Transmission Grinding and Popping out of Gear

[laneza01]

Hello Everyone!
I just purchased a 2004 Cobra with 35k miles. As far as I can tell it is totally unmodified (for sure a stock shifter).
I bought it at auction so was unable to drive it prior to purchase.
Upon first drive, I noticed that it would not stay in 5th gear when I apply any gas at all.
When shifting into 6th, there is a grind between neutral and actually going into 6th. Once in 6th, everything is fine.
I'm suspecting that I need to replace syncros and therefore might as well rebuild it.
Am I way off base or does that sound like a correct diagnosis (short of pulling the trans out)?
Second question is, if I continue to drive it, will I do more damage?
Thanks!

 

[01yellercobra]

Nice pick up. Are the hood vents missing?

It would be very odd for a 35k mile car to have transmission issues like that. Unless it was severely beaten on. I would check the shifter and make sure everything is tight. If it's loose it won't engage the gears correctly. How does the clutch feel? If it's not disengaging completely it could cause shifting issues. You could try the trick where you lift up on the clutch pedal with your toe then push down on it. If you hear any clicking that means it's taking up slack.

Also, check/change the fluid. Do the cheap stuff before moving to the big stuff. But yeah, if it continues to grind I wouldn't drive it very much.

 

[03' White Snake]

Like Bob said, try adjusting the clutch. Sometimes they are too tight and need to be re-adjusted. Use a flat head screwdriver, push on the small plastic gear on the clutch quadrant under the dash. It will release all the slack in the cable. Then pull up on the pedal a few times like Bob said. This will re-tension the cable.

Pull the shifter bezel off, make sure nothing is stopping the shifter from going into gear. Sometimes the leather is too tight on the shifter handle and could be causing the issue you mention.

 

[laneza01]

I think that's just the angle of the picture, the vents are present.
The paint and wheels are virtually spotless. So if it was beat on, they were careful.
The clutch is very heavy...but I'm guessing that is by design, doesn't feel out of the ordinary, but I've never driven a t56 equipped car either.
I did the lift up on clutch pedal trick and it did click. I tried it twice and it clicked both times.
Thank you both for the advice. I will give all that a shot. I preemptively ordered fluid a week ago.

 

[01yellercobra]

A full fluid change wouldn't be a bad idea anyway. Throw in new plugs and a fuel filter and you're starting from zero.

The 03/04 clutches are on the heavy side.

 

[holiks03cobra]

I thought popping out of gear was always a sign of bad synchros? I’ve had it happen a time or two and that was the reason.