2nd gear issues

[chuyler1]

Ok, I've had my car for over a week now and I can't seem to figure out this 1st to 2nd shift. My friend drove it and he shifted flawlessly but failed to explain how he did it.

I'm not fast when I shift but I still want to be able to get rid of the slight rocking when I let out the clutch. I've tried taking my foot all the way off the gas and I've tried only easing off it a little...and I've tried various speeds of releasing the clutch as well as shifting at different RPMs.

Can anyone put in writing what needs to be done to get a smooth shift from 1st to 2nd? Or is this a 'figure it out yourself' kinda thing? I can do it on my friend's Audi, but not my own car!

 

[Dexter]

try this rule of thumb...

if the car's rolling, don't shift into first.

Just sticking the clutch in or shifting from 4th or sth to neutral defeats the purpose of having a manual.

My 2 cents

MS MSP - Spicy Orange

i agree with the if the cars rolling, dont shift to first.

but how does shifting to N and then coming to a stop defeat the purpose of having a manual? i could care less how i come to a stop...how i accelerate is what i care about...

 

[Dexter]

Ok, I've had my car for over a week now and I can't seem to figure out this 1st to 2nd shift. My friend drove it and he shifted flawlessly but failed to explain how he did it.

I'm not fast when I shift but I still want to be able to get rid of the slight rocking when I let out the clutch. I've tried taking my foot all the way off the gas and I've tried only easing off it a little...and I've tried various speeds of releasing the clutch as well as shifting at different RPMs.

Can anyone put in writing what needs to be done to get a smooth shift from 1st to 2nd? Or is this a 'figure it out yourself' kinda thing? I can do it on my friend's Audi, but not my own car!

try getting the revs up to like 3,000+ and then shift to second

 

[krillin]

are you sure it isn't the sound of the turbo?

 

[MikeyG_U2]

It's definitely not the turbo, not nearly as high-pitched as a turbocharger sounds, and louder. It's a difficult sound to explain. It's the same tone as engine sound, but gets louder for the instant after I begin to shift (push in the clutch) It's not the same as revving the engine, and the RPM's don't hop up or anything. It's only very brief. It doesn't do it during normal driving, which is why I assume it's the synchro's working harder and making some noise. There doesn't appear to be any negative side effects other than the noise itself. Just wondering if was just me or if others heard it too.

 

[Dexter]

its probably the blow off valve dude

 

[Heathen23]

"its probably the blow off valve dude"

Dex- Is the BOV almost a scuffing sound after aggresive acceleration (i.e. right before or during an upshift)? That timing would make sense for both MikeyG and my description.

I thought it might be the BOV but the timing is so consistant which made me second guess....

And no, it's definitely not the drilling sound of the turbo. I could best describe it as an oscillating or scuffing sound.

Thanks all for any insight provided!

 

[Dexter]

yeah, the BOV activates when you hit the clutch to shift gears

 

[Heathen23]

Damn, I feel like a jack-ass now. Every BOV I have ever heard sounded more like a hoot rather than an inconsistant rush so I was truly unsure. Thanks for your input!!!(2thumbs)

 

[Dexter]

i too was scared i was ******* something up when i had the car and did some heavy acceleration, but then everyone told me it was the BOV so i was like whoops im dumb lol

 

[MikeyG_U2]

It's not the BOV (diverter valve in our case...) I can hear that also, and am very familiar with the sound of those from my previous car (GTI 1.8T) This is definitely a mechanical sound of something spinning, it's either the engine itself slightly over-revving when I shift, or something happening inside the gearbox.

 

[Heathen23]

"It's not the BOV (diverter valve in our case...) I can hear that also, and am very familiar with the sound of those from my previous car (GTI 1.8T) This is definitely a mechanical sound of something spinning, it's either the engine itself slightly over-revving when I shift, or something happening inside the gearbox"

MikeyG-

The first time I was convinced it was not BOV was when I was in 4th gear and let off the gas quickly. As the engine slowed itself it made the sound drastically (just like during clutch engagement between 1st-2nd-3rd). It's definitely sounds like metal on metal scuffing or oscilating. It has been mentioned in different posts but always dismissed as BOV. If anyone has had a similar sound and have resolved the source let me know....email, PM, or post...I'm just tired of not knowing. Mazda service was very unhelpful with the matter. It might be BOV but I'd like to see if anybody else has ideas. I'm convinced IT JUST DOESN'T SOUND RIGHT TO BE BOV.

 

[MikeyG_U2]

The way i can tell it's not a BOV sound is that if you accelerate quickly and then let off the gas but leave the car in gear, you can hear the Blow off, altough sometimes it's a bit fluttery. The sound I'm speaking of ONLY happens when shifting (clutch pushed in), and then only if I'm driving relatively agressively. It's a very different sound like Heathen mentioned.

Spring is right around the corner, so once it's warm enough to open my windows while driving and NOT get frostbite, I'll hopefully be able to pin this down a little better.