got another question. Like i said, Im buying a hatch and the seller said he thinks its grinding. The car is not driveable for other reasons so i cant troubleshoot the tranny. When i pull the motor would the malfunctions be visible when i crack open the tranny? synchros maybe?

 

When you drain the fluid, if you see metal shavings or a silvery look to the fluid then yeah you're definitely grinding. Things to look for when pulling the case out is a buildup of metal shaving residue anywhere in the tranny and check the shift forks for damage/cracking/missing shards.

 

thanks... ya that does make sense. is it most likely the synchros? and how hard/how much is it to fix?

 

Its not that hard, you will really tell when you look at the magnet in the tranny, mine was covered in metal shaving but also some of it was from my oil gutter plate. If your replacing syncros I would recommend the carbon coated ones you can get here http://www.gear-speed.com/
and a Helms will walk you through the process