Grinding when shifting from 1st to 2nd?

[Red94Roadster]

I've got a question for the mechanical experts out there. I've got a 94 RT/10 with 23,000 miles. I've owned it since April '06, and put about 4,000 miles of my own this season. Lately, shifting feels a little rough. There isn't any grinding noise, but it feels a little rough when shifting from gear to gear, especially from 1st to 2nd. It seems to improve when things warm up, but I am paranoid that its a sign of something wearing in the transmission or clutch. Can't tell if it's normal for the vehicle or a preliminary sign of something going bad? I'm not an expert mechanic, but logic tells me that perhaps the clutch is not disengaging fully, or something mechanical is not synchronizing correctly. This is my first sports car, and I am continually learning how hard I can push it without worrying that I am abusing the drivetrain. It's a weekend toy for me that I've taken to the dragstrip 3 times. I don't baby the car, but try not to beat on it either.

Let me know what you think and/or things to check. I've just per her away for the winter, so it's kind of a proactive search for things to anticipate in the spring.

Thanks

 

[Adam]

You might need to check the clutch fluid and might need to bleed the lines go to the slave cylinder. Just a thought though.

 

[AviP]

Since you are in Michiganm I think it's just the cold. Mine does the same. The shifting feels kinda tough at first but disappears as the tranny warms up. You should be fine as long as there are no odd sounds.

 

[viper spray]

Time for a new clutch , no big deal.........

 

[LETHAL GTS]

Syncros.
If it's the clutch, then it should be easy to tell.
Put the car in fourth at around 50mph and push the gas to the floor. If it's slipping you'll hear it groaning as well as feeling it slip. Your RPMs with climb faster than your speed. In fourth you are in a 1 to 1 ratio (direct drive). My bet is that it's likely the syncros. Power shifting as some call it can be ******* the syncros and when the driver isn't really use to the T56 tranny.
The other thing these car are bad for is the slave cylinder that disengages the clutch. I have replaced mine on my '94, it would work and then quit, work and quit until finally it stopped working all together.

 

[Tom F&L GoR]

What a bunch of experts we are - fluid, clutch, synchros...

Odds are that things won't go bad that fast, and 4000 miles isn't very much.

So add another 'expert' comment - what is the transmission fluid in there?

 

[Denny Wagner]

Use the LEFT pedal !!

 

[mike007]

It could just be cold weather. My 97 w/13,000 miles does the same thing when its cold.

 

[Richard H. Vitale]

William,

Ive got a 94 also, approx 33K. I had the same problem- rough shifting, worst when going from 1st to 2nd, some times felt good, sometimes did not, also, felt like it never disengaged all the way. After months of angst, we discovered (1) that the clutch/ brake pedal bracket had worn, (2) the nylon bushings on the rod that supports the pedals had worn off, each of which created too much play, which (3) then caused the cheap plastic "birdcage" bushing to fall off clutch rod- thus not alowing the clutch to ever fully disengage. The fix- I bought a fantastic kit from "Tom, F&L GoR" to permanently replace the birdcage and rebuilt my whole clutch/ brake braket. Feels brand new now.

Hope this helps. Let me know if you need anymore clarification.

Richard

 

[Red94Roadster]

I changed all the fluids with a fellow Viper Club member shortly after purchasing the car in the spring. We replaced the transmission fluid with Mopar fluid from the dealer (per the service manual).

It sounds like some roughness is expected when cold? I suppose I'll pay attention in the spring and determine if it's bad enough to have checked out.

Once again, in the Detroit-Michigan area, Dick Scott Dodge in Plymouth has a trustworthy tech to take it to? I has a thermostat gasket replaced by a local dealer and wasn't very impressed in their knowledge...they didn't know to fill the overflow bottle in the fascia.

 

[mjorgensen Woodhouse]

We have urethane motor and transmission mounts for all years of Vipers now and they will increase the rigidity of the drivetrain enough to improve the shifting precision. Have used them for the past year on the racecars with much success.

Mark