Transmission shifting when cold?

[chaoskaze]

don't swift into 2nd when it's cold. That's what i did when my car was new....till I changed transmission fluid.

Thanks to that horrible experience for 2 months .....I let my car sit for at least 10 mins before i started driving for like 1 year before i stopped doing that..... and even now when the car is cold I stays at 3k in 1st or 2nd before i left my community.

It's really gay when you can't shift into 2nd on the way to work... i don't think I will never forget how worried I was at the time. lol

[lionbacker54]

Originally Posted by NCtoBRZ

This topic comes up every other day during the Winter it seems. It’s a characteristic of Aisin transmissions. The S2000, NC Miata and BRZ that I’ve owned have all been a bit notchy or resistant shifting into 2nd when cold. I’ve found that a quick blip of the throttle actually smooths out the shift when cold and by the end of the street in my neighborhood the fluid seems to be flowing enough to make engaging 2nd easier. The reasoning/excuse given by the manufacturer is that the tight tolerances that make the transmission such a joy to shift at normal operating temps, make it a bit stiffer when cold.

helpful, thank you for posting

[Spuds]

Had difficulties with 1st and 2nd for the first mile or 2 in the winter until about 10k miles (first 2 winters). It got less restrictive after that and now I don't really notice. Or maybe I just figured out how to deal with it automatically .

The transmission is always connected to the wheels, so if you are off by half a tooth on the selector, the drivetrain or engine side of the transmission would have to rotate a bit. If your transmission doesn't like to rotate, then you will probably feel a very small jerk.

[highway7]

Originally Posted by StraightOuttaCanadaEh

Another thing I've noticed is in below zero weather, I start the car and release the clutch and it jolts as if it's in gear. Will only do this in the cold and I never noticed it until I switched to Motul. Worst change I ever made. Maybe it's good for the summer months but it's just awful for winter.

This is why I stuck with OEM, too much mixed reviews with Motul.

[Tonezorz]

Originally Posted by NCtoBRZ

This topic comes up every other day during the Winter it seems. It’s a characteristic of Aisin transmissions. The S2000, NC Miata and BRZ that I’ve owned have all been a bit notchy or resistant shifting into 2nd when cold. I’ve found that a quick blip of the throttle actually smooths out the shift when cold and by the end of the street in my neighborhood the fluid seems to be flowing enough to make engaging 2nd easier. The reasoning/excuse given by the manufacturer is that the tight tolerances that make the transmission such a joy to shift at normal operating temps, make it a bit stiffer when cold.

With my NC Miata I had this issue until I switched the MT fluid to Genuine Ford XT-M5-QS. After that, the transmission was buttery smooth, any temp, any time. That was the recommended and trusted fluid people had used for years, so wasn’t a fluke or me choosing things at random. I’m a little disappointed the FT86 community hasn’t found their version of that ford fluid.

[Lust]

Originally Posted by StraightOuttaCanadaEh

Another thing I've noticed is in below zero weather, I start the car and release the clutch and it jolts as if it's in gear. Will only do this in the cold and I never noticed it until I switched to Motul. Worst change I ever made. Maybe it's good for the summer months but it's just awful for winter.

The fluid itself is good however it is thicker than OEM fluid and requires a bit of warming up. Once at operating temp its butter.

[Pat]

Originally Posted by Lust

The fluid itself is good however it is thicker than OEM fluid and requires a bit of warming up. Once at operating temp its butter.

Not in my car. And certainly not when cold. Motul 300 here.

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk

[PandaSPUR]

Also no issues with Motul fluids here. The weather around here isnt as cold as it is in Canada on average, but I've driven in <10 Fahrenheit without issues.

I actually experience more issues going from neutral to first than first to second

[NCtoBRZ]

Originally Posted by Tonezorz

With my NC Miata I had this issue until I switched the MT fluid to Genuine Ford XT-M5-QS. After that, the transmission was buttery smooth, any temp, any time. That was the recommended and trusted fluid people had used for years, so wasn’t a fluke or me choosing things at random. I’m a little disappointed the FT86 community hasn’t found their version of that ford fluid.

I used the magic Ford juice in my NC Miata as well and there was still some slight notchiness when first starting off in the morning on a cold transmission, but it was really no big deal at all... I just drove it easy until the end of the street and it was good after that. I drive my cars very gently anyway until the engine has had time to fully warm up.

[Decep]

Originally Posted by Brz_racer

Like everyone has said, this is a very common issue with these cars, and yes it is an issue. Every other car ive driven does not do this when its cold. What i did to solve the problem was drain all the transmission fluid out of the trans and differential and replaced it with Motul Gear oil 300. I have not had a single issue since then. The trans fluid that subaru puts in these cars is garbage.

my old nc miata behaved about the same as this transmission. it was also a notchier transmission which i actually like. Once it warms up its fine. the temps around here, rev matching is fine to get it into second though i usually double clutch until its warmed up.

[humfrz]

Originally Posted by NCtoBRZ

I used the magic Ford juice in my NC Miata as well and there was still some slight notchiness when first starting off in the morning on a cold transmission, but it was really no big deal at all... I just drove it easy until the end of the street and it was good after that. I drive my cars very gently anyway until the engine has had time to fully warm up.

Good point ....... who wants to be "speed shifting" while the engine is cold anyway ......


humfrz

[Tonezorz]

Not an issue of speed shifting, but for my NC at least it was an issue of 2nd being inaccessible.

[Ultramaroon]

*sigh* I feel like a broken record in here.

Cold shifting is not a problem if the issue is understood. It is 100% fixed with driver mod.

Does anyone want me to go into it? ...again?

[Pat]

Originally Posted by Ultramaroon

*sigh* I feel like a broken record in here.

Cold shifting is not a problem if the issue is understood. It is 100% fixed with driver mod.

Does anyone want me to go into it? ...again?

Well I don't think the issue is resolved if it takes an adjustment to the driver. That's what we call a work around. I say we should look at the root cause and address that, which is clearly not the driver.