[DML] Re: transmission problems!

[William T Wilson <fluffy@xxxx>]

On Thu, 21 Oct 1999, Sean Spurlock wrote:

> This is a very peculiar problem. A friends DeLorean will not shift
> into first unless the shifter is brought down into second and then
> slammed back into first. Thsi is all accompanied by a slight grinding

You need to double clutch. When you go to shift into first, you should
first shift into neutral, then let the clutch out, then rev up the engine
to the speed it would be if it were in first, then push in the clutch and
shift to first. You should have a relatively easy shift with little to no
grinding. This is the way they used to shift in the olden days before
synchros - it doesn't hurt anything and in fact most "big rigs" and race
cars still work this way.

If that's what it is, then the problem is with the synchro. I haven't had
first gear synchros in my Geo Metro for two years and my Jeep didn't even
have first gear synchros when it was new. IMO, you don't really need
them on first gear.

Sometimes this is the sign of worn out gear oil (bad gear oil will
accelerate the wear on just about all the transmission components,
including synchros). But I have heard that you're not supposed to change
the transmission oil on the DeLorean.