Clunky and hard gear shifts

[nhuyvan1106]

Hello all,

Before I begin, I just want to make it clear that I taught myself how to drive stick shift, I don't have much knowledge about cars in general, but I am learning, so I don't know if the upcoming description is normal.

So, I just bought my 2016 FRS a month ago, but when I shift from 1 to 2, 2 to 3, 3 to 4 (Of course, I press the pedal down all the way), my gear shifts feel really clunky, and it requires quite an effort to shift between these gears. You know when you don't press your clutch pedal down 100%, it does not change gears smoothly (but not really , yeah, my car feels like that 98% percent of the time, especially when I shift gears between 2k5 rpm and 3k rpm. However, when I shift at higher rpm (usually near 4k rpm for me), it feels smooth. . One last question, is it normal you hear a noise from under your seat when you shift gears?.

Please help me out with this. Thanks alot.

Btw, if you are wondering, the car is brand new.

[humfrz]

Originally Posted by nhuyvan1106

Hello all,

Before I begin, I just want to make it clear that I taught myself how to drive stick shift, I don't have much knowledge about cars in general, but I am learning, so I don't know if the upcoming description is normal.

So, I just bought my 2016 FRS a month ago, but when I shift from 1 to 2, 2 to 3, 3 to 4 (Of course, I press the pedal down all the way), my gear shifts feel really clunky, and it requires quite an effort to shift between these gears. You know when you don't press your clutch pedal down 100%, it does not change gears smoothly (but not really , yeah, my car feels like that 98% percent of the time, especially when I shift gears between 2k5 rpm and 3k rpm. However, when I shift at higher rpm (usually near 4k rpm for me), it feels smooth. . One last question, is it normal you hear a noise from under your seat when you shift gears?.

Please help me out with this. Thanks alot.

Btw, if you are wondering, the car is brand new.

Well, nhuyvan1106, first off, WELCOME to the forum and CONGRATULATIONS on your new car .......

There has been several threads posted about shifting this transmission, that you may wish to review.

Meanwhile:

* a new transmission takes a while (a few thousand miles) to break in, to where it will shift smoother

* shifting a manual transmission (smoothly) takes some practice, so be patient.

* you should not hear a noise under the seat when you shift your transmission. However, the manual transmission is a set of heavy gears moved around by lever, pretty close to where you're sitting, so, it will make some "sounds".

* this transmission will shift smoother once it warms up (driven 5-10 miles).

* As you have found out, I would suggest that when shifting, wind up the last gear pretty tight (4-5,000 rpms) before shifting into the next higher gear.

* Also, when shifting, pull (or push) the shift lever slowly and firmly into the next gear.

* always push the clutch pedal all the way to the floor.

Since your car is new, if you feel it's not shifting properly, I would suggest you stop into the dealership and have a tech take it for a short drive and give an opinion ..... and/or drive another car at the dealership and make a comparison.

Anytime you have questions about your new car ...... first do a search (use google) and then if you are still confused, just make a post.......


humfrz

[aegisdrgn]

welcome to the forums!

Ol' humfrz gives great tips.

I find using Google to search this site "site:ft86club.com clunky shifting" gives better results than using the forum search tool. I highly recommend perusing those threads to see other people's experiences and advice.

In my experience, 2nd is the trickiest to get into when driving in stop & go traffic at low rpms. The best way to have smooth 2nd for me was to shift above 3k rpm when the transmission is cold, and after that, it's just using finger pressure on the shift knob and waiting for the synchronizer rings to do their thing.

Keep in mind that 1st, 2nd, and 3rd use triple cone synchronizers, so in theory it requires less effort to shift, but I found 1>2, and 2>3 significantly more "notchy" then 3>4, etc.

Since you mentioned that you are learning about cars, you'll like this:
[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BqKYGto0N94"]Comparing a single cone synchro vs a triple cone - YouTube[/ame]

[sly]

Yes, the shifting is normal. I also tend to shift at higher RPMs so it will shift smoother. One little thing I do is try to not "palm" the shifter. If you rest the palm of your hand on the shifter, you tend to be more forceful on the transmission. I try to grab the shifter with my fingers. You get to feel the nuances of the transmission. Try to put even pressure on the shifter when engaging the clutch and shifting out of gear. Let it fall out of gear on its own. Then put slight pressure on the shifter going into the next gear.

I've found that I need to shift quickly before the RPMs drop too much. This is especially the case for shifting from 4th to 5th. You need to get it over there quick before the RPMs drop too much and it clunks into gear. Also, make sure your clutch is all the way to the floor before doing anything so that you are completely disengaged. This will prevent grinding.

[nhuyvan1106]

Originally Posted by humfrz

Well, nhuyvan1106, first off, WELCOME to the forum and CONGRATULATIONS on your new car .......

There has been several threads posted about shifting this transmission, that you may wish to review.

Meanwhile:

* a new transmission takes a while (a few thousand miles) to break in, to where it will shift smoother

* shifting a manual transmission (smoothly) takes some practice, so be patient.

* you should not hear a noise under the seat when you shift your transmission. However, the manual transmission is a set of heavy gears moved around by lever, pretty close to where you're sitting, so, it will make some "sounds".

* this transmission will shift smoother once it warms up (driven 5-10 miles).

* As you have found out, I would suggest that when shifting, wind up the last gear pretty tight (4-5,000 rpms) before shifting into the next higher gear.

* Also, when shifting, pull (or push) the shift lever slowly and firmly into the next gear.

* always push the clutch pedal all the way to the floor.

Since your car is new, if you feel it's not shifting properly, I would suggest you stop into the dealership and have a tech take it for a short drive and give an opinion ..... and/or drive another car at the dealership and make a comparison.

Anytime you have questions about your new car ...... first do a search (use google) and then if you are still confused, just make a post.......


humfrz

Thank you for the super response. But I can't always go past 4k rpm before shifting, for example, left turn, 1 to 2, then there's a cop ahead, and speed limit is 20 mph or 30 mph, I don't want another tivket . I will check other posts yo see if they were having the experience, but I will also stop by the dealership and see what they say

[nhuyvan1106]

Originally Posted by aegisdrgn

welcome to the forums!

Ol' humfrz gives great tips.

I find using Google to search this site "site:ft86club.com clunky shifting" gives better results than using the forum search tool. I highly recommend perusing those threads to see other people's experiences and advice.

In my experience, 2nd is the trickiest to get into when driving in stop & go traffic at low rpms. The best way to have smooth 2nd for me was to shift above 3k rpm when the transmission is cold, and after that, it's just using finger pressure on the shift knob and waiting for the synchronizer rings to do their thing.

Keep in mind that 1st, 2nd, and 3rd use triple cone synchronizers, so in theory it requires less effort to shift, but I found 1>2, and 2>3 significantly more "notchy" then 3>4, etc.

Since you mentioned that you are learning about cars, you'll like this:

2 to 3 and 3 to 2 are rarely smooth for me at below 3k rpm, probably because I don't know how to get it right yet. Yeah, you are right, 1 to 2 for is really notchy and so is 2 to 3, and 3 to 2. I wil probably have my uncle drive it and see what his opinion is. Thsnks man, awesome video

[nhuyvan1106]

Originally Posted by sly

Yes, the shifting is normal. I also tend to shift at higher RPMs so it will shift smoother. One little thing I do is try to not "palm" the shifter. If you rest the palm of your hand on the shifter, you tend to be more forceful on the transmission. I try to grab the shifter with my fingers. You get to feel the nuances of the transmission. Try to put even pressure on the shifter when engaging the clutch and shifting out of gear. Let it fall out of gear on its own. Then put slight pressure on the shifter going into the next gear.

I've found that I need to shift quickly before the RPMs drop too much. This is especially the case for shifting from 4th to 5th. You need to get it over there quick before the RPMs drop too much and it clunks into gear. Also, make sure your clutch is all the way to the floor before doing anything so that you are completely disengaged. This will prevent grinding.

Sorry but what do you mean by let it fall out of gear on its own?

No, I don't rest my hand on the shifter nor do I rest my foot on the clutch pedal, I watched some youtube videos that talk about those things

4 to 5 has always very smooth and effortless for me even at lower rpm like 2k7

Like you said about fast shifting, I think I will work on that.

Thanks for the awesome response

[humfrz]

Originally Posted by nhuyvan1106

2 to 3 and 3 to 2 are rarely smooth for me at below 3k rpm, probably because I don't know how to get it right yet. Yeah, you are right, 1 to 2 for is really notchy and so is 2 to 3, and 3 to 2. I wil probably have my uncle drive it and see what his opinion is. Thsnks man, awesome video

Keep in mind that when shifting down, that "blipping" the throttle (rev matching) makes for a smoother downshift.


humfrz

[Ultramaroon]

Originally Posted by nhuyvan1106

2 to 3 and 3 to 2 are rarely smooth for me at below 3k rpm, probably because I don't know how to get it right yet. Yeah, you are right, 1 to 2 for is really notchy and so is 2 to 3, and 3 to 2. I wil probably have my uncle drive it and see what his opinion is. Thsnks man, awesome video

The transmission takes a loooooong time to break in. My syncros started grabbing effectively approaching 8K miles. It kept improving well through 20K. While it's breaking in, if it makes you uncomfortable like it did me, I suggest working on timing your upshifts and learning to double clutch downshifts.

That being said, doing so will lengthen the break-in period because the syncros take that much longer to lap together. Trust me, it gets MUCH better.

[humfrz]

Originally Posted by nhuyvan1106

Sorry but what do you mean by let it fall out of gear on its own?..............

:

I think what @sly is referring to is that the shift lever knows where to go, once it's pointed in that direction ....... it just needs a nudge to get started.


humfrz

[Ultramaroon]

Oh yeah, and +1 to @sly's advice. Especially on upshifts, don't pause in neutral. Quickly and gently apply pressure to the next higher gear and wait for the input side of the transmission to spool down on its own.

Especially when it's cold, if you miss that window, double clutch to spool up the input side and try again. You don't have to lift your foot completely off of the clutch, just raise it enough so it grabs a little.

[nhuyvan1106]

Originally Posted by humfrz

Keep in mind that when shifting down, that "blipping" the throttle (rev matching) makes for a smoother downshift.


humfrz

I have been working on rev matching. Rev matching to lower gears (3 and 2 for me) kinda hard to get right so that I dont get that "jolt" feeling

[nhuyvan1106]

Originally Posted by Ultramaroon

The transmission takes a loooooong time to break in. My syncros started grabbing effectively approaching 8K miles. It kept improving well through 20K. While it's breaking in, if it makes you uncomfortable like it did me, I suggest working on timing your upshifts and learning to double clutch downshifts.

That being said, doing so will lengthen the break-in period because the syncros take that much longer to lap together. Trust me, it gets MUCH better.

Man, your response made me feel so relieved, I thought my car had a defective clutch even

I saw some videos on youtube talking double clutching being bad for your car, so I never do it

Thank you for sharing the experience, I feel so much better which makes me love my car even more

[ryoma]

I would recommend you flushing your transmission and differential fluid after roughly 3000 miles. I personally use Motul 300 but do your research and use a fluid that you like. I will also recommend that you adjust your clutch pedal as well as remove the clutch pedal spring. you can find both of these on the forums (I cannot link them right now)