1-2 shift hesitation...

D

dirtyd

Member
Does anybody else have a problem when trying to shift into second? When I shift from first to second (and the tranny is cold) it will almost clunk into second gear. It definitly takes some coaxing. I have about 7k on the car and it has been like this for every mile. I must say though, the problem does go away after the tranny has warmed up a little bit. Is this anything to be worried about? What do all you of you recommend? Thanks in advance for your help!

~DirtyD
 
I have 18,000 on my car and it is still clunky until warmed up. It's fine after just a few minutes, so it doesn't bother me. If it is that much of a problem, replace your tranny fluid with a high grade synthetic. No, I don't have a recommendation, my tranny is still running the stock fluid.
 
Redline MT-90 has seemed popular to clean up some of the notchiness. Here's a post from user amascio from last October

amascio said:
Mazda factory fills these manuals with a pretty cheap factory fill oil IMHO. I'd venture a guess that is a conventional oil 75w/90 with a very low viscosity index.

Low viscosity index means that there is a great deal of viscosity (thickness) change from when it is cold to when it is fully warmed up. When fully warmed up the oil is thinner and shifting is easier with no gear grinding.

Replacing your trans oil with a synthetic product that has a high viscosity index will result in a transmission that will enable great shifting from the moment you fire the car off. My BMW had the notchiest shifting transmission I had ever used until I switched it over to Redline MTL.

Within 20 feet of the change, the transmisson shifted 1000 times better. That car now has 100k on it and it shifts better than the day I picked it up, new.

I just received the Redline MT 90 in the mail recently and next week plan to change out the fluid in my speed3. Just like everyone else here who has changed to it, the car will shift way better.
Click to expand...

and the thread it came from: "Is the Transmission the Weak point for the Speed3?"


And another post from that thread you may be able to relate to :)

Blue Buzzard said:
Shifting the 08 Speed3

I live in the Northeast. Imagine my surprise shifting my NEW Speed3 on that first cold morning. Like moving a cold knife through cold butter. Smooth, really smooth. Like a frozen shift cable attached to a shift fork trying to move synchronizers and gears around in a gearbox filled with STP.

Double clutch? Ho Ho that don't work. Count to three during the 1-2 shift, don't work either. Humm let me see... I live on a hill, maybe starting off in 2nd or 3rd will work. No way. Lets try sitting in the driveway with the motor churning away until the temp gauge is in the middle. Nope the trans-axle must be warm and toasty before some semblance of normal shifting is possible.

I can tell you how many teeth are on each transmission gear by the pitch of the grind. This car has 1500 miles on it, it'll get better when the weather gets warmer. Move to California? Just drive it for 30 minutes and it's a little smoother not as good as it could be. Good design the culprit? Every gear change is different, always some difference, never a perfect gear change.

Why should I have to change the gear oil or whatever oil is in the trans-axle with oil it should have been delivered with? Synthetic oil is a possibility, it certainly works well in a motocross bike but that is a dog shifted transmission that doesn't have a ring and pinion that requires an EP lubricant.

Can't wait to start pounding on it, maybe thats what it needs.
Click to expand...
 
Last edited:
dirtyd said:
Does anybody else have a problem when trying to shift into second? When I shift from first to second (and the tranny is cold) it will almost clunk into second gear. It definitly takes some coaxing. I have about 7k on the car and it has been like this for every mile. I must say though, the problem does go away after the tranny has warmed up a little bit. Is this anything to be worried about? What do all you of you recommend? Thanks in advance for your help!

~DirtyD
Click to expand...


I have the same exact problem, bugs the s*** out of me but its very common with this car :(
 
Any tranny will be a bit stiff and harsh when cold -- even automatics kinda lurch when they've been sitting and the ambient temperatures are low.
 
Thanks for all your responses! I'm glad that I'm not the only one with this problem. Looks like I'll need to investigate this Redline MT-90 stuff.

Wishing you all warm trannies :)
 
My 1-2 shift seems smooth so far even when cold outside.. it's rather the 2-3 where I miss 3rd gear 70% of the time during "spirited" driving (yes when engine/tranny is warmed up to normal operating temp.) Is anyone experiencing the same? I wonder if aftermarket bushings would help.. this is very annoying to the point where it could be embarassing going to the strip.. (bang)
 
dirtyd said:
BAHAHAHA! You live in Florida! Try getting into reverse up here in MN! Swear to God my wrist is going to have arthritis at the ripe old age of 25...
Click to expand...

I don't think that has anything to do with your car. Unless of course you have fantasies we don't want to know about.

(shocked)
 
mine did it too. now that i have MT-90 it actually got WORSE in the cold. it is smooth as glass when it is warm, but damn i hate it in the cold.
 
I put the Redline MT90 in my car early on and as long as the car was warmed up it was OK.
But let it get colder than about 70 degrees and there's that "first 2 mile 1-2 shift grind" sure as hell.

Never one to be daunted, I took to experimenting with my Redline fluids. I am currently running a 50/50 mix of MTL and MT90. The cold weather grinding has eased up considerably but I still have to baby the silly thing for about a mile or so when the temps drop into the 40's.

Soooo, my next oil change is coming up soon and with it the Speed is going to get a trans fill of 100 per cent MTL, (which done just fine in my 330ci).

MT90 is a 75/90 and MTL is a 70/80 so there is a considerable viscosity difference here. I expect to have much better cold shiftability but at what price when the trans is warm? Will the MTL be able to properly protect the vitals when it is warmed fully up and thins down? That's what I plan on finding out.

Here in Houston 100 degree weather is normal 4 months out of the year and you can bet I'll be listening for clattering or trans internals rattling when she's under stress. I also plan on doing blotter tests from time to time to see if the MTL is cooking on me - from my BMW's experience I don't expect problems.

One last note here and please feel free to correct me if I'm wrong because some of this will be speclation - these 6 speed Mazda trannies are a wonder; they have 1 more gear than the 5 speed model but are no bigger. They have triple cone synchros on first, second and third gears with the rest double coned. I have the feeling that this trans has 2 counter shafts working with the main shaft instead of the usual main/counter shaft arrangement. I believe Mazdas engineers spec'd this heavy 75/90 oil because they want to be sure that the oil will climb to the upper reaches of the transmission's many parts. In doing so they also threw out cold weather shiftability.

Ever notice how you always get that 1-2 gear crunch but yet the 3-4 shift is smooth as is 4-5 and 5-6? I believe we can thank those triple cone synchros for that. Extra thick fluid with 3 times the synchro "braking" power equals synchros that fail to get everything lined up for a smooth shift in time. Triple cone synchros are great in road racing high horse cars but we are dealing primarily with a street car here and triple cone synchros may be over kill.

Also, I was on a Corvette forum a while back and one of their trannie gurus was talking about how the C5 Vettes have triple cone synchros and GM spec'd Dexron type fluid for the trans strictly because the triple cone synchros have difficulty dealing with high viscosity gear oils.

Like I said feel free to jump in and correct me; the object of the game for us here is to figure out how to cure the Archilles heal of what is truly a great little car, so let's get to talking about this and see if we can come up with a solution. If someone comes up with something significant, get back to us and let us in on what you have found.

My personal part is going to be going out of manufacturers spec for the gear oil in search of better shifts. As soon as I get the MTL in I'll post the results. Cheers all!
 
our cars hate the cold, and i mean hate it, when i leave for work i hear all sorts of creaks and noises until bout 10 miles down the road once the car has warmed up
 
Mid_Life_Crisis said:
I don't think that has anything to do with your car. Unless of course you have fantasies we don't want to know about.

(shocked)
Click to expand...


BAHAHAHA! I'm thinking a little bit of both(headshake..working on the GF right now to prolong my arthritis :).

Amascio, please let me know what you find out. I am very interested in fixing the subtle errors in my trannie that present themselves when its cold.

Anyone else here know more about the shifter bushing or whatever bushings to help smooth out the shifting? Any suggestions on brands? Products? Vendors?

Thank you much!
 
I used to run Prothane bushings in my Acura. It makes things really stiff and notchy, but in a good way....no more vagueness.

Energy Suspension is a bit softer than Prothane but still performs better than stock.


Our sponsor TWM does sell shift bushings for the Speed6 and IIRC, the Speed3.
 
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