Diagnosing unpleasant shift feel from 2 -> 3rd on 01E tdi

[Rickdiculous]

Tried searching forums. Tried researching, haven't found a clear answer to my problem.
I suspect tired synchros, but I'm not knowledgeable enough to know for sure. I'm going to struggle with even choosing the right vocabulary to write this post.

The car:
05 Allroad 4.2L
01E Tdi Tranmission & RS4 Clutch installed ~20k mi ago by previous owner. Sourced from Advanced Auto. Lucas Transmission Oil used. Not the rec'd oil, but fine

The Symptoms
Upshifting:
Under normal driving, upshifting 2->3 must be a very gradual gentle push into 3rd. The physical feedback in the shifter is OEM 'smooth' if gentle pressure is applied against the gate(?) and held for a moment or two before it wants to slide smoothly the rest of the way into 3rd. This movement is significantly slower than moving the shifter into any other gear. Throwing the shifter into any other gear can be done at any cadence with no roughness.
Moving the shifter from 2 -> 3 too quickly yields a rough, unpleasant "something's not right" feel through the shifter. It feels grind-y and crunchy, as if some teeth somewhere in the gearbox are meshing in a rough fashion.
Downshifting:
If I double clutch on the downshift from 4->3 (4->clutch->N->release clutch->blip throttle/rev match->depress clutch->3->release clutch) the travel of the shifter on the downshift is smooth.

I'll come back to update shift feel for the other different combinations of single/double clutching up/down

I've been studying the inner workings of manual transmissions, and it hasn't really pointed me with confidence to any other components to think of.


Is there something I can do to 'test' which component is the rootcause of the issue? Is there enough information to meaningfully conclude anything?

Most topics on this suggest to do a tranny flush as first step. The fluid has low miles on it, and the bolts are torqued beyond what I can manage with an allen wrench.

Additional info:
All this began after a friend misshifted while DDing me in the car. RS4 clutch is tricky


Ultimately, babying shifts into 3rd soils the fun of spirited driving, and the unknown that is potential of future repair costs if left unchecked weighs on my thoughts. Any input will be greatly appreciated.

[DeathSled]

Tried searching forums. Tried researching, haven't found a clear answer to my problem.
I suspect tired synchros, but I'm not knowledgeable enough to know for sure. I'm going to struggle with even choosing the right vocabulary to write this post.

The car:
05 Allroad 4.2L
01E Tdi Tranmission & RS4 Clutch installed ~20k mi ago by previous owner. Sourced from Advanced Auto. Lucas Transmission Oil used. Not the rec'd oil, but fine

The Symptoms
Upshifting:
Under normal driving, upshifting 2->3 must be a very gradual gentle push into 3rd. The physical feedback in the shifter is OEM 'smooth' if gentle pressure is applied against the gate(?) and held for a moment or two before it wants to slide smoothly the rest of the way into 3rd. This movement is significantly slower than moving the shifter into any other gear. Throwing the shifter into any other gear can be done at any cadence with no roughness.
Moving the shifter from 2 -> 3 too quickly yields a rough, unpleasant "something's not right" feel through the shifter. It feels grind-y and crunchy, as if some teeth somewhere in the gearbox are meshing in a rough fashion.
Downshifting:
If I double clutch on the downshift from 4->3 (4->clutch->N->release clutch->blip throttle/rev match->depress clutch->3->release clutch) the travel of the shifter on the downshift is smooth.

I'll come back to update shift feel for the other different combinations of single/double clutching up/down

I've been studying the inner workings of manual transmissions, and it hasn't really pointed me with confidence to any other components to think of.


Is there something I can do to 'test' which component is the rootcause of the issue? Is there enough information to meaningfully conclude anything?

Most topics on this suggest to do a tranny flush as first step. The fluid has low miles on it, and the bolts are torqued beyond what I can manage with an allen wrench.

Additional info:
All this began after a friend misshifted while DDing me in the car. RS4 clutch is tricky


Ultimately, babying shifts into 3rd soils the fun of spirited driving, and the unknown that is potential of future repair costs if left unchecked weighs on my thoughts. Any input will be greatly appreciated.

if you have a bad synchro: everytime u crunch it into gear u are wearing the the teeth on the gear and shift collar. as long as u are not constantly grinding it into gear or forcing it in at high rpm's the synchro should completely wear out long before the gear and collar are unusable. once the synchro is gone doubt u will drive it much longer without fixing it as it will be hit or miss. every once in awhile u'll get a nice shift in but most the time it will take 2-3 attempts.

so the problem started after a miss-shift. this would point to damage to the teeth of the gear and shift collar. i suspect that the miss-shift was bad enough to create a few burrs on the teeth. burrs would explain the crunchy feel and tougher engagement as the teeth won't be able to smoothly mesh. driving like this won't lead to a "dead in the water" scenario but it will wear the synchro faster. this is an easy fix, but it requires a ton of work. you will have to disassemble the trans and remove the gear and shift collar. then use a file to knock down all the burrs on the teeth of both parts. after that it should be back smooth shifting.