What's blocking me when I downshift from 6th to 4th

[cat94]

Say I'm cruising in 6th at ~2k rpms. I then shift straight to 4th to accelerate, but there is something blocking me from going into 4th gear. If I persist, it will go into gear without a ton of force, but its like I'm hitting a wall for a little bit.

I've tried double clutching, but I still feel the resistance going into 4th. I also rev match and the ride itself is smooth and not jerky.

The weird thing is that when I shift from 5th to 3rd this doesn't happen.

Does anyone know whats going on? Should I not continue to put the car into a gear if I feel something blocking?

[fitcious]

I've never had that experience when driving a stick FRS. is your car modded and do you have a shift kit?

if it's stock and under warranty, go get your stick checked out.

[cat94]

Originally Posted by fitcious

I've never had that experience when driving a stick FRS. is your car modded and do you have a shift kit?

if it's stock and under warranty, go get your stick checked out.

It's completely stock and only about a month old. Also my first manual transmission so I may not know what's normal and what's not.

It's a similar feeling to when you try to put it in gear without the clutch depressed. It's like something is stopping me from doing something I shouldn't be doing. I guess I could just not be lazy and shift into 5th then 4th heh

[Tcoat]

Not all gears are created equal and without looking it up I believe there is a much larger range between 6th to 4th then 5th to 3rd. I don't think I have ever run into a situation where I had to go down two gears to accelerate though. Usually one gear is plenty for any passing needs I have while street driving. What RPMs are you cruising in to need to downshift 2 gears? If you are too low to start with then I could see needing to go down two but otherwise that is pretty extreme.

[humfrz]

Originally Posted by cat94

Say I'm cruising in 6th at ~2k rpms. I then shift straight to 4th to accelerate, but there is something blocking me from going into 4th gear. If I persist, it will go into gear without a ton of force, but its like I'm hitting a wall for a little bit.

I've tried double clutching, but I still feel the resistance going into 4th. I also rev match and the ride itself is smooth and not jerky.

The weird thing is that when I shift from 5th to 3rd this doesn't happen.

Does anyone know whats going on? Should I not continue to put the car into a gear if I feel something blocking?

Well, first off, cruising at 2000 rpms in 6th gear, is on the verge of lugging this engine.

Your transmission should easily go from 6th to 4th, however, it might be happier going through 5th on the way to 4th.

I'm going to summon our resident transmission expert @Ultramaroon for further assistance.


humfrz

[cat94]

Originally Posted by Tcoat

Not all gears are created equal and without looking it up I believe there is a much larger range between 6th to 4th then 5th to 3rd. I don't think I have ever run into a situation where I had to go down two gears to accelerate though. Usually one gear is plenty for any passing needs I have while street driving. What RPMs are you cruising in to need to downshift 2 gears? If you are too low to start with then I could see needing to go down two but otherwise that is pretty extreme.

About 2k rpms. I'm usually cruising in 5th at this point, but I tried 6th to get better mpg (probabl an invalid reason if I'm shifting down 2 gears to accelerate quickly anyway).

[Tcoat]

Originally Posted by humfrz

Well, first off, cruising at 2000 rpms in 6th gear, is on the verge of lugging this engine.

Your transmission should easily go from 6th to 4th, however, it might be happier going through 5th on the way to 4th.

I'm going to summon our resident transmission expert @Ultramaroon for further assistance.


humfrz

Damnit I am tired I never even noticed he said 2000. Ya Cat that is a little low and I would be in 5th not 6th to start with so would only need to go down the one gear.

[cat94]

Originally Posted by humfrz

Well, first off, cruising at 2000 rpms in 6th gear, is on the verge of lugging this engine.

Your transmission should easily go from 6th to 4th, however, it might be happier going through 5th on the way to 4th.

I'm going to summon our resident transmission expert @Ultramaroon for further assistance.


humfrz

It's not something I do often, I was mostly just trying it out for a day and I got curious. Sounds like the answer is to just avoid doing this and stay in 5th at those speeds.

[Tcoat]

Originally Posted by cat94

It's not something I do often, I was mostly just trying it out for a day and I got curious. Sounds like the answer is to just avoid doing this and stay in 5th at those speeds.

You can downshift two gears but the rev match can be tricky since the tranny speeds are way off for each gear. The little impact that cruising at 2000 gives you is hardly worthwhile anyway.

[Packofcrows]

I had dealer flush my trans. Helped a ton.

[humfrz]

Originally Posted by cat94

About 2k rpms. I'm usually cruising in 5th at this point, but I tried 6th to get better mpg (probabl an invalid reason if I'm shifting down 2 gears to accelerate quickly anyway).

Well, cat94, you're not driving your grandfathers old torque rich Ford. This engine runs happier at higher rpms. I normally wouldn't "cruise" at less than 3,000 rpms.

Please keep in mind that you're dealing with a NEW engine and transmission .... they both need time (miles) to limber up .....


humfrz

[Tcoat]

Originally Posted by Packofcrows

I had dealer flush my trans. Helped a ton.

Fluid changes do not fix everything and I find it funny that is the first thing that people say to do . Pretty clear from Cat's statements it is an operator thing not an equipment issue. Every time somebody has a minor issue it does not mean there is something wrong with the car (although certainly sometimes there is).

[cat94]

Originally Posted by Tcoat

You can downshift two gears but the rev match can be tricky since the tranny speeds are way off for each gear. The little impact that cruising at 2000 gives you is hardly worthwhile anyway.

Sounds good to me! I tend to have a bit of a lead foot when driving this car, so I'm not even sure why I tried this in the first place.

Originally Posted by Packofcrows

I had dealer flush my trans. Helped a ton.

I see this recommendation quite a bit.

Originally Posted by humfrz

Well, cat94, you're not driving your grandfathers old torque rich Ford. This engine runs happier at higher rpms. I normally wouldn't "cruise" at less than 3,000 rpms.

Please keep in mind that you're dealing with a NEW engine and transmission .... they both need time (miles) to limber up .....


humfrz

I'm happier driving at higher rpms too

[strat61caster]

I regularly cruise at 2k rpms, the engine is fine there but won't enjoy accelerating. Hence the downshift.

How many miles are on the car OP? imo the transmission takes awhile to break in, you've got a brand new car, it'll get easier and you'll figure out how to get a smooth shift out of it. Transmission also works better when it's up to temp, that may play a part in it, for a Californian there's no reason to wait for the car to warm up.

Edit: I did a trans fluid change at 30k miles, no appreciable difference going to Motul 300.

And the answer to the OP's question which nobody answered yet is "synchros"