3rd gear inconsistent shifting

[mike the snake]

I've read about other having issues with their shifting in other gears. Mine when going from 2nd to 3rd I get a mini-grind, and no matter how or when i shift from 2nd to 3rd, I get a little clunk/chunk. 1 out of 10 shifts will be smooth.

I've read that changing the fluid might help?

Just wondering if anyone else has had this issue.

I'm going to have the dealer service drive the car and feel what I'm talking about in the next day or 3.

[Red FRS]

Originally Posted by mike the snake

I've read about other having issues with their shifting in other gears. Mine when going from 2nd to 3rd I get a mini-grind, and no matter how or when i shift from 2nd to 3rd, I get a little clunk/chunk. 1 out of 10 shifts will be smooth.

I've read that changing the fluid might help?

Just wondering if anyone else has had this issue.

I'm going to have the dealer service drive the car and feel what I'm talking about in the next day or 3.

I've been having the same exact problem. At first I thought it was how I drive cause this is my first MT, but now convinced it isn't me I don't know a solution though.

I may take mine to the dealer.

[infinite012]

I have also had iffy shifts into 3rd going both directions. Upshifts moreso than downshifts, though. I know it's not me because I make it a point to push the clutch all the way to the floor before shoving the stick into a new gear. I have come to the conclusion that this car's transmission is pretty much junk. For reference, I have driven a 5MT NA Miata, 5MT 05 WRX, 6MT 08 STI, and now this. None of my other cars have had so many shifting issues. No 2nd, 3rd, or 5th gear grinds in any of those other cars. No issues with getting the shifter to feel like it's in a gear (i.e. gives positive feedback). Even the blowy-upy WRX transmission was better than the BRZ's box.

Worst. Shifts. Ever.

[Muskokan]

Had the same problem with a hesitant 3rd. switch out your stock tranny fluid after break in ( additives for break in with stock fluid ). on the other brz forum BRZSTI ( subaru tech ) recommended mt90 for the first tranny fluid flush, fixed my grind and the gears all feel ALOT smoother, even when cold ( wihch is where i had most my problems ). The stock fluid looks WAY to thin in my opinion.

[Rayme]

Originally Posted by infinite012

I have also had iffy shifts into 3rd going both directions. Upshifts moreso than downshifts, though. I know it's not me because I make it a point to push the clutch all the way to the floor before shoving the stick into a new gear. I have come to the conclusion that this car's transmission is pretty much junk. For reference, I have driven a 5MT NA Miata, 5MT 05 WRX, 6MT 08 STI, and now this. None of my other cars have had so many shifting issues. No 2nd, 3rd, or 5th gear grinds in any of those other cars. No issues with getting the shifter to feel like it's in a gear (i.e. gives positive feedback). Even the blowy-upy WRX transmission was better than the BRZ's box.

Worst. Shifts. Ever.

If you have grinding in all those gear, get your transmission replaced.

[infinite012]

Originally Posted by Rayme

If you have grinding in all those gear, get your car replaced.

Fixed that.

[whtchocla7e]

I have posted this already but here it goes again:

My 2-3 shifts are also rough. Going into third, I can feel the teeth on the gears mesh/clash. I assume these are the synchro gears? The roughness varies. I didn't experience this when the car was new. The downshifts are ok.

I've been to two dealerships, had at least 3 different techs take the car out on a test drive and they refused to take any action because it "shifts good". I couldn't get anything more out of them. "shifts good"



When I clutch in fast without easing off the gas first, I can get a smooth shift. This is exactly the opposite of what I would expect. I'd expect to feel a grind on a fast/spontaneous shift. I don't drive like this day to day.

Any idea what this means?

Anyone experiencing the same thing, try a fast/rushed shift and see if it feels better than a slow casual shift. And post back your experience.

[tracerit]

i notice a slight grind going from 2nd to 3rd gear after completing a turn a few times. could that be fluid related? (fyi, total transmission noob here)

[abutterman]

mine doesnt grind but it's just very inconsistent with how it feels going in. at a complete stop, 1st is all kinds of weird. it rarely goes in smooth on the first shot and feels crunchy. if i hold the clutch in and go back to neutral and back into 1st it'll go in nice and smooth. There's even times when the first attempt just doesnt work at all and its like it's hitting a wall half way in. 2nd is hit or miss... upshifting to 2nd id say its smooth around 75% of the time. Down shifting to 2nd from any gear on the other hand is more like 15% smooth. The rest its like it snags half way in and i have to pull hard for it to go all the way. 3rd actually used to be real bad for me in either direction but as of now it's been going right in most of the time. 5th and 6th i'd say it's 50/50 as far as crunchy or smooth. Strange enough though i have no grinding at all... yet.

I tried shifting into 1st while parked with the door open and when it has the super crunch feeling, you can hear all kinds of metal clanking noises coming from the tranny like it's all misaligned and it's knocking around all over the place trying to get into place

i know some people have said after around 10k miles it seems to soften up but i dunno. i'm currently at 4400 miles. running redline mtl 70w80 fluid

[abutterman]

and as youd expect, subaru says "they all feel weird so i guess its normal". I'm just going to deal with it and hope it breaks in unless it actually breaks

[mike the snake]

I wonder if this issue might be clutch related?

Everything we are all describing is exactly what happens when the clutch isn't completely disengaged.

[Jayvelliott]

Guys don't wait! Please take yours into the dealership..i have a black brz bought it slightly used with 4k on it...it now has 10k and i just dropped it off at the dealership because of the same issue however my situation has got alot worse.. due to the horrible transition btwn gears especially going into 3rd i have a feeling my clutch assembly is now in pieces...and they are going to diagnoses the car and determine if its due to abuse...if thats the case im straight up getting lawyers involved ...in any case what happen this weekend was inexcusable...

i went for a ride..had the same 3rd gear issue as always... then came to a red light..tried to put it in 1st and it wouldn't go in at all..when i finally got going... i made it to my destination...as i was leaving..got in the car and tried to go in reverse and the sound was horrible..the gears sounded like they were working against each other...think of a castle gate being lowered..that sound is exactly what i heard...now i get loud thuds going into 1st and 2nd...3rd will not work unless its in neutral first...here is a video to hear what it sounds like just sitting in neutral..

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jivPybJwqPI"]BRZ Gearbox Issues - YouTube[/ame]

[Silver86]

Originally Posted by Muskokan

Had the same problem with a hesitant 3rd. switch out your stock tranny fluid after break in ( additives for break in with stock fluid ). on the other brz forum BRZSTI ( subaru tech ) recommended mt90 for the first tranny fluid flush, fixed my grind and the gears all feel ALOT smoother, even when cold ( wihch is where i had most my problems ). The stock fluid looks WAY to thin in my opinion.

I recently swapped out my tranny and rear diff fluid from stock to Motul 300.

I noticed a lot more people were recommending and found better success with the Motul over the Redline MT90.

Yes the Motul costs about $6 more a bottle but I think its worth it.

[Silver86]

Originally Posted by Rayme

If you have grinding in all those gear, get your transmission replaced.

Many people are having intermittent grinding in 1st, 3rd, 4th and 5th.

The problem is that the dealership (and regional rep) won't do shit about it until they either #1 Get it on video or #2 The regional rep tests drives it and feels the grind problem.


Probably 1 out of every 50 shifts "nicks" (I wouldn't call it a grind) when going into 3rd but some people are having very big issues. I replaced my trans and rear diff fluid and now it seems to be resolved, only time will tell.

I noticed Subaru is much harder to get warranty work out of than Toyota.