Do any of you have issues getting into reverse? I might pick one up with 70k miles on it for 600, and the previous owner says and I quote:
"Its almost like the reverse synchro was going bad and you'd try to put it into reverse, and it'd take about half a second for it to go in."
I was under the assumption most transmissions don't even have a synchro on the reverse gear...
He says if you spin the input shaft it goes into all gears fine though.

A lot of cars I've driven with manual transmissions seem to be harder to get into reverse though. Anyone think they would pass this offer up?

I searched and didn't really find much, so...discuss?

 

mine was slightly though, wasnt a issue for me though. the 5 speed was rougher to get in reverse. specially when the trans didnt have time to warm up!

 

Yep, my 5 speed is a bitch to get into reverse.

 

have you seen the 6 speed in person yet?

 

Nope, saw pics, that's about it.

 

are you within driving distance? i say go see it for yourself and run it throught the gears yourselft and see about the said reverse issue! 600 bucks for a 6 speed doesnt seem like to bad of a deal! you can also act like something is wrong with it so you can low ball him to get it even cheaper. unless its sombody known on here!

 

Sometimes I have to do a 5th, 6th shift to move the rails before getting into R. When that doesn't work I have to roll forward just a bit to get it to work.

 

i still have to install mine, but the previous owner (a respected member on mt) said it had problems getting into reverse sometimes... he said a simple row through a couple foreward gears made it go into reverse easily.... got it for $400 picked up.

 

I tore mine apart for this reason and a crunchy 3rd synchro. Reverse is syncronized in the 6 speed.

 

Mine took some work but definitely wasn't HARD to get into reverse. But definitely took some effort.

5sp reverse goes in like buttah

 

IMHO reverse isnt a critical gear you will spend more time in the rest of them i would hope! lol

 

Technically its driving distance, but I don't really feel like driving that far. I'm going to see if I can get him to negotiate, if one of you guys got it for 400 then I can't see paying 6 bills for this.

 

I def agree, but I thought it would be a good indicator of the trannys condition perhaps

 

only one way to find out! lol

 

I sure can. $400 for a 6-speed is a smoking deal. I paid $500 for my last one and I drove 10 hours round trip the day after I saw the ad to make sure I got it. $600 is a good price for a 70k mile box - I sold a 40k mile '01 box for $850.

Both of the 6-speeds I've had were a little finnicky into reverse. I replaced a few parts in the first box after a 130mph 5-R shift - 5/R shift fork, reverse gear, reverse synchro, and the reverse slider. It went in a little easier after that, but not dramatically so. The current box usually snicks right in, but every so often it will put up a fight and I'll have to put it in 5th, then reverse, or let the clutch out a bit to spin everything into alignment. Not a big deal.

 

honestly, so many 5 speeds bomb on here at any given time and at any given hp when boosted... just buy it! itll be worth it in the long run. i would rather have an unreliable reverse with a solid 1-6 than a butter smooth reverse and a ticking time bomb in 1-5.... its not too often u see a 6speed for sale u know?

 

14 hourish round trip...a friend just happens to be going there for a concert so hes hauling it back for me. On that note...anyone know approximate dimensions of a miata trans?

 

itll fit in a miata trunk (na from experience IL to TX) hahaha. the tail end fits rt next to where the shock top hat enters the trunk area... and the bell housing fits where the dip in your trunk occurs... side opposite of where the tail shaft is....

 

Awesome reference, thanks a lot, gonna show that to my friend.

 

no problem mang... 600 is a good price, my deal for 400 was a local kinda friendly hook up per say "ish" hahah, so no worries.