Smoothing out 1st and 2nd gears
 

hello all,

I was wondering what modifications were out there that would remove some of the notchiness from the transmission, especially when shifting from 1st to 2nd gears. It is definitely worse when cold or on a cold day. I was thinking about Motul 300 and the cusco transmission mount collar, or the Perrin transmission support. Will these mods help correct what I am looking for here?

thanks for the help guys.

PS I did do a search so please hold off on the :search:

http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showthread.php?t=16604

:search:

better fluid (pentosin 75w-80 is way thinner than stock and helps alot with cold shifting) maybe a rear stay bushing(TWM)? and whiteline's positive shift bushing may or may not help. (i would pick it over cusco's IMHO)

I haven't tried the Pentosin yet but the Motul Gear 300 didn't do much to remove the problems I have with shifting when the transmission is cold. Once warm it works great though. Much smoother than the stock fluid.

Miles have helped mine more than fluids and bushings. When warm.

I did the pentosin 75w-80 fluid, whiteline trans mount bushing, perrin rear shifter, and a heavier (flossy heavyweight) shift knob and the notchy-ness has all but disappeared. See my build thread in my sig for more info.

I have done everything that @stockysnail has done, except I have the Perrin trans mount and a different (also heavier.. 526 grams I think) shift knob and my cold shift problems and notchiness are all but gone! I believe Pentosin was mostly the key to better shifting (especially COLD).

It's affecting so many cars.. maybe there should be a sticky on this subject.

I'm going to try the trans mount & bushing too.. 8K miles and 3 tranny fluid changes later, I'm still having the 2nd/3rd gear grind occasionally. :( 2nd gear is by far the worst tho.. Notchiness/stubborness occasionally too, at random times.

I will attend to fix this using GM/penzoil synchromesh fluid. I had very good results in the past with my old toyota and civic SI. I'd use pentosin but it seems to be hard to get that product here.

^This. The big question is: How many miles are on your cars? We have to remember that, like the engine, the transmission (specifically the gears) need to break-in aswell. The "notchiness" you feel is the rough fitting between the gears brand new "sharp" teeth. I too have had the same issues and was slightly worried in the beginning, even feeling some notchiness going from 2nd to 3rd. Now that I'm at almost 8k miles, gear teeth are better matching and 1st to 2nd and 2nd to 3rd are buttery smooth.

I just past 12K miles.. still grinds/notchiness occasionally & randomly in 2nd & 3rd.. It might not be the tranny gears/teeth at all.. for me, it could be the bushings, so I'll try that first & see if it helps.

Agreed, in that case, you might be looking at something else. I guess the point I was trying to make is to allow the car to break-in first, then try other avenues such as a fluid change or bushings.

double clutching with rev matching goes a VERY long way at eliminating the cold 1 - 2 shift notchiness FWIW. FLuid will help, i don't see how trans bushing will do anything for cold shift notch as that has more to do with fluid operating temperature than trans flex / location etc.

I've had very good results with Redline's gear oil. Removed about 80 to 90% of the issue and many days its perfect from the first cold shift. Its not cheap but definately worth the effort. When my son first drove it after I changed the gear oil, his first words on getting out of the car were "that stuff is magic in a bottle"....