still having transmission shifting problems...

1991 XJ 2dr 4x4 4.0L 5spd. I changed the transmission fluid. Looked like GL5 was in it before. Came out pretty clean not dirty or anything. No metal from what i could see. I changed the fluid to RP synthetic 10w30 as recommended to do so. While the car is cold is shifts good, but after a little bit it tends to not shift on random occasions. It goesn't go into gear and then i'll end up being stuck in a high gear. Mainly happens to downshifts from like 3-2, but then i wont be able to go into any gear but maybe the last gear i was in. Also almost everytime i shift to reverse it makes a grinding noise that sounds almost like a fart. This happens almost everytime and is very annoying. I bought the car 2 weeks ago and it didnt do this for the first week of ownership. I hope the tranny is good. I showed me mechanic the reverse making noise and he said its probably a master or slave cylinder issue. The clutch fluid is filled all the way. What do you guys think the problem may be or recommend me to do?

thanks!

did you adjust the shift cable on the throttle body
http://www.naxja.org/forum/showthread.php?t=1015963&highlight=shift+cable

i'll take a look at it thanks! but this one is for an automatic transmission. Do you think its the same for a 5spd manual?

skylinergtr said:

i'll take a look at it thanks! but this one is for an automatic transmission. Do you think its the same for a 5spd manual?

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No cable for the manual trans.

When you can't shift into a gear, if you turn off the engine can you then shift?

joe_peters said:

No cable for the manual trans.

When you can't shift into a gear, if you turn off the engine can you then shift?

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yes shifts fine with engine off.

So is the pedal squishy at all at the top of its travel? Or does it drop down a little bit before you get some resistance?

Any drips from the slave cylinder?

i'm not sure if it drops a little or if the slave cylinder is leaking. I havent checked specifically there but a couple of days ago i put my car on the hoist and quickly went around the car to see if any leaks were present and i didnt notice anything coming from brakes/clutch. The pedal always feels like it has resistance.

skylinergtr said:

yes shifts fine with engine off.

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Clutch/hydraulic issue. How many miles on this clutch? To your knowledge, has the flywheel ever been resurfaced?

i dont know how long its been on this clutch. i've had the car for two weeks and the first week was working perfectly. The car has 170k miles. The clutch seems to be good and it engages low or about half way. I have no record who did the clutch or if the flywheel has been resurfaced. The PO just told me the clutch is good. He had the car for a year and was forced to sell it because he lost vision. The car was cheap, mechanically solid but just not pretty to look at. I just purchased it to get me through the winter.

Ok. Lets a**ume that the friction disk and pressure plate are good.

If that is correct, then it could be a failing MC or slave. If fluid is bypassing the piston seals then you will loose travel.

Try pumping the clutch pedal three or four times to the floor and then try shifting.

I'm not sure on your 91 if it has the external slave. If it has the internal slave, you can try changing out the MC and hope that is the problem. With the internal slave you would have to pull the transmission to replace it, and if you are going to that much work you might as well do the clutch.

Note: Chryco says if the XJ flywheel needs to be resurfaced, it has to be replaced. Some on here have resurfaced their flywheels w/o problems, others have reported problems--it seems that surfacing the flywheel moves the clutch too far away for the hydraulics to fully actuate the clutch.

Look up under the dash at the inside of the firewall and see if there is fluid leaking inside on the clutch pedal area. If so, clutch master cylinder.

joe_peters said:

Clutch/hydraulic issue.

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X2 - It sounds like something in the Hydraulic system is going. Do a visual on the master for leaking at the firewall, and under the dash. If not, it sounds like you will need a new slave. I think that 1991 is internal, and you will have to pull the transmission.

jesus. If its an internal slave cylinder i hope thats not the problem. I'll take a look at the problem more closely on saturday with my mechanic. Inspect to see the MC if its leaking or anything. Maybe do a flush on the clutch fluid. I drove the car today and it was driving perfectly fine and last night it was not letting me shift and was annoying as hell. Thanks for the help guys. I'll keep posted.

Sounds just like my 94 5spd. Hyds probably not disengaging the clutch all the way.

cruiser54 said:

Look up under the dash at the inside of the firewall and see if there is fluid leaking inside on the clutch pedal area. If so, clutch master cylinder.

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Yes, if you are loosing MC fluid. You can have a seal/piston bypass issue w/o fluid loss.