I have this exact issue, not as severe though. IDK if I can get to doing this to fix it. Before you did this, did you hear a light 'marble rolling on a table' noise in neutral without the clutch depressed?

 

That's good to read. While the GM/Pennzoil Synchromesh technically meets the NV3550's specifications, your symptoms wouldn't be the first time they have been mentioned in the same breath with Synchromesh.

Did you hear a light 'marble rolling on a table' noise in neutral without the clutch depressed?

That's a perfectly normal sound with both the AX-5/AX-15 and NV3550 transmissions. The sound you are hearing is nothing more than the input shaft gears and bearings being spun by the engine.

 

That sound is normal. I am pretty sure its still there. (its the input shaft spinning)

this took less than an hour, and I was taking my time listening to some tunes while I worked.

oh and fwiw - mine didn't start out this bad, its gotten progressively worse, but it has never been as good as it is now.

 

I was rather shocked when the Syncromesh made the issues more apparent, as I've used it in the past on other vehicles, and had great luck with it. (especially in DSMs)

But apprently on this vehicle the OEM fluid is the safest bet. (even though the price is absolutely horrid)

 

So when you say "Start the engine and run Jeep through each gear slowly", you mean with the clutch fully engaged the whole time? Or jack it up, put it on blocks and release the clutch through each gear?

 

why not put the transfer case in neutral and run every gear? of course with blocks below the tires

 

I'm going to try this.

My shifting problem is a little different. Once my tranny heats up it does not want to come out of gear.

It's worth trying as its cheap and easy!

 

Hi

i'm going to try this.

My shifting problem is a little different. Once my tranny heats up it does not want to come out of gear.

It's worth trying as its cheap and easy!

you need a clutch ! And check to see if your slave cylinder is bled right first , not coming out of gear means the clutch is not fully disengageing , check the slave first ! Kerosene in the trans ? I thought that was only done on desoto's ! I wouldn't do that . 74,000 miles and your clutch is shot ! How hard do you drive it ?

 

I didn't bother letting the clutch out in each gear, as I didn't want to put any undue stress on anything (I don't see kerosene being a great lubricator...but I could be wrong)

you could - i suppose - put the TC in Neutral, and set e brake...

I pushed in clutch, put transmission in 1st, took out of first, let out clutch, repeated with all gears a few times.

The first time I got more metal shavings on the magnet, and the kerosene was black (like the transmission fluid was when drained) - the second time I got nothing, and the kerosene was light grey. so I figured that was good enough.

 

Once I ditched the Pennzoil Syncromesh and swapped in Red Line MTL my problems have been cured! I had the same issues basically; sticky gears and some grinding from syncros not working properly.

 

I have been running Royal Purple for about 3k miles now with no adverse effects.

 

Your problem

well, i was a skeptic of rrich's theory that draining my pennzoil syncromesh and flushing the transmission with kerosene, and refilling with $20.00/qt mopar fluid would fix my awful shifting transmission. But i figured "why not try it".

Here's the history.

I've had the jeep for a year, its shifted awful since i got it, 2001 4.0l 126k on the clock with the nv3550 transmission. I swapped fluids about 4 months in (went to the above mentioned pennsoil syncromesh). And my shifting issues got worse.

What are the issues? It was very difficult to get into 1st w/o grinding(i haven't used first in the past 8 months). I was unable to go from 1st to 2nd w/o grinding (unless i double clutch). Going from 2nd to third sometimes was a chore (usually when cold i would have to try third, if no go, then release clutch, push clutch, and it'd usually go in, sometimes not - then i'd just goto fourth). Going from 3rd to 4th didn't go too well on occasion as well.

So as you might imagine driving the jeep was becoming rather irritating.

A couple weekends ago i decided to give rrich's idea a shot - it was either that or trade the jeep for one with an autobox.

I bought all the neccessary stuff (1 gal of kerosene, 2 qts of mopar transmission fluid). I didn't use all the kerosene.

So drain old fluid, clean off the magnet (no big chunks was encouraging). Replace drain plug, fill w/ 1-1.5 qts of kerosene, replace fill plug. Start engine, run jeep through each gear slowly a few times.(not driving, just sitting in driveway) drain fluid, clean off magnet. I did the above twice and then added 2 qts of mopar fluid (i gave the kerosene 20 mins @ 90 degrees 10% humidity to evap some.)

i've driven ~50 miles and so far i'm exstatic. I still have to let it sit a couple seconds after i push the clutch in before i go into 1st (to avoid grinding). But all of the other issues are 100% resolved.

So to those out there who are having issues with your nv3550. You might try what rrich says....it worked for me.


A special thanks to rrich.:appl:

i had this problem with my 85 nissan 720 4x4 , it sounds like your slave cylinder needs to be bled or is bad no stick shift should grind into gear ! How many miles are on the cluch ? 74,000 and it needs to be changed !

 

And those of us blessed with an Ax-15, my 2nd gear grind is gone since I switched to Mobile1 10/30... We will se what it does once it stops being 1000 degrees here....

 

Hi

and those of us blessed with an ax-15, my 2nd gear grind is gone since i switched to mobile1 10/30... We will se what it does once it stops being 1000 degrees here....

10/30 in the trans ? Who gave you that bad advice ? Stick shift owners pay attention to your slave cylinder !

 

Well, I was a skeptic of rrich's theory that draining my Pennzoil syncromesh and flushing the transmission with Kerosene, and refilling with $20.00/qt Mopar fluid would fix my awful shifting transmission. But I figured "why not try it".

Here's the history.

I've had the jeep for a year, its shifted awful since I got it, 2001 4.0L 126k on the clock with the NV3550 transmission. I swapped fluids about 4 months in (went to the above mentioned Pennsoil syncromesh). and my shifting issues got worse.

What are the issues? It was very difficult to get into 1st w/o grinding(I haven't used first in the past 8 months). I was unable to go from 1st to 2nd w/o grinding (unless I double clutch). Going from 2nd to third sometimes was a chore (usually when cold I would have to try third, if no go, then release clutch, push clutch, and it'd usually go in, sometimes not - then I'd just goto fourth). Going from 3rd to 4th didn't go too well on occasion as well.

So as you might imagine driving the jeep was becoming rather irritating.

a couple weekends ago I decided to give rrich's idea a shot - it was either that or trade the Jeep for one with an autobox.

I bought all the neccessary stuff (1 gal of Kerosene, 2 qts of mopar transmission fluid). I didn't use all the kerosene.

so drain old fluid, clean off the magnet (no big chunks was encouraging). replace drain plug, fill w/ 1-1.5 qts of kerosene, replace fill plug. start engine, run jeep through each gear slowly a few times.(not driving, just sitting in driveway) drain fluid, clean off magnet. I did the above twice and then added 2 qts of mopar fluid (I gave the kerosene 20 mins @ 90 degrees 10% humidity to evap some.)

I've driven ~50 miles and so far I'm exstatic. I still have to let it sit a couple seconds after I push the clutch in before I go into 1st (to avoid grinding). but all of the other issues are 100% resolved.

so to those out there who are having issues with your NV3550. You might try what rrich says....it worked for me.


A special thanks to rrich.:appl:

AND BY THE WAY, I FORGOT TO TELL YOU NOW THAT AFTER YOU'VE RUN THE KEROSENE THROUGH THE TRANSMISSION AND YOU REFILLED IT WITH THE MOPAR FLUID, THE RESIDUAL KEROSENE IS GOING TO MIX IN WITH THE MOPAR FLUID AND WEAKEN IT. SO DRIVE IT AROUND FOR 200 OR 300 MILES, AND CHANGE YOUR FLUID AGAIN. I HAD THE SAME PROBLEM WITH MY NISAN 720 4x4, AND IT ALWAYS ENDS UP BEING A CLUTCH SLAVE. NO STICK SHIFT SHOULD EVER HAVE TO BE JAMMED OR GROUND INTO GEAR. AND AS I SAID, ANYTHING OVER 74,000 MILES, YOU'RE GOING TO NEED A CLUTCH. I HOPE YOU READ MY PREVIOUS POST.

SCOTT

 

AND AS I SAID, ANYTHING OVER 74,000 MILES, YOU'RE GOING TO NEED A CLUTCH. I HOPE YOU READ MY PREVIOUS POST.

Not true, stock TJ clutches will easily get twice that, even if used hard.

 

Mine works perfect with 140000 and counting....

 

Will you stop yelling!!!!! Being louder does make the nonsense you are spewing correct!!! Call the dealer and ask them what to put in your ax15, I mean you can fill yours with peanut oil for all I care but the right answer is 10/30!

 

DD has a point. Manufacturers have changed the gear oil they want in manual transmissions and differentials to get optimal performance, mileage, and longevity. The technology in lubricants has come a long way as well in the last 20 years. I have seen and heard of flushing, and the right additive making a manual or posi behave perfectly. Its cheaper than rebuilding to try it. I will when we have problems. Im Master ASE certified been around it for 30 yrs. Or, you can continue to banter here.....:worthy:

 

Wow, you've really taken my thread off on a tangent. I can't say that I appreciate it.

 

10/30 does not mean it will never get thinner than 10, or never thicker than 30.

The idea behind 10/30 or any multi-vis is when it's COLD, it acts like it's 10. When it's HOT, it acts like it's 30. The chemicals they put in it to do that are solvents, NOT lubricants.
You'll never find a professional racer using multi-viscosities. They need their engines to be able to win. They may run contingency advertising claiming to use it, but that's for the contingency advertising money.


No matter what kind of lube you use, the gears, bearings, splines, dogs, etc wear - when they wear small minute particles come off. They float around until they find a hiding place - usually in the grooves on the splines and in the synchro hubs. They get in the way of shifting, making it hard. Picture sliding the hub on a spline caked with mud and sand.

Flushing helps get that crap out - if you don't like kerosene you can use brake cleaner - dries faster.
Jack up the wheels - put the cleaner in, run it at idle, use the clutch when you shift it through the gears. DO NOT RUN IT FAST -- DO NOT DRIVE IT!
Drain it, if it comes out dirty, a second or or third flush is in order.

Or - tear it down and use a small brush and solvent to brush out all the particles.

Flushing will not get all of it - not like tearing it down, but it's MUCH cheaper and EASIER.

Now just watch - somebody's going to do it to an auto trans.

MANUAL TRANS ONLY!!!!!!!


Clutches can last 200k or more - if treated right. But some yo yo's can destroy them in a mile or two. Clutches and trannys was about 25% of our business.

 

good idea

10/30 does not mean it will never get thinner than 10, or never thicker than 30.

The idea behind 10/30 or any multi-vis is when it's COLD, it acts like it's 10. When it's HOT, it acts like it's 30. The chemicals they put in it to do that are solvents, NOT lubricants.
You'll never find a professional racer using multi-viscosities. They need their engines to be able to win. They may run contingency advertising claiming to use it, but that's for the contingency advertising money.


No matter what kind of lube you use, the gears, bearings, splines, dogs, etc wear - when they wear small minute particles come off. They float around until they find a hiding place - usually in the grooves on the splines and in the synchro hubs. They get in the way of shifting, making it hard. Picture sliding the hub on a spline caked with mud and sand.

Flushing helps get that crap out - if you don't like kerosene you can use brake cleaner - dries faster.
Jack up the wheels - put the cleaner in, run it at idle, use the clutch when you shift it through the gears. DO NOT RUN IT FAST -- DO NOT DRIVE IT!
Drain it, if it comes out dirty, a second or or third flush is in order.

Or - tear it down and use a small brush and solvent to brush out all the particles.

Flushing will not get all of it - not like tearing it down, but it's MUCH cheaper and EASIER.

Now just watch - somebody's going to do it to an auto trans.

MANUAL TRANS ONLY!!!!!!!


Clutches can last 200k or more - if treated right. But some yo yo's can destroy them in a mile or two. Clutches and trannys was about 25% of our business.

hey i use the brake cleaner for gear lube now in my automatic thanks for the suggestion !ha ha! put a quart of 10/30 in your fridg , doe's it pour out as 10 or 30 ?

 

Wow, just wow. First, I am not the one who was asking how to fix the problem. I simply pointed out your misunderstanding of gear lube vs. engine oil viscosities that you have now backtracked on.

Believe whatever you want to believe but understand that the use of 10W-30 motor oil was recommended for the NV3550 by NV who is only the transmission's manufacturer... but what do they know, right? 10W-30 engine oil is essentially the same viscosity as 75W-90 gear lube is... with similar lubrication properties but without the corrosive qualities a GL-5 gear 75W-90 gear lube has when talking about the gear synchronizers. Then again what do I know about the subject?

So go berzerk over what New Venture (the NV3550's manufacturer) is recommending if you want to, that's an issue I won't worry about.

 

I KNOW what the W stands for, I'd be surprised if you do after reading some of your previous statements. It stands for Winter, not weight.

 

very good jerry

I KNOW what the W stands for, I'd be surprised if you do after reading some of your previous statements. It stands for Winter, not weight.

very good jerry kudos do you know how many people say weight ?

 

what do you do for a living jerry ? do you have skype ?

 

you said it was from the manufacturer , then why did they use it in the first place ? why the big change after the the trans has problems , now i'm curious , educate me . it means it will pump at 10 at a 30 viscosity

 

NV switched to the 10W-30 engine oil spec to solve synchro issues caused by GL-5 gear lubes being harsh on the synchronizers and to make finding a suitable lube easier. Since most 75W-90 gear lubes are GL-5, and it is the GL-5 spec that makes most gear lubes too harsh to use for synchronizers, they switched to 10W-30 which does not have the harsh additives that turn a GL-3 or GL-4 gear lube into a GL-5 gear lube.

And if you were to pour a 10W-30 engine oil at the same temps as you poured a 75W-90, you'd see that they are essentially the same weights of oil. Hence the two different viscosity scales for engine oil vs. gear lube.

The 10W and 75W just means they flow more easily for better lubrication when cold which is a good thing until things warm up. 10W-30 becomes a 30 engine oil viscosity when warm and 75W-90 becomes a 90 gear lube viscosity when warm.

 

Let's just say I have spent my entire career in the technical side of things though mostly in electronics. However, I spent a number of years making my living specifying to techs/shops how to build/customize/lift/modify Jeeps for a slew of new Jeep dealerships, as well as helping solve various suspension-related tech problems for Jeeps and Ford/GM/Dodge trucks. No, I do not have skype.

 

so.... olive oil is a no go ?

 

Hah you're right. If it's not extra-virgin olive oil, it's not the right stuff. :rofl:

By the way, I believe Jeep even switched the lubricant spec for the AX-15 and AX-5 to 10W-30 from the previous GL-3 75W-90.

Before that, Jeep had mistakenly printed early shop manuals so they specified a GL-5 75W-90 which was of course an error. They very quietly switched subsequent shop manuals from GL-5 to a GL-3 spec for the 75W-90 without admitting the earlier erroneous GL-5 spec could have harmed anything.

They were somewhat right as a GL-5 does not cause immediate damage to yellow-metal gear synchronizers, most GL-5 gear lubes simply accelerates their wear so the synchros just go bad more quickly.

 

Olive oil needs a touch of garlic to prevent corrosion and scare away the evil spirits.

I'm sure the guys that designed the transmissions know more than an armchair racer.

Obviously when they discovered the GL-5 was eventually detrimental to the brass and copper, they started recommending something better.
And obviously it wasn't an emergency to switch over, else it could become a recall. They just quietly updated their manuals.

What really gets me is often an oil or something "meets specs" when it's new, but they don't always remain "in spec" over time.

New wives meet "specs" at first, but over time they sometimes change or degrade - that explains the high divorce rate.
Hmmm, I wonder, Do you think maybe rubbing them down every night with olive oil and garlic would help?

 

New wives meet "specs" at first, but over time they sometimes change or degrade - that explains the high divorce rate.
Hmmm, I wonder, Do you think maybe rubbing them down every night with olive oil and garlic would help?

:rofl::rofl: so true :rofl::rofl:

 

LOL... ok, when I had a Discovery II, some guys , if I remember well, were using seafoam to flush the AUTO transmission. it was something like : remove the old fluid, buy cheap trans fluid and 1 big can of seafoam, start the truck DO NOT DRIVE THE TRUCK and keep moving the gear selector to D, R 1 2 3 etc.. then flush the fluid, and refill with the good stuff.

I do not know if it was good or not and if I missed some step here, but just to give an idea ;-)

 

LOL... ok, when I had a Discovery II, some guys , if I remember well, were using seafoam to flush the AUTO transmission. it was something like : remove the old fluid, buy cheap trans fluid and 1 big can of seafoam, start the truck DO NOT DRIVE THE TRUCK and keep moving the gear selector to D, R 1 2 3 etc.. then flush the fluid, and refill with the good stuff.

For some reason I can't figure out, a very vocal few have decided that Seafoam is the modern day version of Holy Water that can cure anything and everything.

I wouldn't put Seafoam in my transmission, ESPECIALLY an automatic transmission, no matter what a few say. It's ok for some things but it's not the universal cure-all like some want to think it is. It sure doesn't have a place in an automatic transmission that is already fussy enough about what ATF it runs on.

 

I just run the garden hose under the jeep and flush the transmission with water, should I not do that?


I thought that is what 10 W 30 stood for 10 or WATER or 30


Jerry that Redline product you mentioned in the other thread will that be okay in the NV3550, or just use a good 10W30? This thread has gone way around the bend and I have lost track.

 

Jerry that Redline product you mentioned in the other thread will that be okay in the NV3550, or just use a good 10W30? This thread has gone way around the bend and I have lost track.

Redline says the MTL or MT90 will be fine in the NV3550. I'm sure the 10/30 motor oil would be fine as well.