Transmissions concerns M/T - is this normal?

[Poodles]

- First gear is fine to shift into, but you have to rev match (not needed usually in normal driving)
- Cruising between 1500-2000 RPM on flat level ground is fine. The car isn't gutless (god you guys kill me saying it's hard to get going... try a Miata with a lightweight flywheel and heavy clutch)
- The weird sound is probably because you're not in the right RPM range to go into second so it's the sound of the clutch and drivetrain matching speeds. 3-6 gears seem to have the same distance between them, 1-2 feel like a larger gap.

[mstoochn]

One more question to tack on here... does anyone else notice a strange noise when decelerating in second say down a slight hill under 20kph like driving into underground parking, I can't really describe the sound... its a mixture of a whine and grinding noise that intermittently vary only with no throttle input.

[Vroomin86]

Look up the known flywheel noise

[strat61caster]

Originally Posted by mstoochn

One more question to tack on here... does anyone else notice a strange noise when decelerating in second say down a slight hill under 20kph like driving into underground parking, I can't really describe the sound... its a mixture of a whine and grinding noise that intermittently vary only with no throttle input.

Clutch/Flywheel rattle, very typical with Subaru and the low end exedy clutches most commonly used. There are a hundred thousand posts all over NASIOC and the rest of the internet about it.

http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showthread.php?t=8344
http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showthread.php?t=8112
http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showthread.php?t=11479
http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showthread.php?t=40851
http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showthread.php?t=74154

At this point I've mentally blocked the noise and almost always have the music on loud enough to not notice, not even sure if it still makes the sound, can't be bothered, 38k miles and no transmission problems. (although second is difficult to shift to when cold, it is not a dealbreaker)

[stugray]

There is really no reason to ever downshift to 1st "almost" ever.
I was even taught to NEVER shift into 1st unless stopped (treat it like reverse).
And in some trans, the 1st & rev gears are closely related and even in a different "compartent" of the trans case. They dont behave the same as 2-X gears.
Another part of that is that older MTs had no synchros for 2->1.

With this trans you can DS to 1st OK you just have to be barely rolling and sometimes double clutch (you'll never hear me say that for anything else :-)
As far as ever using 1st, it gets the car moving and I am in 2nd.
I am usually in 2nd by the time I am through an intersection from a full stop.

[JRoldy]

I've noticed that I shift way more smoothly when not paying attention to the tachometer, but listening to the engine, making it that series mechanical movements precisely. I learned to drive stick with cars without tachs, when I try to look at the tach and try to shift smoothly.. I find myself trying to match numbers and end up shifting worse.


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[cycleboy]

I find it odd that people say to not DS to 1st or use 1st if rolling slightly. I have no problem going into 1st unless it is really cold out (freezing or below is really cold here in Ca!). As said above, if you are at low RPM in second and go to accelerate, it's going to lug unless you drop to 1st. I can't state real numbers right now since I'm not driving, but it seems I can drop into 1st at 10-15mph easily. I'll test it out tomorrow.

[brianhj]

I never understood it either

[Xuningshen]

honestly i downshift into 1st pretty frequently when rolling around residential areas. it lugs too much in 2nd gear. most of the time i double clutch especially when cold in the morning commute. as a reference for some people. i find that idling around in first is 5mph/8kph. with the clutch fully engaged(foot off pedal) anything rolling at or under 10mph i'm sure to drop it back into 1st no issues. just keep your foot on the gas slightly as you release the clutch pedal to keep it smooth.

[jdcorbitt3]

Originally Posted by brianhj

Other thing about this clutch is that you have to release the pedal pretty far to hit the grab point, it's kinda hard to get used to. I've considered using a thicker bumper under the pedal instead of the crappy thin rubber one that's there to reduce travel

Don't do that. The clutch pedal has to come out all the way to take the pressure of the Thrust (throw out) bearing. This is also when the hydraulic system resets and adds fluid for the next application if it needs.

John

[jdcorbitt3]

Back in the 1989, I was taught "eggshell" shifting. Treat the shift lever like an eggshell. This applies to all transmissions including Ferraris. You shouldn't need more than two fingers to shift. If you grab it like a baseball and force it, some transmissions won't go into gear.

1 to 2. Two fingers on the right side of lever pushing slightly left and pulling back.
2 to 3. Side of one finger. Push forward slowly. The lever will center at the neutral point and go right into third.
3 to 4. One finger. Pull shift lever straight back. The transmission centers to 3rd and 4th gears all the time.
4 to 5 Ball of thumb on left side of shift lever pushing right and forward.
5 to 6 Ball of thumb pushing right and pulling back.

This is for left hand drives. Right hand drive cars fingers and thumbs would be opposit as you would using your left hand to shift. I have been using this procedure on both left and right hand drives. I learned it at Bob Bondurant. I have also been double clutch downshifting since then. I have never broke a transmission and wore one clutch out at 173,000 miles. That was a 1989 RX-7 I used to pull my 1982 ITS RX-7 with.

John

[brianhj]

Originally Posted by jdcorbitt3

Don't do that. The clutch pedal has to come out all the way to take the pressure of the Thrust (throw out) bearing. This is also when the hydraulic system resets and adds fluid for the next application if it needs.

John

You mean all the way in? I'm talking about not having to press it all the way down since the grab point is so damn high

[jdcorbitt3]

All the way in pushes on the pressure plate the most. The system is closed then. All the way out, foot not on peddle, is when the valve is open and fluid from the resivoir can flow into the hydraulic system.

John

[brianhj]

Right. But before you said I shouldn't add a thicker stopper behind the clutch pedal because "it needs to come all the way out". I never said I was going to prevent it from coming all the way out so I don't get it.