GenVibe - Community for Pontiac Vibe Enthusiasts

Has anyone else had the problem of the gears grinding just a little bit in every gear except first? and it grinds in almost every downshift. gets better when the transmission starst to warm up. Any help at this point is appreciated. im thinking its the synchros, if anyone things its the cables or the clutch or the hydrolics or the actual shifter plastic crap in the consol lemme know. thanks for helping. oh and i checked to see and its only like 300 bucks for all new synchros to rebuild it myself pending the gears aren't messed up if this is the problem.

It's defenitrly synchro related but that doesn't always mean that they have to be replaced right away. There is a possability that the clutch isn't fully releasing and causing your synchros to act that way. I've never heard of that one before on a Vibe but check your hydrolic fluid anyway. If it's low, it could cause clutch disengagement problems. You're going to need to change your oil anyway with all the grinding that's been going on. Sometimes a different fluid will quiet things down for a while. I've heard very good things about this tranny fluid and in problem tranny's especially. http://www.specialtyformulatio...5.htm it's been upped to GL4/5 even though the website shows only GL4. It will be my next fluid. Do you know what fluid is in there now?

mobile 1 synthetic gl5. The dealer said that its caused by the clutch since its hard shifting too. So..... $1000 clutch or $1000 taxes on a new car with trade in...... im already out of warrenty so im losing my vibe don't really want to, been a good car but im getting a grand prix for $9k under dealer cost plus 9k for my vibe. GM discount rocks!

Hi spl...Honestly, I used the Mobil 1 Transmission Fluid and didn't like it one bit. Didn't really improve much at all and when the temps got down to near freezing, very clunky, grinding... not happy with it. I changed to Redline MT-90 and it helped greatly. Not as difficult to shift cold. Still some grind but only when cold. I would highly suggest trying the Redline Gear Oil.Dave

Yep M1 isn't the best here. MT90 is VG but the manual calls for GL5. MT90 is a GL4 and really works the synchros well and protects well enough. People that have used the both Redline and SpecialtyFormulations have liked the SF a bit better. No history though.

On a related (somewhat) item, have any of you found that it is REALLY easy to shift your GT without using the clutch at all? I've only had my (used 2003) car for a couple of months, and recently tried to shift without the clutch (a good thing to know how to do, just don't do it all of the time). It is almost too easy - upshifts are a piece of cake, but the downshifts are tougher. Just wondering....Peace, y'all!Sincerely,

Yeah you can definitely shift (realtively) easily not using the clutch