Very first post here
I just bought a 2000 Contour SVT and it will grind when it goes into 3rd gear. It doesn't do it when the motor and trans is cold but after a few minutes of driving it grinds pretty bad going into 3rd. The guy I bought it from said he thinks it's the syncro that is not putting it in gear correctly.
I have been just skipping 3rd and going right into 4th but really want to get this fixed so I can use 3rd in the city driving. Any help would be great.
Thanks

 

There is generally a bronze or brass blocking ring (synchronizer) that is possibly worn or cracked for getting into third gear. The trans has to be removed and disassembled to replace this.
What you can try and this is what truck drivers do when they have like 10 speed transmissions it's called "double clutching."
What you do is naturally you depress the clutch pedal to get it out of 2nd gear, then with the shift lever in neutral, let the clutch pedal up so engine speed and trans speed will be synchronized, then depress the clutch and shift it into 3rd. Once you get the knack of doing this, you will automatically do this and you may not need to remove the trans after all. Try it ,

 

Sounds like a good idea. I'll give it a try when I leave work. As far as the part goes, is that a hard thing to replace if you are mechanically incline?

 

There is some special equip needed to remove the trans and unless you have the facilities, get some estimates.