Magana8

2004 rx8 52k mi
new block and clutch at about 38k mi

bought car in july of 2009
never changed tranny fluid

anyways i never had any problems with my gears until recently. my fifth grinds if i go up to 45-50mph put in neutral then back into 5th.

my third would grind on me at redline but randomly stopped.
my second just recently started grinding and it never did before. redline would never grind now it does.

so i got worried and changed my tranny fluid put some royal purple synchromax. tipped off break fluid

i dont get on my car much or really race. i just try to redline once a day to keep the engine healthy.

now for some reason anywhere over 7krpm i get a scratch. i told a few buddies about it and they suggested that it sounds like my clutch is slipping.

a few days later i find that im scratching at 6krpm now.

any thoughts?

i also wanted to get everyones opinions and answers on if there are performance trannys for rx8s

Never L8

iTrader: (5)

It sounds like a syncro issue. If your clutch were slipping you would juat lose power in application, but you wouldn't be grinding necessarily. I suppose it's possible, especially if it's happening in every gear. What kind of clutch did you replace the stock one with?

My OEM clutch still looked excellent when I swapped it out at 65,000 miles. I was doing tranny work so I just thought I would replace it while I had the tranny out. It depends on your driving style but I would be shocked if you're already losing another clutch, which is why I suggested syncro...especially with the neutral back to gear scenario you described.

Fluid may have something to do with it. A lot of people, myself included, swear only by OEM tyranny oil. I've heard of people having new issues they didn't before when they switched to redline or royal purple. Just a side note. It doesn't explain your grinding.

Magana8

its also an oem clutch. i think its odd because my second never acted up before, and either way everyone says you replace the whole tranny not just the synchro. and when i switched to royal purple my second stopped grinding shifted like butter then a few days later it just acted up.

DarkBrew

Check for broken clutch pedal bracket before you rip out your tranny. https://www.rx8club.com/race-roots-134/clutch-pedal-bracket-solutions-explanations-now-recall-194975/

DisturbedOne87

iTrader: (5)

i installed a stainless steel clutch line and i shift with ease at 9000 rpms, the redline oil helps too

bkcberry

If i'm doing anything over 50 really and I try to shift into 5th from an idle engine mine grinds too.. I just make sure to bump the gas before I make the shift