I am posting this question for a friend that is having some issues with his car. MY 03 WRX 5MT 81,000 Stock engine/tranny I drove the car last night after work and it's really hard to get in any gear. It felt like I wasn't even using the clutch when I was shifting through the gears. If I gave it a little rev and pulled the shifter back against the gear it did eventually fall in but not without a little coaxing. Downshifting was also very difficult. The clutch grabs fine (engages in the same spot as my car does) and isn't slipping. I'm thinking this car might have been a returned to stock car as the car has Cobb sways and a short ram intake (previous owner lost stock airbox and sways I'm guessing) which in turn makes me think the car had seen some abuse in the past. Any opinions appreciated. Clutch? Fluid? Tranny overhaul?
Well, how long have you owned it? Is it certain gears or all gears? Is there any grinding? Does any of the gears whine while in gear? As far as damage goes, the two things you worry about are grinding into gear (worn syncros) and if any of the gears whine under load (worn teeth). If neither of those occur, the main parts of the transmission are fine. There may be another issue. Some things to check would be fluids, hop under the car and check shifter hardware (nothing's loose/off). There might be something bent within the transmission too like the shift fork or something. I'd also hop over to Nasioc and do a little searching. Chances are there have been several posts asking the same question, and there may be some specific answers for you.
There is grinding but only during downshifts. My friend has had the car for 2 years, it started acting up on Tuesday of this week.
