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To be honest it’s impossible for anyone else to speak for your abilities but that job is really not one for the inexperienced as it does require some special tools and a clean well lit place to work. You might consider first changing the fluid to see if the problem changes or goes away, often times this may be all that is required.
Well Ive done that already… I replaced the fluid with what ford recommended which was ATFII or III or IV. Heck in all realty it seems to have made it worst by changing the fluid. Would changing the clutch help at all?
I would not attempt to do any type of R&R work to a transmission without having the correct tools and service information. I just rebuilt a manual transmission from a Toyota and it was not a fun experience at all.
If your grinding when trying to change gears, do you even look at your clutch hydraulics to make sure there is no issues there?
How does the clutch pedal feel and does it stay depressed when you use the clutch? Any other issues with any other gears?
My co-worker who passed away in August of this year had the exact same vehicle as you. He would grind gears due to worn out bushing near the shifter.
I would do some more investigating before condemning the transmission synchronizers.
My personal vehicle ( ’88 mazda mx6) grinds gears a little because of a worn shifter bushing.
So my point is…., bushings are cheap transmission rebuilds are not.
Make sure it’s not something simple first before spending the money on a clutch or tranny rebuild.Quoted From dreamer2355:
I would not attempt to do any type of R&R work to a transmission without having the correct tools and service information. I just rebuilt a manual transmission from a Toyota and it was not a fun experience at all.
If your grinding when trying to change gears, do you even look at your clutch hydraulics to make sure there is no issues there?
How does the clutch pedal feel and does it stay depressed when you use the clutch? Any other issues with any other gears?
My co-worker who passed away in August of this year had the exact same vehicle as you. He would grind gears due to worn out bushing near the shifter.
I would do some more investigating before condemning the transmission synchronizers.
Okay thank you dreamer… I know these zx2s are real dang finikey and some of the things they do just dont make sense. Now where would I be looking for the bushings at? Are they near the transmission its self or are they right up near the shifter its self? And thank you for suggesting that again. And im sorry about your friend that passed away.
The bushing are by the shifter itself. My co-worker also stated that he could not source the parts from the dealer either so you may need to go aftermarket or call a Ford dealer yourself IF the bushings are the issue.
Obviously be checking first for correct clutch operation.
This video from Eric may help –
Your only other hope at this point is if the shift linkage is adjustable as I show in the 2002 Focus clutch video that I’ve been showing on Mondays, if it’s out of adjustment you might be able to get it back in (check the service manual for the procedure) but if it’s not adjustable then your going to have to repair the syncros. You might consider removing the transmission yourself and taking it to a shop to have them rebuild it and you would save the cost of R&R and be assured that the work was done correctly.
Okay Ill see if I cant find the linkage on the ZX2 probably over sunday this weekend and update ya’ll. Also ill check those bushings cause a buddy of mine remarked to me about the amount of play in the shifter itself by saying that it felt like it was in neutral when it was in a gear. So maybe itll be shift linkage…….
Okay I checked the shift linkage sunday and found it to be pretty dang loose. It seems that most of the slop is starting from the stick its self. Its almost like theres a bushing underneath of it that has gone bad. Also in addition I did find a huge difference between the ZX2 and the ZX3 aka the focus and that is my shift linkage consist of two metal bars. One goes to the transmission and the other to a side mount looking thing on the side of the transmission. The bar that goes to the transmission has a joint and that also seems to have quite a bit of play in it to. So is there a bearing/bushing underneath the stick? And if so what is the part name and also where the bar meets the joint is that also a bushing????
Does anyone know where in the world I can find the parts for the above stated questions? Oh and dont say advanced or Ford… Already tried both.
Yea in my experience parts like that are not often available in the aftermarket and you may have to purchase the rods as the bushings may not be sold separately, this may be the reason you can’t find them.
Okay to all those 1998-2003 Ford ZX2 5 speed owners, I finally have a complete answer to solve the issue with our cars grinding 2nd-3rd. It turns out that the bushings in our shift linkage wear out over the years and cause the gears to “miss align” when we are shifting. So where do we get the parts you ask? Well I hate to say it but you have to go through ford. There are no two ways around it. Now the part number you will be looking for, for the bushings that you can actually replace is 7A133. If your parts person looks at ya like a moron, tell them the part number has recently been changed. Also if replacing the two vertical bushings does not work you will need to buy a whole new shift linkage which runs around 380-400 USD. Also beware our cars are becoming real pains to get parts for because ford is stopping the production for parts for our cars.
So in closing I hope that since I have done all the back work for you, that this will make your life alot easier. And also a trick to getting those vertical bushings in is to take off the rod next to the shift rod itself. Dont worry any back yard mechanic can do this. Its not hard at all.
-Nick
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