Couple adjustment problem or tranny problem?

[Christien]

First a bit of background: I replaced the shifter bushings in the shifter and coupler 2 years ago, new swepco last year. This past summer my tranny has been grinding really badly at the track as it heats up, and even on the street a little bit. At my last event back in late October I sprang a bit of a tranny fluid leak. This didn't change the feeling of shifting at all, just filled the car with the wonderful aroma of gear oil. If I park the car with the nose pointed slightly downhill, it's fine, maybe drips a few drops. If it's flat or on an incline with the tail down, it'll leak probably a litre of fluid over a day or 2. So I know I've got a leak to fix, maybe something broken even - that's a winter project. But I figured with the leak and the grinding it was maybe time for a rebuild. So I do a ton of reading here and lots of people have fixed grinding by adjusting the coupler. When I replaced the bushing I followed the instructions, but didn't really fine tune the adjustment.

My tranny is an early 915, 4-speed H pattern.

So I just now spent about an hour playing with various adjustments on the shift coupler. It really can change the feel drastically. I can get 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th to engage and it feels great - really nice and tight, no notchy-ness or anything, but I can't get reverse to engage when the coupler is in that adjustment position. After readjustment, I can get reverse to engage, but the other gears are more sloppy feeling, particularly 3rd which I occasionally have to search for, and always has a pronounced "notch" feel to engage.

Advice? Keep adjusting? Or does it sound like something is really screwed inside the tranny, and therefore needs to be opened up? I certainly don't mind spending the time to keep adjusting, even hours, if that's going to tighten things up and avoid a tranny rebuild (assuming I didn't break something when I sprang the leak and I just need to replace a seal or something).

Thanks!
Chris

[gigem75]

have you noticed any extra free play in the clutch?

[Christien]

No, none at all.

[Christien]

bump