I purchased a 96 Classic 5 spd with an ax-15 and I'm having some issues with shifting.

Driving after sitting for a while it works it goes into any gear easily..besides the usual tough 2nd gear.

After driving for a long time ~30 miles and some stop and go here and there, this is what happens.

Come to a stop...place it into neutral...release the clutch pedal(up)...press the clutch pedal...it won't go into any gear..grinds in trying to go into reverse..it will eventually go into first but not for a little bit.

1. It will go into first sometimes if I try 2nd or 3rd then to first..sometimes not always
2. I'll kill the engine and it will go into gear no problem and then start it back up and be on my way.
3. I hear a whirring noise from the gear box. When shifting is peachy the whirring stops when pressing the clutch pedal. When the issue starts the whirring noise remains when i press the clutch pedal and will eventually stop and I'll be able to slip into gears
4. Sometimes if I rev the engine it will slide in easier
5. This only occurs when coming to a complete stop
6. Sometimes if I'm in the middle of putting it into first when slowing down right before I stop it will grind a little bit

I have done the following

1. Replaced the master and slave cylinder (pre bled system)
2. Replaced the gear oil with recommended 10w-30

Am I looking at bad pilot bearing or throwout bearing? I'm going to bleed the system again and see if that helps any...

 

Have you tried to pump the clutc and see if that helps? If it does help then you need to bleed it some more. sometimes you just cant get all the air out without a power bleader,good luck.

 

if your pilot bearing was bad...it would make noise when you pushed the clutch pedal to the floor. it is probably your main shaft bearing inside the transmission...or your clutch is not disengaging all the way. it could also be as simple as your tranny isnt bolted up all the way. cause that happened to me, i tightened the bolts, and no more noise. oh and your reverse just means the syncro is going out...nothing you can do about that.

 

reverse doesn't have a syncro in the AX-15. and they're straight cut gears. the best way to avoid grinding gears in reverse is to put it in 2nd or 4th and then into reverse.

so clutch in -> 2nd/4th gear -> reverse -> clutch out

 

Everybody with a stick has problems with reverse, so biggy, though. As ZachsXj stated, you can do the AX-15 shuffle. I do it by going into 5th-neutral-reverse on the cold days. Every other day I just put it in real slow-like. I experience the 2nd gear problem too, I pretty much need a sledgehammer to get it into second gear in the mornings. First early morning second gear shift I ever did the shift **** came off and landed in the back seat. Now it's JB Welded on.

 

I have problems like that with mine. If I pump the clutch a few times it seems to help

 

Lol yeah, the clutches seem to be finicky. Mine works 90% of the time even with a leaky slave and about once every two weeks I have to refill the master cylinder with fluid. I've been on the same bottle of fluid since October so its leaking slow enough I can deal with it.

 

Thanks for the repsonses...after a weekend of more driving and more experimenting here are the results.

Pumping the clutch doesn't help. I've resorted to giving it some gas and it will slip into gear and the 'shuffle' works for reverse.

I'll have to double check the the transmission bolts....when it warms up a little more. I guess for now I will have to leave the clutch pedal pressed while at a stop

96cherokee113 - I snapped my shift **** off as well hahah

 

I found this video on youtube...this is what i hear with the clutch pedal down and up after driving for a while

 

Have you tried bleeding the system? because either that or something internal seems to be your issue.

 

Zach. That is my next step. I'll try to do it in the next few weeks since it is absolutely frigid out

 

I have the same quirks that everyone else has. When going into 2nd on a cold morning it will crunch the very first time I shift into 2nd, but doesn't usually do it again after that when going into that gear. I also find that if I just slowly bring it into 2nd it is much smoother. My clutch pedal will be quite stiff on a cold morning for the first time or two that I press it in, but after that is closer to normal. I've never heard of anyone who had a perfectly Honda-smooth AX-15, so I don't worry about it.

 

4Doors - not so much concerened about the 2nd gear quirks....but more of the come to a stop pop it into neutral and engaging the clutch and then trying to get it into a gear...it makes those stop and go days of traffic that much longer