Re: '86 5KTQ: Hard to shift?

[Bob Kunz <bkunz@hpbs114.boi.hp.com>]

> The old quattro is getting harder to shift by the day.  When it is 
> cold, it is almost impossible to get into first gear, without fooling 
> with the stick a bit.
> 
> Is there a way to slow down this problem.  I had the car serviced the 
> other day, and the transaxle oil was full.
> 
> Should I have the oil changed?  I would assume yes, especially if 
> there are metal bits in there circulating around?
> 
> Is there a product to reduce the friction, or damage?
> 
Actually, you want to increase the friction so that the synchros get up
to speed faster. For that you need a gear oil with friction adders such
as Redline MTL. I've (as well as others here) been using this for the last
5K miles with improved shifting being the reward. It's synthetic, not cheap
and has limited availability but it works. It is also not temperature
dependent as much and gives good shiftability at low temperatures (i.e. it
doesn't get thicker but maintains a narrow viscosity range)

Bob Kunz
bkunz@boi.hp.com