3rd gear inconsistent shifting

[whtchocla7e]

I already post in this thread and countless others.

We had two cold morning days here in CT last week. It was the first time I got a low pressure tire warning since the winter. Both times, I was getting smooth/firm shifts into 3rd third while the car was cold. Then, going home from work, it was back to normal, inconsistent behavior.

Based on this, I have to say it's the factory fuild. It's gets thinner when warm right? So, on a cold start it was just thick enough to allow for fluid movement.


I have more to say about rough shifts in general, based on various personal experiences but that's a topic for another time.

[abutterman]

not sure if it's related or even anything to be concerned about but the last few days i've been noticing on occasion the clutch pressure seems to drop just a little bit and it goes down with less effort. When this happens, it generally comes together with the shifter feeling looser going into gear and feels a bit rough going in. I've noticed it most going into 3rd gear. Not so much in other gears. Still, no grind at all though and it does actually go into gear

[LeeMaster]

When I changed my rear differential fluid with Motul 300, that made the most noticeable difference in terms of smoothness when engaging 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, or 6th gear.

It was less noticeable when changing my transmission fluid though so give that rear diff fluid a try.

[stugray]

Originally Posted by LeeMaster

When I changed my rear differential fluid with Motul 300, that made the most noticeable difference in terms of smoothness when engaging 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, or 6th gear.

It was less noticeable when changing my transmission fluid though so give that rear diff fluid a try.

Whoa, now you are freaking me out!
Changing diff oil made your shifting better?

That's like saying "I changed my brake pads now my shocks feel stiffer....."

Now on my other car w/ a transaxle, that might make sense.

[LeeMaster]

Originally Posted by stugray

Whoa, now you are freaking me out!
Changing diff oil made your shifting better?

That's like saying "I changed my brake pads now my shocks feel stiffer....."

Now on my other car w/ a transaxle, that might make sense.

I did not say that the rear differential fluids made my 'shifting' feel better. What I meant to say was that the rear differential fluids made my engagement smoother. I did not notice any differences when changing the transmission fluids over to the Motul.

[TylerLieberman]

I've been having a similar issue with going from 2nd to 3rd recently. It just seems like it doesn't want to go into gear when you're higher up in the rpm's. I swapped out trans and diff fluid a while back. Just recently started happening.

Think I'm going to get that MTEC industries shifter spring a shot. Everybody says it helps with 2nd-3rd gear shifts.

[Suberman]

Strongly manufactured manual gearboxes can take as much as 20,000 miles to break in properly. Aisin makes very good transmissions.

The first few shifts on a cold gearbox with less than 20,000 miles on it will be a bit crunchy unless you are careful to shift deliberately: depress the clutch, select neutral, pause briefly, select the next gear, release the clutch. That pause is essential. For downshifts on a cold gearbox double clutch and synchronize engine speed carefully. You should get no crunches.

After two or three shifts my nearly new gearbox shifts fine even when cold.

I think it is a big mistake to use any replacement gear oil until 20,000 miles have passed.

I also think it is dumb to use any transmission oil other than as specified by the transmission manufacturer. Gear oil suppliers don't know as much about the right oil for transmissions as the transmission manufacturer does.

[StormTrooper]

My only issue is going from 2nd into 3rd. Not 3rd to 2nd or anything else...


My celica and gti shifts were better... The wrx was worse.

Going into third at average speed is the worst. Super slow or double clutch works fine. Fast shifting is generally better but what I'd call normal is the worst.

[Mikem53]

Originally Posted by abutterman

and as youd expect, subaru says "they all feel weird so i guess its normal". I'm just going to deal with it and hope it breaks in unless it actually breaks

3rd was rough on mine too.. Took a few thousand miles for it to smooth out..
No issues with it now.. Only when cold will 2nd be hard to engage.. But all gears fine now when warmed up.. Be patient..

[qqzj]

May I ask what you mean by 'strongly manufactured' gearbox? This is a new word to me.

I tried your 'pause' approach and it does work fine. However, waiting 20k miles to shift normally is a quite long wait and I will lose my warranty by that time since I do not drive much. Is there a reason for it? Thanks a lot.

Originally Posted by Suberman

Strongly manufactured manual gearboxes
can take as much as 20,000 miles to break in properly. Aisin makes very good transmissions.

The first few shifts on a cold gearbox with less than 20,000 miles on it will be a bit crunchy unless you are careful to shift deliberately: depress the clutch, select neutral, pause briefly, select the next gear, release the clutch. That pause is essential. For downshifts on a cold gearbox double clutch and synchronize engine speed carefully. You should get no crunches.

After two or three shifts my nearly new gearbox shifts fine even when cold.

I think it is a big mistake to use any replacement gear oil until 20,000 miles have passed.

I also think it is dumb to use any transmission oil other than as specified by the transmission manufacturer. Gear oil suppliers don't know as much about the right oil for transmissions as the transmission manufacturer does.

[mike the snake]

Took the car in for the free 3700 mile oil change.

Asked again about the notchy shifting, and asked if they could check the diff and trans fluids for contamination and metal (after reading about so many people reporting that both were very dirty with lots of metal debris) and they said the only way to check is to drain and change the fluids, and they would have to charge me. I asked if they could use a magnet on the end of a probe, they said they could do that, but needed the car for another 4 hours.

I'm changing the fluids out with Motul anyways, so no big deal.

I'm at 3300 miles now and the shifting is still notchy going into 2nd and 3rd.

Hoping the change of fluids will help with this.

[Matey]

I have this same problem with 2nd gear at or around 3k RPMs... any fix to this or a recall on xmission?

[mike the snake]

In researching, I have found that many have solved the trans issues by changing the fluid to Motul or Pentosin.

Also many reports of both trans and diff fluids being very dirty and full of metal, with reccomendations of changing fluids ASAP.

My trans kind of "mini-chunks" into 2nd and 3rd gears with no consistency. Some shifts are smooth, other nick into gear.

My car's going in for major surgery, turbo kit, radiator/oil cooler, clutch, and the fluids will be changed out as well.

I'll report if i find any improvements. I expect the trans to feel much better.

Originally Posted by Matey

I have this same problem with 2nd gear at or around 3k RPMs... any fix to this or a recall on xmission?

[Suberman]

Originally Posted by qqzj

May I ask what you mean by 'strongly manufactured' gearbox? This is a new word to me.

I tried your 'pause' approach and it does work fine. However, waiting 20k miles to shift normally is a quite long wait and I will lose my warranty by that time since I do not drive much. Is there a reason for it? Thanks a lot.

Aisin is well known for building excellent transmissions. The BRZ is no exception. Stiff shifting, especially when cold, and slow break in are characteristics of a well built transmission. The synchronizers are the reason and I deduce from the shift action and the declared design brief for this car that they are oversized for the engine output. The car is actually designed for drop clutch oversteer which is very hard on a transmission. The technique to induce drift is to punch the clutch rapidly in and out while cranking on some steering lock...don't try this in winter!

The shift lever is pretty short and short throw also, nice but increases shift effort.

Patience shall be rewarded.

The shift quality of my transmission is improving rapidly at only 2,400 miles (4,000 km).