easy to realign it. Don't need to go to a shop. You can do it yourself.

I did that on my car when I replace the shifter rod bushings and linkages. I've got some posts somewhere I can dig up if you're in a jamb. Recenter it and your symptoms may disappear. Also read Jay's info for background knowledge of the system...

[absolutegtr]

could be syncro's. every now n then mine wont go into first, but its easily solved by putting it in 2nd then back into 1st and it works fine. are you sure whoever installed the shifter centered it properly? i hear thats a big thing when installing a shifter on a 6spd.

How many miles are on your car? Have you ever changed/replaced your motor mounts?

My car used to do the exact same thing, and my motor mounts were COMPLETELY shot. After changing them out, it always goes into first with no problem now!

[CyberPMG]

I've had the 3rd gear syncro replaced just before 100k miles (at the end of my CPO warranty). I didn't notice much, but they were hearing some small grinding when shifting between 3rd to 4th gear. It was covered by the warranty, so I only had to pay the deductable.

[skeeball]

Have you changed your tranny fluid?

[OverSpun]

could be syncro's. every now n then mine wont go into first, but its easily solved by putting it in 2nd then back into 1st and it works fine. are you sure whoever installed the shifter centered it properly? i hear thats a big thing when installing a shifter on a 6spd.

Centering it doesnt make a difference. That just adjust the physical throw and centering of the knob to make the gears evenly accessible. If its grinding in 3rd, its most likely syncros.

Is it only grinding if you shift at higher RPMs with faster shifting? I blew syncros back when I used to have a B5, but I never had any issues in my B6 even with a neuspeed SS. (6sp trans).

[audikid66]

my car recently just started grinding into 3rd gear a lil at high rpm fast shifts... if i engage the clutch all the way and shift slow it wont do it.... sometimes happens downshifting into 3rd... should i try changing tranny fluid? or do i have a bad syncro

[CO AVANT]

could be a bad syncro. it's a common fault in 3rd gear on our tranny's. New fluid helps a ton. I recommend Motul 300. My shifts are smoother with the 300 over the redline MT90 (both 75W90). Try aligning your syncros. At a standstill, shift 1st-2nd-3rd-2nd-1st in a fast fluid pattern (with the clutch pressed in). Do this a couple times in a row consistently. Then do the same procedure 3rd-4th-5th-4th-3rd a couple times, then back to 1st-2nd-3rd-2nd-1st. I have found this lines up the syncros better to help in aiding that horrid B6 3rd gear shift.

[audikid66]

thanks a lot man.. ill try that.. it only started this grinding after racing a g37 las nite i dunno y it did it i had absolute perfect shifts.. how long doesn it take to change tranny fluid.. i still hav the original fluid in mine

[CO AVANT]

Well, I'd bleed the clutch slave cylinder and brakes (same reservior) and put in Motul 5.1 brake fluid on top of replacing the tranny fluid. Tranny fluid takes minimal time to do, you just need a hand pump to get the fluid in there or a hose that you can raise above through the engine bay and let gravity get the fluid in there. Hand pumps that attach to 5 gal buckets are like $20-30. Takes all of 20 minutes to change fluid once you get your car off the ground. Just make sure the car is off the ground on all four corners though so it's level. You need it to be level so the correct amount of fluid gets added. The "fill" line is the bottom of the fill hole, so just fill till it starts to pour out and install the plug once it stops flowing out. A 17mm two in one hex head specialty tool is needed to take the drain plug and fill plug off.

[dougyfresh]

That horrible 3rd gear grind is why I opted for a new transmission. Guess I should take my 1.8 5spd apart to really see if the syncros are bad in 3rd gear. That was my conclusion (bad syncros).

[CO AVANT]

Aluminum syncros FTL

[GarbatyA4]

I have the same issue 3rd gear grinds. Also the first gear tick. My gear box is fucked.

I was wondering what are my options, its hard to find a B6 1.8T 5-speed 01A transmission. Is it possible to use a B5 1.8T 5-speed transmission or even a 2.8L V6 5-speed?

They are cheaper and more abundant.

sorry for thread jacking :)

[CO AVANT]

both doug and clint are using the 2.8 trans