5th gear synchro harshness?
 

Is anyone else experiencing resistance from the 5th gear synchro, mainly when downshifting from 6th to 5th? I don't encounter any resistance downshifting to other gears, but 5th gear is a pain every time.

This happened to be the other day when I was getting on the freeway. Shifting from 4th to 5th, it didn't seem to go into gear all the way and grinded. Or maybe it was my fault since I was exhausted from work. Either way, I'm at ~3500 and plan on changing the gear oil soon.

I have the same behavior. As long as it engages without too much "grittiness" you should be ok. I almost never do the 6-5 downshift, so no biggie. I think the lack of triple cones on the higher gears carries some logic. When I take my time and try to do a good rev match, it feels better.

I would guess that 5 and 6 are single cone.

My thoughts exactly (emphasis mine). I'm wondering if it would be better to downshift into 4th instead for synchro longevity since it comparatively engages with ease. I may change the transmission fluid soon to see if it changes the behavior at all.

I changed my fluid to Redline and it made no difference. Every manual transmission I have ever driven in the last 12 years (including the infamous T56) has "issues". Drive that shit hard and don't sweat it too much. I might try Pentosin just for giggles.

5th to 6th has been struggled a lot for me for whatever reason.
I'm around 6700 miles and been meaning to change out the trans fluids, its been getting .. grittier as the miles tack on

Drive it normally within limits and enjoy yourself. If it breaks from normal use then that's what the warranty is for.

I'm the pentosin guy, never any harshness any gear

If it's triple cone vs single cone, then wouldn't the 4th have the same issue as 5th and 6th?
Mine shifts smoothly to any gear.

I am not 100% sure but I'm speculating that 4th is double cone. We know that these Aisin transmissions are stubborn when cold and we also know that out of the factory, some may be "out of spec". I have 2000 miles on mine and 4-5 upshift / 6-5 downshift are gritty. It doesn't inspire confidence. I'm rev matching but it doesn't feel right. I am definitely going to try the pentosin.

Right on.. Thanks for testing.

I noticed going from 5th to forth is a PITA, although it's probably cuz I keep hitting the gates when downshifting, thinking its like my Ranger haha still not used to actually sliding it down over than down, vs an almost diagonal movement with the truck(virtually no gates).....

I find 5-6 to be much worse than 4-5.