2nd gear synchro FIX- MT owners read this thread

[Scion_Swine]

Originally Posted by Ultramaroon

Google the codes and read up on what others here have done. If it's not clear then start a thread with your questions. This is a known issue. You'll get much more respect if you show that you've put some energy into learning as you go.

If not 100% stock, what exactly has been changed?

What else do you know about the car's history?

Yep, read up on it. I have to get a new coil for cylinder 3. apparently its a common issue in the 2013 model that really has no solution other than changing the coil out when it starts to misfire. sucks that the coils are $100 each but looks like an easy job that shouldn't take me more than 30 min.

The car is 99.9% stock only mod is halogen lights and white LED in the cabin. ( I would also like to put in soft blue light for the foot well, eventually. and maybe a sound system upgrade before i start getting intake and exhaust.)

according to the car fax it seems like it was never involved in a crash and the previous owner did maintenance on it regularly but i think he changed his own oil. but for the major stuff it looks like he went to the dealership to maintain.

[Ultramaroon]

Originally Posted by Scion_Swine

Yep, read up on it. I have to get a new coil for cylinder 3. apparently its a common issue in the 2013 model that really has no solution other than changing the coil out when it starts to misfire. sucks that the coils are $100 each but looks like an easy job that shouldn't take me more than 30 min.

The car is 99.9% stock only mod is halogen lights and white LED in the cabin. ( I would also like to put in soft blue light for the foot well, eventually. and maybe a sound system upgrade before i start getting intake and exhaust.)

according to the car fax it seems like it was never involved in a crash and the previous owner did maintenance on it regularly but i think he changed his own oil. but for the major stuff it looks like he went to the dealership to maintain.

Excellent. Yes. I understand it's a PITA to get to it because there's little room between the valve cover and frame rail but it's doable.

Now, your transmission... hmmm... your car has 10K more on the clock than mine. I'm a little concerned when you say "really crunchy."

People have a habit of skipping gears with this transmission and that beats the hell out of syncros.

[Teseo]

Originally Posted by Ultramaroon

Excellent. Yes. I understand it's a PITA to get to it because there's little room between the valve cover and frame rail but it's doable.

Now, your transmission... hmmm... your car has 10K more on the clock than mine. I'm a little concerned when you say "really crunchy."

People have a habit of skipping gears with this transmission and that beats the hell out of syncros.

What about double clutch?

[alxtheoreo]

Originally Posted by Scion_Swine

So I dont think this thread is still alive but im going to try anyway.

I am seriously thinking of putting the MTF-2 in my manual FRS with 41k miles.
I live in Miami so I do not have any cold start issues but my issue is that my third gear feels VERY crunchy, its almost hurts me, at times when engine is at operating temps.

Would the Pentosin MTL-2 assist in fixing this?

Since this is your first manual, keep a mental note of your clutch engagement/disengagement along with your shifting speed. If the two are out of sync, you will feel a crunch.

Also, engine temps are not correlated with tranny temps. Shift smooth yet slowly until the transmission gets warm. Probably around the 10mins mark.

The MTF2 will help you. Many people use it. Motul 75w90 and AMSOIL 75w90 will work as well. I'm running Motul 75w90 in my tranny & diff. I have no issues.

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[alxtheoreo]

Originally Posted by Teseo

What about double clutch?

That's unnecessary, unless your syncos are shot.

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[Ultramaroon]

Originally Posted by Teseo

What about double clutch?

Originally Posted by alxtheoreo

That's unnecessary, unless your syncos are shot.

That's bad advice. Yes, Teseo, if you wish to skip gates (on downshifts only) then the only appropriate way to do it is by double clutching.

Never skip gates on upshifts. Rowing through the skipped gears is the only appropriate way to do that.

[qqzj]

which gears do people often skip? the 2nd one?

if you have time to row through the gears, might be better to just double clutch.

Originally Posted by Ultramaroon

That's bad advice. Yes, Teseo, if you wish to skip gates (on downshifts only) then the only appropriate way to do it is by double clutching.

Never skip gates on upshifts. Rowing through the skipped gears is the only appropriate way to do that.

[Teseo]

Originally Posted by Ultramaroon

That's bad advice. Yes, Teseo, if you wish to skip gates (on downshifts only) then the only appropriate way to do it is by double clutching.

Never skip gates on upshifts. Rowing through the skipped gears is the only appropriate way to do that.

What about upshift? When the car is recently on

[Ultramaroon]

Originally Posted by qqzj

which gears do people often skip? the 2nd one?

if you have time to row through the gears, might be better to just double clutch.

Watch in-cockpit videos of competitive/pro drivers. They never skip gates. I haven't made up my mind about that myself. I'm using the rowing method more and more these days.

[Ultramaroon]

Originally Posted by Teseo

What about upshift? When the car is recently on

That's different if you're talking about the second-gear missed shift. Yeah, a double clutch blip helps for that.

[gravitylover]

Originally Posted by Ultramaroon

Never skip gates on upshifts. Rowing through the skipped gears is the only appropriate way to do that.

Hmm, for over 30 years I've gone from 3>5 or in newer cars now 4>6 and never really gave it a thought like I was wearing things unnecessarily. When you're accelerating out of a highway ramp or similar why is it a problem if you're up to speed to drop it into the final drive gear and just roll out from there?

[Ultramaroon]

Originally Posted by gravitylover

Hmm, for over 30 years I've gone from 3>5 or in newer cars now 4>6 and never really gave it a thought like I was wearing things unnecessarily. When you're accelerating out of a highway ramp or similar why is it a problem if you're up to speed to drop it into the final drive gear and just roll out from there?

I'm also a recent convert. I had never thought about it until owning this car.

http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showt...19#post2815519

[Scion_Swine]

Originally Posted by Ultramaroon

Excellent. Yes. I understand it's a PITA to get to it because there's little room between the valve cover and frame rail but it's doable.

Now, your transmission... hmmm... your car has 10K more on the clock than mine. I'm a little concerned when you say "really crunchy."

People have a habit of skipping gears with this transmission and that beats the hell out of syncros.

Well I could just be very paranoid. I had a friend drive it and he said it's good but it just feels a little warn in compared to a new one. When I first got the car third gear would feel crunchy some times so I wanted to get rid of the crunch so I changed the fluid and I think it made it crunch a bit more often but when it's smooth it's smoother than before.

I used to skip from 4th to 6th for high way or coasting driving but I only did that the first two days then settled into the habit of rowing through all the gears.

[zebro racing]

I'm so glad this thread got restarted. I just bought my 2013 FR-S on 1/25 (with only 12,xxx miles), and I thought I was just not used to transmission and the second gear issue (I've driven manual my whole life). I'm happy to know it's not just me.

@Scion_Swine
As a previous post suggested, it's best to read the whole thread (it took me a day or two off and on). There is a lot of good info and some amusing rants.

The summary up to this point is as follows:
• Pentosin seems to work well for most everyone that tries it; but I noticed 90% of these successes were from people in northern states where it actually gets cold.
• Redline MTL, MT85 get some love as well
• Motul 300 is a mixed bag of reviews

I'm also glad you chimed in because I too live in the Sunshine/"why did I buy a black car" state where "cold" starts are more of a theoretical thing. My concern with the Pentosin (75w80) is the lower than factory recommended weight. I don't want to go that much lower than the minimum factory recommended weight of 75w90 because I'm a rule follower, and I'd like a little more weight for those 110F days when I'm driving enthusiastically. I personally, am leaning towards Redline MT85, MT90, or Amsoil MTG in the tranny and Motul Gear 300 GL4/GL5 75W90 in the diff.