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Mechanical Maintenance (Oil, Fluids, Break-In, Servicing) Everything related to the mechanical maintenance of the FR-S and BRZ


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Old 03-13-2015, 03:51 AM   #1
Kerune
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What am I experiencing?

Hello folks,

I'm fairly new to the forum and definitely new to owning an 86. I have roughly 200 miles on the car and I've been taking random drives in the city/hwy to vary speed/rpm for the first 1k - of course occasionally shifting slightly past 4k but who hasn't.

When I got the car, it had a full tank and we don't know who filled it, it may be 87 and I'm looking to replace it with prem as soon as it's low enough. I've noticed a few things and I'm wondering if anyone has input on the causes, I'm sure breaking in the clutch and engine will make a big diff in the near future so if that may be it, it'd be nice to know.

1. Very slow get up on 1st gear, should I just be shifting to 2nd gear asap and get going from there or could there be a cause for this?
2. Shifting to 2nd, seems like a common issue but I've tried various ways of lifting the clutch, slowly, quicker, more gas right over the engagement point and etc. and it still seems like a rough shift all the time. Any ideas?
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Old 03-13-2015, 05:06 AM   #2
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First off, Congratulations on your 86 and Welcome to the Forums.

Concerning point 1, do you mean that the clutch is too high so it takes a while before moving at stop lights and whatnot? I didn't really comprehend the question very much, sorry.

For point 2, many of the members have said maybe let the car warm up and get to operating temperatures and that seems to help. But I have noticed that when you shift from 1 -> 2 quickly at like 7-10mph it is a little smoother than shifting at a higher speed, but that is for me.
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Old 03-13-2015, 01:04 PM   #3
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First off, Congratulations on your 86 and Welcome to the Forums.

Concerning point 1, do you mean that the clutch is too high so it takes a while before moving at stop lights and whatnot? I didn't really comprehend the question very much, sorry.

For point 2, many of the members have said maybe let the car warm up and get to operating temperatures and that seems to help. But I have noticed that when you shift from 1 -> 2 quickly at like 7-10mph it is a little smoother than shifting at a higher speed, but that is for me.
Thank you, glad to see the community is so welcoming.

For point 1, while the clutch is real high, I only meant that the vehicle feels sluggish in 1st speed wise, I guess I should shift to 2nd earlier and use that to get it going. For 2, yes the shift from 1-2 at slow speeds isn't a problem, altho what's the sweet spot for shifting at higher speed?
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Old 03-13-2015, 01:09 PM   #4
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That's weird 1st gear is usually so quick you have to shift in 2nd for stop and go traffic
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Old 03-13-2015, 01:22 PM   #5
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1. The car isn't fast. Your previous car, the accord, is probably faster to 40mph.
2. Is this your first manual transmission car?
3. Everything needs breaking in, the clutch/transmission especially. Took me about 1500 miles before the clutch smells went away and it started grabbing better and shifting improved over time.
4. Search and read more.
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Old 03-13-2015, 01:30 PM   #6
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1. The car isn't fast. Your previous car, the accord, is probably faster to 40mph.
2. Is this your first manual transmission car?
3. Everything needs breaking in, the clutch/transmission especially. Took me about 1500 miles before the clutch smells went away and it started grabbing better and shifting improved over time.
4. Search and read more.
1. Yeah it seemed to be.
2. It's my first to own, I'm in sales and drive MT cars all the time and I've technically owned a 5 spd civic to resell lol. Of course plenty of room to learn.
3. Ah, well good to know people can typically expect that.
4. Will do
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Old 03-13-2015, 02:24 PM   #7
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You can easily adjust your clutch pedal in about 15 minutes with two wrenches. there is a DIY guide on this forum for it.

I'd get through the break in period and if you still do not like it, you can adjust it. I changed mine in the work parking lot during coffee break, thats how easy it is.

Welcome. Read. Search. Ask. thats what we are here for.

Odd about first gear as normally it is a very quick gear. My only thoughts you get into gear with very very low revs so the motor lugs itself up to speed.
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Old 03-13-2015, 02:32 PM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Kerune View Post
Thank you, glad to see the community is so welcoming.

For point 1, while the clutch is real high, I only meant that the vehicle feels sluggish in 1st speed wise, I guess I should shift to 2nd earlier and use that to get it going. For 2, yes the shift from 1-2 at slow speeds isn't a problem, altho what's the sweet spot for shifting at higher speed?
To find the sweet spot at higher speeds pretty much finds some trial and error. Although whenever I shift at higher speeds its usually redline, so I'd say maybe find a spot where you can practice this like a huge industrial parking lot and just go at it.
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Old 03-14-2015, 03:20 PM   #9
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Thanks for the responses, I've been having good luck with pushing the clutch down slowly before I shift to 2nd, and the speed of letting go isn't as important when I do this.
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Old 03-14-2015, 04:31 PM   #10
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if this is your first owned new manual car, don't shift at redline until you give your drivetrain a chance to break in Bad @meWant!
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Old 03-14-2015, 07:23 PM   #11
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if this is your first owned new manual car, don't shift at redline until you give your drivetrain a chance to break in Bad @meWant!
Haha thanks, it's my first manual but not my first new car, I am giving it a proper break in until 1,000 miles. I don't think I've passed 5k rpm myself.

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Old 03-15-2015, 03:25 AM   #12
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Just like others have said, the car is still pretty new. Once you have broken it in you can open it up a bit more. I stayed under 4000 rpm(for the most part) until around 600 miles, then brought it up a bit more occasionally until I was getting near redline getting up to speed.

When taking off the key is to never let the engine go below 1000 rpms or so. If I want to take off smooth that is about where it hovers until the clutch is engaged. Shifting into second seems to be easier at over 4k rpms in my car, my impreza was the same way(the transmissions aren't even the same manufacturer but reviews on the fwd trans was that it was knotchy).

My break-in period lead to many rough shifts, and I had been driving cars and trucks with manual transmissions for 6 years before I got my BRZ.
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Old 03-29-2015, 01:48 AM   #13
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Don't worry, things will improve over time as the car breaks-in and you get more used to it. It's a tricky car to drive for a number of reasons, firstly because the clutch engagement point is very high and, secondly, because it's a very hard car to shift smoothly. I find when starting from a dead stop, it's best to use virtually no throttle and just master releasing the clutch so smoothly that the car can move forward with torque right off of idle. Once you've rolled forward a few feet and your foot has come completely off the clutch, you can feed the throttle in for very smooth starts. Obviously, you'll need to master balancing the car with the clutch when on slight inclines or when you need to start quickly, but that comes with time. The clutch take up is vague and that, combined with the high engagement point, make starting off smoothly difficult when learning the car. Concentrate on smooth engagement/disengagement of the clutch, and you'll master starts in no time.

Shifting the car from first to second smoothly is difficult, but you'll master it in a few hundred miles. Many people here complain that the car shifts poorly, but I've found shifting issues to be more related to the driver than the transmission. The car is very sensitive to the timing of when you ease off the throttle as you initiate the shift in relation to when you move the lever itself and the engagement/disengagement of the clutch. I'm not telling you to overthink it, but just to let you know that you can eventually find a rhythm that allows you to shift smoothly. Once you get past the break-in period, you'll also find that the car shifts more smoothly when shifting at higher RPMs. Don't get too concerned about the issues you're having with poor performance, because the car is harder to drive smoothly a low RPM and the performance will improve dramatically once you can wring it out - it really comes alive above 4,000 RPM!

Relax and enjoy the newness and once you get used to things you're going to have a blast - I've had two Porsche 944 Turbos, two BMW M3s, an RX-7 Turbo II, and a bunch of other fun cars and this car is the most pure and rewarding car I've ever owned. It's a classic and the fact that you have to work to master it just makes it that much better, in my opinion.

Last edited by RJasonKlein; 03-29-2015 at 03:38 AM. Reason: Corrected a typographical error.
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