shifter issue?

[abutterman]

Since i got the car, the shifter has always had a very inconsistent feel to it. It'll sometimes go into gear nice and smooth but sometimes random gears will feel sloppy and notchy, often feeling like its rubbing against rocks. It will sometimes feel as if its getting stuck half way through the gate. There are times that it feels tight and precise and then there's times where it feels almost loose and disconnected. When it starts to slip up, first gear in particular may not go in all the way at a dead stop and 3rd feels like it's knocking all over the place and you can hear it hit as it goes in.

I've changed the transmission fluid twice, first to Amsoil 75w90 and then to Redline MTL which is currently in use

I had tried the Perrin rear shifter bushing which made shifting almost impossible and is now back to stock bushing

Extremely weighted shift knob (anarchy knob) helps to reduce the feeling of the issues but its still there

There is NO grinding at all during these extremely sloppy shifter movements. Even when it feels almost like it didn't go into gear properly i can continue to drive without any grind.

I'm trying to think of what to look at next and looked around through some google searches for any info. Is it possible the ball joint needs to be greased up more on the shifter? Like i said, sometimes it'll go into gear buttery smooth but often requires a few tries before it loses the notchiness.

Any advice would be appreciated.

Thanks

[zoomzoomers]

I have an AT so I'm just guessing here, but have you looked at your shifter? Or maybe thought about replacing your shifter w/ a short shifter that's available out there? I've had an instance, on a different car, where the ball bearings in the shifter linkage was bad and always made the shift feel inconsistant. It got solved when I changed the shifter out for a short shifter.

Also, do you know if the MT on our cars is a cable linkage type? If so you might want to see if the cable isn't being obstructed by something, which could cause you to feel what your feeling. Hope you get that resolved.

[mikeTee]

I'm having the exact same issue and I've thought about getting a heavier shift knob to remedy the problem. Also thought about changing the transmission fluid as some on the board have suggested. When I'm on the road and I try to shift gears and it won't enter the gate, I typically have to shift it back into neutral and reattempt the gear change before it'll go so I understand what you mean by "getting stuck half way".

[whtchocla7e]

Originally Posted by abutterman

Since i got the car, the shifter has always had a very inconsistent feel to it. It'll sometimes go into gear nice and smooth but sometimes random gears will feel sloppy and notchy, often feeling like its rubbing against rocks. It will sometimes feel as if its getting stuck half way through the gate. There are times that it feels tight and precise and then there's times where it feels almost loose and disconnected. When it starts to slip up, first gear in particular may not go in all the way at a dead stop and 3rd feels like it's knocking all over the place and you can hear it hit as it goes in.

There is NO grinding at all during these extremely sloppy shifter movements. Even when it feels almost like it didn't go into gear properly i can continue to drive without any grind.

Yes, yes, yes on all counts. I've taken my car in for a checkup and they couldn't find anything.

I've figured out a way to shift smoothly most of the time but it requires so much precise muscle movement... I can't do that when having a bad day or stress.. I'd like to be able to shift slow and effortlessly without the "rocky" feeling as you put it.

Watching this forum closely for possible solutions.

[abutterman]

Originally Posted by zoomzoomers

I have an AT so I'm just guessing here, but have you looked at your shifter? Or maybe thought about replacing your shifter w/ a short shifter that's available out there? I've had an instance, on a different car, where the ball bearings in the shifter linkage was bad and always made the shift feel inconsistant. It got solved when I changed the shifter out for a short shifter.

Also, do you know if the MT on our cars is a cable linkage type? If so you might want to see if the cable isn't being obstructed by something, which could cause you to feel what your feeling. Hope you get that resolved.

I was thinking about getting the kartboy shifter but if i go through the trouble of installing it and the problem's still there, if i was to bring it in to subaru to have it looked at, they'll probably be quick to blame the kartboy. If it is the bearings, i'd probably just have subaru replace it with another oem one

[abutterman]

Originally Posted by mikeTee

I'm having the exact same issue and I've thought about getting a heavier shift knob to remedy the problem. Also thought about changing the transmission fluid as some on the board have suggested. When I'm on the road and I try to shift gears and it won't enter the gate, I typically have to shift it back into neutral and reattempt the gear change before it'll go so I understand what you mean by "getting stuck half way".

the heavier knob definitely helps make it feel better but it's really just a bandaid. Mine weighs in at 670g which is crazy heavy and definitely makes it better but i can still feel the resistance at times. same thing for me... usually takes 2 tries for a smooth shift. i've actually tried just turning the car on and keep the brake on, hold the clutch in and move the shifter around and sometimes after the smooth 2nd try, it'll go back to crap. there's no real consistency to it

[zoomzoomers]

Hmm, seems the first thing you need to do is pinpoint where the problem might be coming from. It's either in the linkage chain somewhere or the transmission itself. I guess the best plan of attack is to take her into the dealer and see what they can find.

[blanco]

add me to the list of those issues.

[whaap]

I've not experienced that problem. I don't know if it's related or not but I do not shift 'quickly'. I shift like what I am, an old man!

[tobin]

I am having similar issues. I have had the car for about 1 month, ~1200 miles. I figured it was still getting broken in. If by 10,000 miles it still happens, that would be an issue. I also dislike the intermittent "thunk" when clutching in from neutral to 1st (I've read that new bushings would remedy this). But the shifter issue is generally 1st to 2nd, or Neutral to 1st. Sometimes 2nd to 3rd. Double clutching doesn't really seem to help much. Hoping it's just the car getting broken in.

[abutterman]

Originally Posted by whaap

I've not experienced that problem. I don't know if it's related or not but I do not shift 'quickly'. I shift like what I am, an old man!

i actually notice it more if i shift slowly and with less force. I wish i could shift more casually and have it just sink in

Originally Posted by zoomzoomers

Hmm, seems the first thing you need to do is pinpoint where the problem might be coming from. It's either in the linkage chain somewhere or the transmission itself. I guess the best plan of attack is to take her into the dealer and see what they can find.

i'm starting to think it may be something in the linkage or the joint or something since the more race oriented Amsoil fluid didn't help and the thinner and usually super smooth redline mtl 70w80 helped here and there but the problem remains. That and with the perrin rear shifter bushing, it became more like a punching a brick wall feeling going into 3rd. It was kinda like it was hitting the edge of the gate or something before going in


might give it a go at the dealer but i doubt they'll do anything about it and just say there's nothing wrong with it. I actually told them i was having some trouble after the first 2 days of having the car and they told me that they felt the same thing on another one so "it must be normal"

I could see it maybe being normal in the dead of winter but not in the middle of the summer when its 85 degrees outside. I test drove a manual impreza (was looking at the wrx and they dont like to test drive them) before i bought the brz while it was 20 degrees outside and it shifted like butter so there has to be a reason for it. and its probably something very simple

[abutterman]

Originally Posted by tobin

I am having similar issues. I have had the car for about 1 month, ~1200 miles. I figured it was still getting broken in. If by 10,000 miles it still happens, that would be an issue. I also dislike the intermittent "thunk" when clutching in from neutral to 1st (I've read that new bushings would remedy this). But the shifter issue is generally 1st to 2nd, or Neutral to 1st. Sometimes 2nd to 3rd. Double clutching doesn't really seem to help much. Hoping it's just the car getting broken in.

i get the thunk from neutral to 1st probalby 90% of the time as well. I'm at around 4000 miles at this point with heavy stop and go driving so i'd assume if it was going to break in, it probably would've by now. if anything, it's gotten worse

[uEih]

Originally Posted by abutterman

i get the thunk from neutral to 1st probalby 90% of the time as well. I'm at around 4000 miles at this point with heavy stop and go driving so i'd assume if it was going to break in, it probably would've by now. if anything, it's gotten worse

Is the thunk before you get into gear? I sometimes feel and hear this too before going into first, it seems to sound right before entering first. It's not loud but noticeable and worries me.

[Rayme]

1,2,3 are triple synchro and shift quite "quick". The shifting "feel" in those gears are very RPM dependant.
4,5,6 are smoother, standard feeling.

The thunk when shifting from Neutral to first can be stopped by waiting a sec or so after releasing the clutch so the internals can slow down. It's the effect of the synchro abruptly stoping the input shaft from turning (the transmission needs to synchronise going from Neutral to 1st, not just between gears).