My for galaxy started to grind a bit when i put it in first gear is it the clutch or the gear box going

classic manual transmission clutch failure but is 99% of the time
the clutch MC and slave leaked out all the Dot3 fluid
or went dry and not put back fresh and BLED , putting air bubbles there. this will result in CHAOS, random shift results.
no car told no miles on car told.
2nd gear loves to fail first in the city the insane ,1>2 shift
wears out the 2nd gear synchro ring a $15 part. (fixed many me)
are your sure Reverse never grinds or balks??????

if have see to that the cracked disc inside drags just a bit.
and this tiny drag (normal is zero) cause he most worn synchro fail
and grinds.
are you always topping off the clutch MC reservoir? with DOT3> brake fluid
make sure the correct gear lube is in the box. GL3/4 ? and correct viscosity, thicker is better for worn synchro rings.
if MC fluid is good
try first spec, gear lube. (do not guess learn what the car needs)
no car told.

its really a Chevy S10,
the only Japan part is the name sticker.
so what engines there?
hydraulic clutch is auto-dusting
after all air is bleed out of the system

diagnosing clutch can be bit tricky
but here are those tricks (blew many up racing)
the slave has a rod to a lever,
if bleed ok, can be hard, as the tubes go vertical
like a motorcycle or aircraft
bleeding is hard. (on all)
(bubbles float up as you force them down, dang a pain) (reverse brake bleed kit a godsend)

once done bled, i check the slave stroke distance.
its about 1 inch stoke,(2 men test)
no slack there, due to the hydraulic auto adjust.
see slack yell load, air in lines. or rod fit wrong.
so it moves about 1 full inch on the outer fork tip
PEDAL to the floor,
if yes and clutch drags, the clutch is bad.

one acid test of clutch
is REVERSE, it's a NON Syncrho mesh gear, a real gear. and fussy, (nice for testing, I learned long ago)
and will grind at the first bit, of clutch drag.
its like the coal miners canary bird, help me...

I love clutches, learned to drive in 15speed dump truck.
it had crash boxes... 5x3
double clutching all gears.all day long.

I would change the viscosity of the oil in the gear box first as if the oil is too heavy the syncro springs cannot handle a quick shift. next check the drain plug magnet for metal bits Lastly check that the clutch operation is spot on and that the clutch is fully disengaging to allow for the fast shift. May mean that you have to put your foot fully to the floor for your fast shifts and not as you see it in the movies. At this stage with you information if the box shifts well under normal conditions then I would tend to discount a faulty box

It jump because the clutch disc itself is good, but the clutch is not engaging-the pedal is not making the clutch engage. When it does, then you can shift without grinding, then you can shift period. Clutch pedal operates a cable or it operates a hydraulic system-they both, which ever one you have, move the clutch fork on the transmission bell housing just a bit to cause the clutch to disengage the transmission from the engine's flywheel...so you can shift, see, easy, smooth shifts, no problem, no grinding. Your clutch itself is okay, the pedal is just not operating it.

when was the clutch plate last replaced was it lately and the problem just started after the change
next there is a bush/bearing in the center of the crankshaft that failes/ dry and that seizes in the input shaft of the gear box and makes the clutch useless as it drives the box all the time
another thing is any oil or grease on the clutch lining will stick the plate to the flywheel face and cause a problem
if the clutch plates are old , the damper springs can come out /break and intere with the flywheel mounting bolts
removing the transmissions and checking the clutch assemblies will reveal the reason for the failure

hi i was wondering if anyone can tell me whats going on with my 89 z24 cav i just replaced two shifter cables on she's a 2.8l 5 speed and now when i starts her and lets the clutch out she dosen't engage at all but she has no noises and no grinding goes in gear fine but just won't move hope someone can help thanks

What about the first gear? If going easy on - change the gear box.If not-change the clutch kit.

Sounds like the clutch plate has suffered catastrophic failure - if there is an inspection point on the gear box see if there's any debris (springs, clutch plate material, etc) at the bottom of the bellhousing. A new clutch assembly should solve the problem.

Dose the clutch pedal drive in gear 1" from the floor OR 1"" from the top when you let it out. if its drives when almost out and there is a vibration on the pedal then the clutch needs replacing and it has nothing to do with the gear box or oil
But the gearbox has to come out before you put a new complete clutch in

If it is noisy only in third, then third is where the problem is, cluster gear and/or mainshaft gear. Rule of thumb, if it is noisy in only one forward gear, then that gear is where the problem is.