MT issues when stopped
 

Sometimes I really struggle to get back into first after stopped and in neutral with the clutch out. Curious if my trans is dying or maybe I have some bushing issues.

Didn’t really start until I put the SC in. This is why I ask about bushings as I can really feel the flex difference. 95k miles on the car for reference. New clutch in past 5k miles.

Mine does the same it’s NA but sometimes in stop and go traffic I gotta almost force it in first. Or put it in 2nd then 1st. I think our cheap shitty cars just have shitty gear boxes.


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I'm curious about replacements, like to know if the new 2nd gen gearbox will fit. May not be able to wait though. Car's in shop for rear bushings and motor mounts to help with all the drivetrain movement causing wheel hop. We'll see if it helps. Shop stated they don't see any issues in regards to any shift related bushings causing the issue.

Looking at alternatives. Any recommendations from the community? I see stage 1,2,3 stock MTs on Ebay with Cusco 1,2 gears and carbon fiber syncros in 1,2, but not much more. And I don't see a good explanation to differentiate the stages in the description. Stage 3 is 2x the Stage 2 price, but the descriptions match.


Do the later model 16-21 models use the same trans. Another issue leaving me a lot of homework to do. Any cliff notes appreciated.

Not sure if the newer models do but I would assume because for the most part all they did was change intake manifold interior and exterior. Something that did improve my shifting though I got some shift springs from mtec and a shift bushing it made everything more clicky and smoother but still occasionally shifting into 1st I gotta either force it or go from 2nd to 3rd. I’m sure someone else will be able to give info on an aftermarket solution though besides what I said.


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Does it grind when you try to put it in reverse? If so, it's more of a clutch problem than transmission.

whenever it doesn't go into 1st at a stop, i just drop it to 2nd and go back to 1st before clutch-out. usually moves the synchro's enough to get to 1st.

Was it an ACT clutch? Have you played with the clutch pedal height?

Very unlikely to be bushing related. Very likely to be clutch related.

Mentioned this in several threads but the problem gradually went away like this:

new tranny fluid > MTEC shifter springs > whiteline/perrin shifter insert/bushing combo > 1 piece aluminum driveshaft - this last one is what really did it.

Replace the shifter lever bushings at the transmission with Delrin Cosco or Torque Solutions ones. I have no issues entering 1st now and all gear shifts are like butter.

https://i.imgur.com/7TS7Yev.jpg

I gotta chuckle every time someone bitches about the "shitty gear boxes" in our cars. I've owned a lot of cars in my time and this is by far one of the best gearboxes I've had the pleasure to shift.

Try shifting a VW or an older Porsche for that matter. See if you can guess what gear you're in. If you can get it in gear.

This is what I do on a stubborn shift. Though if you have to do this every time even with transmission at operating temp, you may have an issue that needs addressing.

I agree, I would try pedal adjustment first.

Also, what transmission oil are you running?

Yeah going into first is brutal sometimes. But my car has been doing that since day 1 brand new and I’ve since put 162k miles on the original transmission. I notice that sometimes if I put constant pressure on the shifter it will slide right into first. These issues are only normal when the transmission is cold though.

Also a weird thing with my transmission is that on cold starts the transmission will not go into reverse. I usually put it into 1st, drive a couple inches forward, and then bam somehow reverse is unlocked. Also putting it into 2nd sometimes unlocks reverse. Just some of the things I’ve learned to live with…

for update, I'm losing easy shifting in first, second and reverse at a stop. Clutch lifted and idling in neutral. It really came on after the SC install, so I suspect bushings, it was nominally good before that.

I suspected it coming on quickly was due to bushings, I'll get some more bushing work before I replace the trans.

I just had Torque Solution motor mounts, KDT922, KDT925 and KDT923 bushing kits installed. Needed them for SC upgrade, movement was off the charts and I had a lot of wheel bucking/hop. Gone now, feels really good. Shift issue persists, but I didn't expect that to be resolved as I was after another issue that I figure caused this one to begin with.

Back to the parts boards, thanks for the guidance and experience on these matters.

@jeepmor glad you got your bushings set in.

You probably need to do a clutch engagement adjustment. After I did my bushings job at 130k miles, I did a minimal clutch adjustment, maybe a half turn and had much better time getting into gears.