Hard shifting into first gear; normal?

[Dave-ROR]

Originally Posted by Starscream15

I have an issue similar to this as well though I'm not going to do anything about it unless it gets worse. When I let out the clutch, push it back in and go into first, most of the time I can hear the Synchro come to a slamming halt. It equates to a clunk.

It's a little discerning.

Normal. To "fix" that push the clutch in and wait a full second or two before putting it into first.

[Saibot]

Originally Posted by yuli8466

Looks like another MT BRZ user. 1st Gear issue.

is this MT gearbox used in any other car? Silvia S15?

s2k, miata

[Starscream15]

Originally Posted by Dave-ROR

Normal. To "fix" that push the clutch in and wait a full second or two before putting it into first.

It's acting like the clutch isnt fully disengaged with the pedal to the floor for me. Doesn't matter how long I wait before entering first. Synchros arent matching up. It happens while moving and going into second as well.

Hopefully its normal and maybe gets better over time.

[Dave-ROR]

Originally Posted by Starscream15

It's acting like the clutch isnt fully disengaged with the pedal to the floor for me. Doesn't matter how long I wait before entering first. Synchros arent matching up. It happens while moving and going into second as well.

Hopefully it just needs "Adjustment".

Interesting. The thud happens in many RWD MT cars and especially on every AZ6 based car I've driven but waiting a second or two has always "fixed" it for myself and others.

[MmmHamSandwich]

Seems odd you would want to wait before engaging the gear as the longer you wait after depressing the clutch, the more time you allow for the transmission to decelerate which I'd imagine would make the synchro's job harder.

[Dave-ROR]

Originally Posted by MmmHamSandwich

Seems odd you would want to wait before engaging the gear as the longer you wait after depressing the clutch, the more time you allow for the transmission to decelerate which I'd imagine would make the synchro's job harder.

Stops in the input shaft, so synchros barely need to match anything. The synchros match as speed just fine the thud is from the drivetrain engaging..

[V1B]

Wth is thud?

[eriktherod]

Originally Posted by MmmHamSandwich

This shouldn't be ignored. The old Si's had bad clutch master cylinders that would manifest as 2nd gear shifting problems.

I am fairly sure that the 1st->2nd issues on the 06+ Si were due to engine mounts. Very noticeable when doing the shift at high rpm (7k+). I replaced the engine mounts with some quite solid aluminum ones and never had that problem again even at hard 8k shifts.

From PERRIN's inspection, the mounts on this car also look a bit... soft. I've noticed that first gear likes to take a little push to get it in all the way. I feel like it goes in half-way sometimes, namely at stop. My Si would start doing this more as it got into the miles, which was annoying while stopped at times.

My solution typically was... either clutch back out and in again, try again. If that didn't work, try second then first, usually was easier. Though I don't know if that is a good practice. I will try to see what things cause it and perhaps add a bit of throttle to get the input shaft moving.

Also noticed that my second and third shifts make a tiny clunk sometimes, but fourth and higher do not. Makes me wonder if I'm doing something wrong! D:

[Coheed]

There is a synchro for 1st gear. Likely a double or triple cone. Same for 2nd gear. You can try going to 2nd and then back to first. This is a common issue with triple cones. They shift more smoothly but have a hard time every now and then going in from a stop.

Try letting the clutch out in neutral, then put into 1st gear. Or try going to 2nd, then first.

[eriktherod]

Good to know that's somewhat a recommended procedure! It's frustrating when you're at a light in the front of the line and have a delay trying to get it in gear, meanwhile people behind you are like "WHAT IS THIS GUY DOING? I BET HE'S ON HIS STUPID PHONE"

[Coheed]

A ton of Toyota transmission have had this issue. the Celica GTS had synchro issues until they went triple cone. Then there were issues going into 1st gear. It takes a little to get used to it, but you will, and it will be second nature.

That 6 speed in the Celica GTS was used in a ton of cars. the Tiburon GT, Evo MR, and Sentra Spec V all used a variant of this transmission, and all of them saw similar issues unfortunately. But no worries. Just drive it and see if that helps. If it gets worse, I would take it in. but I highly doubt that is the case.

[eriktherod]

Interesting. The Si (and I assume S2K) had similar issues with their triple cone synchros. I got used to it doing the same techniques you mentioned but thought it may have just been a Honda thing.

[MmmHamSandwich]

Originally Posted by eriktherod

I am fairly sure that the 1st->2nd issues on the 06+ Si were due to engine mounts. Very noticeable when doing the shift at high rpm (7k+). I replaced the engine mounts with some quite solid aluminum ones and never had that problem again even at hard 8k shifts.

From PERRIN's inspection, the mounts on this car also look a bit... soft. I've noticed that first gear likes to take a little push to get it in all the way. I feel like it goes in half-way sometimes, namely at stop. My Si would start doing this more as it got into the miles, which was annoying while stopped at times.

My solution typically was... either clutch back out and in again, try again. If that didn't work, try second then first, usually was easier. Though I don't know if that is a good practice. I will try to see what things cause it and perhaps add a bit of throttle to get the input shaft moving.

Also noticed that my second and third shifts make a tiny clunk sometimes, but fourth and higher do not. Makes me wonder if I'm doing something wrong! D:

Swapped mine, didn't do a whole lot other than make the car vibrate more and drone like crazy. Swapped my CMC with an EM1's and the problem is darn near completely absolved. YMMV. 3rd gear issues are really what those Honda 6 speeds are infamous for. Never had any notable issues on mine.

[eriktherod]

Interesting, I was thinking of doing the Omni CMC but the issue went away. I did the mounts once I did the race header + exhaust. That was about 50k miles and one day my car would not go in gear (fortunately I was in my driveway). It made HORRIBLE sounds and I tried my tricks to no avail. Towed it into the dealership, they replaced the clutch and pressure plate under warranty (they said clutch fingers had broken). It was better but still felt notchy, took it back and they replaced the first three gears (and did the TSB on that issue you mentioned). It had to be 2-3k worth of repairs under warranty.

After that I only had the triple cone issue with first at times. Seems the FR-S likes to do this too at times! At least I know it's somewhat expected behavior.