# My syncros is ailing

**URL:** <https://community.cartalk.com/t/my-syncros-is-ailing/24168>\
**Category:** Maintenance/Repairs\
**Created:** [December 31, 2008, 10:01pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/my-syncros-is-ailing/24168 "2008-12-31T22:01:54Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![woodallk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/22d042/32.png) [@woodallk](https://community.cartalk.com/u/woodallk)\
**Post date:** [December 31, 2008, 10:01pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/my-syncros-is-ailing/24168/1 "2008-12-31T22:01:54Z")

</div>

I drive a 2001 Altima manual transmission. My son informs me that the reason my car is hard to shift sometimes that the syncros is ailing. My mechanic tells me it will cost several thousand dollars to fix it and that I should nurse it along as long as I can.  
  
 I seem to keep having transmission problems. I hate to think of giving up my manual transmission car. Does anyone have any insight?

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![common-sense-answer](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/common-sense-answer/32/716_2.png) [@common-sense-answer](https://community.cartalk.com/u/common-sense-answer)\
**Post date:** [December 31, 2008, 10:18pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/my-syncros-is-ailing/24168/2 "2008-12-31T22:18:19Z")

</div>

Please Explain, “I Seem To Keep Having Transmission Problems.”

Besides this current problem, what others have you had. We might have insight with more information.

Why would you hate to give up the manual transmission? I used to drive only manual transmission cars. Now, they are not my first choice.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![ok4450](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/e9bcb4/32.png) [@ok4450](https://community.cartalk.com/u/ok4450)\
**Post date:** [December 31, 2008, 10:39pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/my-syncros-is-ailing/24168/3 "2008-12-31T22:39:12Z")

</div>

Define “hard shifting” by providing some details. The “bad synchro” diagnosis is one of the most abused and erroneous phrases ever used when diagnosing a manual transmission problem.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Caddyman](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/caddyman/32/23_2.png) [@Caddyman](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Caddyman)\
**Post date:** [December 31, 2008, 10:47pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/my-syncros-is-ailing/24168/4 "2008-12-31T22:47:13Z")

</div>

Usually, hard shifting is the result of a dragging clutch…Try this. Hold the clutch all the in and after a second or two, try to engage reverse gear. It should slip right in without any grinding. If it is difficult to engage reverse without grinding, then the clutch or pilot bearing is dragging (not releasing completely) causing hard shifting in ALL the gears. If it passes the reverse test, then the next likely trouble spot is the shift linkage, very common on FWD cars. How does it shift with the engine turned off? If it shifts OK, then the linkage is OK.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![ok4450](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/e9bcb4/32.png) [@ok4450](https://community.cartalk.com/u/ok4450)\
**Post date:** [December 31, 2008, 10:48pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/my-syncros-is-ailing/24168/5 "2008-12-31T22:48:01Z")

</div>

Ditto.