so my 05 r53 developed some problems over the last week. . . At first it was hard to shift, mostly down shifting into 1st. It did that for about a day or two and then progressed to now only making a really good grinding noise when clutch is released. The clutch still looks good and I'm not seeing metal in trans oil. Any one else had a problem or have nay ideas before start pulling it apart?

 

Why would you down shift to first?

 

Grinding could mean something like the clutch plate has worn sufficiently that the gears are not making full contact. I don't know the 53's transmission well, but other causes could be low fluid/air in the master cylinder (brake or clutch depending on which the r53's use). The other thing I can think of would be a worn out throwout or input shaft bearing. If it's during depression of the clutch, I'd target the bearings. Unfortunately, everything but the fluids would require taking the transmission out to check.