Hard to get in to 2nd gear...

V

vw mofo

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2007 Mazda5 Touring
This just started happening yesterday.. I tried searching here, but didn't see anything similar and of course I'm sure if I take it to my dealer I'm going to get the "we can't replicate the problem" because it doesn't occur on every 1-2 shift...

Instead of the normal notchy feel I get when changing gears, it is very rubbery and offers up a decent bit of resistance. Almost as if something is pushing back against the shift lever. It seems to do this more often on low RPM shifts, but it did it last night on me once when I wound 1st gear all the way to the rev limit. Don't get it! And as I post this my wife is now telling me she was having a hell of a time getting it into 1st gear from a dead stop yesterday...

Anyone have any ideas I might be able to check out myself before I make an appointment?

Thanks in advance guys!
 
I know this may sound stupid, but make sure your floormat is not getting in the way. And if you are using the all weather rubber mats, do not use them on top of the carpet mats.

If not, there might be a problem in the shift linkage or synchros.
 
Thanks guys. Definitely not a grind or floormats or anything like that.

Best I can explain it is it feels like somone is pulling the shift lever the other direction while I'm trying to pull it into 2nd. I should mention that if you do get it in gear it's fine. Just doesn't want to go in gear.

I just hope that my Mazda service experience is better than Volkswagen! lol We've had this car for 1.5 years and this is the first time I'll have brought it back for anything. I change my own oil and other routine maintenance so hopefully they don't give me a hard time for not bringing it back.
 
that sucks. Since it's a cable shifter, I could imagine that the problem doesn't occur every time though.
 
Mine has started to miss second and grind. I have to shift slow and methodical to prevent it. Not always easy, when trying to merge. I'm taking it in next week.
 
Well, figured I'd update this so if anyone else runs across something similar they'll have some good info to go on when I eventually get this fixed..

Our car is going back to the dealer for the same problem, only this time it's worse.

Was out driving yesterday and I downshifted to 2nd to enter a turn. Could not for the life of me get the car out of 2nd gear. Finally with enough force it came out. After this incident, shifting was a bit sluggish, but not as bad as the last time this happened. Parked the car for about 3 hours. Went out to head home, could not get the car into first or second gear. LOVELY! Whole way home (approx 20 miles) shifting was a chore and when we got home and I pulled into my driveway to wait for the garage door to open, I could not get the car into first gear again.

Visual inspection of the engine bay is worthless since you can't see anything under all the plastic. But I did notice some marring on the aluminum around the rear bolt of the motor mount on the passenger side. Front bolt showed no signs of marring.
 
Hopefully I'll know soon. It's at a different dealer this time being looked at as I type this.
 
Welp... Dealership #2 that could not replicate the issue... This is starting to get annoying.
 
sounds like synchro issue to me... call your local MAZDA USA or CANADA to b**** about the dealer then they will get a report to demand a further look...jm2c
 
I don't think it's a syncro issue because it doesn't grind at all. To add further fuel to the fire, I was no more than 5 miles away from the dealership last night when it started acting up again. If I would have had a way to get home, I would have turned around and gone right back. Oh and now I have a new one to add to the list. Won't go into third gear.

I tried everything I could think of on the way hometo find out what specific condition causes this. Best I can tell is that it's totally random. At one point, I couldn't even move the gear selecter far enough to the left to even think about engaging first or second. It just flat wouldn't go over. Only after rowing it through 3rd, 4th, and 5th would it move far enough to the left to let me put it in 1st.

*banghead*
 
Try asking one of the dealer's sales reps (who can't be very busy right now) to take a short ride with you until it happens. That way you have a witness. I did this with a Ford I had a while back that had an intrermittant problem that the svce dept couldn't replicate. It definitely got a result and ultimately the problem got fixed. Might work, might not. But it has for me in the past. Good luck.
 
How are your two hydraulic motor mounts?

Could your motor mounts have gone bad, allowing the engine to shift enough to strain the shifting cable in certain instances?

There is a TSB for the #3, and #4, motor mounts. Maybe you could have someone give the car a little rev with the hood up and watch?

Both of mine had lost all of their fluid, and were replaced under the TSB/Warranty.
 
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That's possible and I even saw something similar in the mazda3 forums and have suggested both times that they check the mounts. I don't know if they ever did check them, but it's noted on my work orders in both cases that "Customer advised to inspect motor mounts".

So I got a nice phone call from my wife who was stranded because the car wouldn't go in to any gears... So I left work early, got the car home, and immediately took it back to the dealership. It fought me the whole way there.

Long story short, we're driving a Ford Fusion loaner car right now because I told them I needed a reliable car and they were going to keep mine until it was fixed.
 
This was my first thought as well. Happened to a Saab I had.

mazdadude said:
How are your two hydraulic motor mounts?

Could your motor mounts have gone bad, allowing the engine to shift enough to strain the shifting cable in certain instances?

There is a TSB for the #3, and #4, motor mounts. Maybe you could have someone give the car a little rev with the hood up and watch?

Both of mine had lost all of their fluid, and were replaced under the TSB/Warranty.
Click to expand...
 
This is good. Seriously, you can't make this crap up...

I get a call from the dealer. The car is ready and shifting fine. So I asked what was up and was told there was something stuck in linkage on top of the transmission. I leave work and head to the dealer and ask whats up while I waited for them to get my car. Wait for it... This is great...

A Squirrel built a nest on top of my transmission and there was a walnut in the linkage.

I know.. LMAO...

So, I hop in the car to head home. Drive to the end of the parking lot, won't go in to first. GRRRRR!!! Turn around and head back... So I've still got the sweet Fusion and they still have my 5. :(

I believe what's going on here is that these were 2 isolated incidents that resulted in a similar symptoms and they've fixed one, but the original problem still exists because a squirrel isn't going build a nest back when this first happend, nor is it going to collect nuts.

*BANGHEAD*
 
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Well, we have a solution. Mazda Tech Assist told them to change the transmission fluid to a full synthetic. Car shifts like butter now...

Now if only they wouldn't have hit the lift and destroyed one of my wheels and tire I wouldn't have to go back. DOH.
 
Cool stuff. It might also be that the original fluid levels were very low or something, especially as you could not shift at all (dunno), weird.

Thanks for the info
 
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