Manual Tranny in Cold Weather

[Wiscon_Mark]

Yeah, so its right around 0 degrees right now...

the wind chill factor is about -20*

My car doesn't shift all that easy...and it sqeaks a little bit when i shift (at least until the car warms up).

Is this bad, and what can I do?

[badbasser98]

Don't really think that any trannys like to shift when its that cold... My 4-wheeler never did. And my BD (yes 4EAT) would stay in third gear, no matter how fast I was going untill the tranny hit full opperating temp. Never drove my Dakota (5MT) in the winter, since it was RWD and sucked ass in the snow (plus i didn't have my full licience at the time).

I realize this post is no help to you, but I just wanted to share... :-D

-BB98

[Wiscon_Mark]

at least it was reassuring ;)

[shazapple]

Yeah, my car wont shift out of 3rd until warmed up. Kinda annoying when I first get on the highway.

You can change the fluid to a lower weight which would allow it to warm up faster.

[gil_ong81]

oh crap. and that weather system is heading my way. argh!!


my 5MT feels really tight in cold weather too. I've heard of people going to synthetic or even 75-25 syn-dino to solve the problem. or is that for the rear diff only? i might do that the next time i change my tranny and diff oil.

[belladonna]

maybe not a lower weight, although that would be another good option, but change it to a better oil. like ams oil/b&m hot shift/redline (just make sure it meets your tranny requirements), which are lower viscosity oils and will allow you to shift better in the cold.

[belladonna]

my 5MT feels really tight in cold weather too. I've heard of people going to synthetic or even 75-25 syn-dino to solve the problem. or is that for the rear diff only? i might do that the next time i change my tranny and diff oil.

there's a difference between the oil you put in your tranny and the oil you put in your diff. differential oil is gear oil and requires a different weight than your transmission, but you can get synthetic oil for either or...

[gil_ong81]

this is what i was talking about regarding a mix in the tranny.


1 bottle of Redline Shockproof Lightweight and 3 bottles of Redline 75W90NS

[belladonna]

i don't think it would make a difference??? :?

[BAC5.2]

Stiff shifting in cold weather is quite common. I've never had a vehicle that "likes" to shift when cold. Even my motorcycle doesn't like to shift until everything is warmed up.

I was talking with Legacy92EJ22T the other day, and have been thinking about it for a while.

75W90NS for Winter.

Lightweight Shockproof for Spring/Summer/Fall.

The LWSP has the weight of a 140 oil, and isn't that happy in the cold weather. The 75W is pretty nice, and works well, though you SHOULD change it somewhat often. I had 26k on that fluid before my tranny blew, and when I drained the fluid, it was nearly black.

[ooberdoob]

hotshift is only mercon II. its shit, why is it so expensive?






my tranny shifts like dammit till its warm too.

my truck was no better, even when it only had 30,000mi