OK, so I searched and searched and to no avail! Which I think is odd but here it goes.

I just bought a 97 2.4 5spd(obviously a 5spd). I noticed that when i drive it normally it runs fine. If you beat on it tho when you upshift from like 3rd-4th gear, the clutch can be totally disengaged (foot off the pedal) and the RPMs slowly fall to where they should be for the next gear. I know its supposed to drop down quickly because there is a load on it and it does so when you aren't beating on it. I am pretty sure this is just the beginning of the clutch dying, but I wanted to ask and make sure. Thanks




Scott

When I boost, you boost, we boost
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Test the clutch this way. Best to do it later at night when few cars are out, just incase.

Find a steep hill, put the car in the highest gear it will go without bogging down.

See what the RPMs do while going up the hill.



- 2004 Cavalier - 124k, owned since new

thanks bro, I tried that and the motors revs were pretty high but the car didn't go as fast as it should. Then I let my foot off the gas a lil and the revs dropped and the car moved faster.

Also, the 2.4 can chirp second gear. This thing powers through the clutch before it will ever chirp second again.

Thanks. Looks like my suspisions were correct and I am ordering that clutch.




Scott

When I boost, you boost, we boost
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
You have been banned from NEJBODY.
You've displayed wayyy too many acts of pushing people to their limits.
It's never cool to tear people down for what they want to do.
NEJBODY is a team. We're not the same as JBO where everyone bashes on eachother.
I'm surprised you show up to our meets after half of the things you say on here.

I seem to have that exact same problem.
When I drive hard, and shift fast, about 30% of the time it just feels like it is slipping. My rpm's will stay at 5800ish, yet i have already switched gears. Once it slips that once, i can have it in fifth doing 80km/h (2000rpm ish) step on it, and rpms will slowly climb, not proportional to normal rpm in 5th gear...
I am looking into some sort of getrag swap, either old one or new one..so we will see.

why bother with the getrag sqap? Whats the benefit? I don't get it. I have a getrag in the 2000 Z that I have and I don't notice a difference.

I just ordered a clutch from ebay, exedy, nothing fancy, this is my girl's car anyway.




Scott

When I boost, you boost, we boost
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
You have been banned from NEJBODY.
You've displayed wayyy too many acts of pushing people to their limits.
It's never cool to tear people down for what they want to do.
NEJBODY is a team. We're not the same as JBO where everyone bashes on eachother.
I'm surprised you show up to our meets after half of the things you say on here.

The isuzu has a crappy tranny all together, basically the only good thing is you can swap gears with the 2.2, and get harder spyder gears froma geo storm. You are still left with a really crappy differential.
The getrags are both much more durable. NVG-T550 is basically a direct swap to teh 96-99 2.4, you just need one mount and some metal to extend the shift cables. Stock clutch and flywheel can be retained.
The new F23 getrag (i think thats the code) is built well, but requires more modification to fit the older 2.4. You need new flywheel and new flywheel bolts, new clutch, and all the shift cables and shifter assembly. The only problems with the new one from my understanding is that there are some plastic tabs that wear off with time, it is nothing serious and can be replaced.
My delimma is that I can not find a cheap NVG-T550, junk yards around hear have many 2000-2002 getrage transmissions for around 400 bucks in good condition. I am just caught on what to do because my isuzu makes weird noises in third gear when cruising, and also reverse has also sounded like the tranny will fall out of the car.

IDK, I think the getrag swap is a waste of money. Its doesn't seem to be built any better than the Isuzu. I've heard that the getrag transmission blows at around 300hp as well. Its had a number of issues with loose bearings, which I can confirm. It has crap for axels. If you are going to do any sort of swap, NVG is the way to go. Also, get the axels from the junkyard as well. Hell, you can just swap in the axels from an NVG into the isuzu. If you get NVG axels from autozone they aren't as heavy duty as OEM straight from GM or a junkyard. Well worth the money.

The fact that you can get a shorter gear ratio from a 2.2 5spd is nice, while you are doing the swap send them out to get kyrotreated. You should be fine. Why do want to do this swap anyway? What are you doing that will require this? I don't see anything in your registry.



Scott

When I boost, you boost, we boost
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
You have been banned from NEJBODY.
You've displayed wayyy too many acts of pushing people to their limits.
It's never cool to tear people down for what they want to do.
NEJBODY is a team. We're not the same as JBO where everyone bashes on eachother.
I'm surprised you show up to our meets after half of the things you say on here.

I want to do a swap, either one, because my tranny is bumming out on me. 3rd gear makes weird noises when cruise/decel/release throttle pressure. My reverse gear makes a god awful sound when backing up, also if i attempt to reverse at a greater speed ( i have a long laneway), it quite frequently 'pop's out of gear.

Furthermore, I have read quite frequently on here that the isuzu transmission is no good. Also on car-part.com the isuzu tranny for some reason is selling for approximately 1000 bucks at a local yard, meanwhile the newer getrag can be had for about only $400.

Don't get me wrong, I would love to do the NVG swap, if i could find one for a reasonable price and locally, I would pick it up immediately. Unfortunately, there doesn't seem to be any 93-94 2.3L HO equipped cars in my area, there are plenty of 2.3L LO cars, but I dont think the NVG is in the LO's. Perhaps you know if that is true or not?

Furthermore, I am trying to do my research more about what my options are. You are right, my registry doesn't say much, because not much is done right now. I graduate from college in April and hope to find a full-time job, in which I should be able to spare extra cash for a build and maybe boost. Boost is a long shot, i know, rebuild isn't.

I appreciate your comments, and look forward to your feedback. Thank you.

you can swap in the LO tranny but it isn't going to be an upgrade, just pretty much the same as what you have. The getrag tranny is going to require you to weld in mounts where as the LO trannies and the NVG are a direct bolt on. You can search the tranny forum on here and find lots of info. Why does the junk yard have to be local? Have em ship it. I had a whole motor and tranny freighted to my house and it only cost like 75 bucks. LO would get you by. IDK. The getrag swap just seems to me like a waste of time. At 104K my getrag was loosing its touch. It was a bitch to shift into gears, especially 1st. I just don't see the greatness in the getrag, I think it was poorly designed and poorly supported by GM for the issues it has.

I do hear of people complaining about the isuzu but I have never seen any real consistant reason. (they stopped putting them in in 99-2000, so the cars have higher miles on them that do have them) My buddy has 200K on his stock motor, stock tranny and stock clutch in a 1998. Mine has 122K and if I don't beat it, the clutch grabs just fine with no other issues. Reverse in the isuzu has always made a whining sound, as do a lot of transmissions.

-I often think of Mike Karas who's 400hp car had issues with the motor and axels not the tranny itself
-Pete Brandy who was pushing 300+hp and the motor blew up before the isuzu even stuttered, had some clutch issues but it was stock
I could go on

I think you have figured out your options:

isuzu gear swap from 2.2 - different gear ratio
getrag - ?no whine in reverse? weld in mounts
NVG - bullet proof tranny with bullet proof axels, no welding needed, bolt in
LO tranny - bolt in, similar to what you have, can use NVG axels.

I may be wrong but that is what I have picked up over the forums and talkin to people about it. IDK



Scott

When I boost, you boost, we boost
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
You have been banned from NEJBODY.
You've displayed wayyy too many acts of pushing people to their limits.
It's never cool to tear people down for what they want to do.
NEJBODY is a team. We're not the same as JBO where everyone bashes on eachother.
I'm surprised you show up to our meets after half of the things you say on here.

The reverse gear problem isn't a whine, its a strange knocking sound that I have never heard on any manual shift car before. At high reversing speeds, engine rpm around 2500/3000, it falls out of gear and just sounds awful. something is wrong for sure. but i rarely reverse quickly, so it is bareable for now, nothing tooo serious, just embarassing when there are people around, because they always turn their head..haha

Thanks for you help scott, I have for a long time had my mind set on the NVG, and I will continue looking.