sensitive gears

[brucelee]

is this a common thing among p5's...
primarily for 2nd, 3rd gears, if i coast a little bit and hit the accelerator again, the car jerks somewhat. it's really sensitive...for lack of a better word. so basically i have to keep my foot on the accelerator at all times in 2nd gear (3rd gear isn't AS bad) and just have it barely pushed it or else it'll jerk when i push again. but when i downshift, i have to let go of the accelerator, so whenever i get back on it, it jerks. is this normal? or is this a matter of the clutch still breaking-in, or something i need to have looked at by the dealer?

 

[uclap5]

engine lash is a b****

 

[brucelee]

ah, so i take it it's normal?

 

[flat_black]

Yep, it's normal. Even if you have a urethane mount on the front, alas. It does reduce it a little, but it also increases the in car vibrations. I'm sure two would anchor it better, so it didn't bounce, AS badly, but as near as I can tell, most of the bouncyness in 1 and 2 is just due to the nature of the G15 tranny.

 

[brucelee]

damn...thanks for the info.
i wonder how the 3 is..

 

[kurt]

Replacing the #3 engine mount with a Mazdaspeed #3 engine mount is said to improve throttle response and cut down on some of that drivetrain lash you're feeling (it looks like the regular P5 mounts but is much stiffer). AWR does make urethane motor mounts, as opposed to the rubber mount from Mazda, but they will give you more vibration.

 

[darocc]

i get that jerkyness alot too, while i put it in second to slow down using compresion, i'll often repress the clutch all the way down, and lift it up slowly as if i were at a complete stop to get on the accelerator again. if i dont do this, it makes me seem like the worst shifter in the world. but what can you expect from an economy car?
a friends 91 civic has a smoother shift, even shorter throws

 

[cbcbd]

yeah, 1st and 2nd are a b****, but you get used to it. It just sucks during stop/go traffic.

You basically can't coast easily in 1st. If I'm coasting in 1st and the revs start dropping below 2K rpms and I need to get back on the gas I usually just engage the clutch and then release it again with some gas so the car won't jerk and "make me seem like the worst shifter in the world"

But I don't drive my car because I enjoy driving in traffic anyway. It's annoying but it helps me tear it up when not in traffic since they are such torquey gears.

 

[RHAGEL]

I replaced my #3 mount with a Mazdaspeed and it doesnt do s***. I seemed like it did at first, but as it broke in, I doesnt cut down on any of the drive lash. I would personally go with the polyurethane mounts, regardless of how much vibration increase there is.

 

[mazdadan]

I've noticed this with almost every Mazda I've owned. There is quite a bit of driveline lash. In my RX7 I corrected it with an engine torque brace and by using solid motor mounts. The side effect from that like everyone else said is vibration. Another problem which causes the lash/jerkiness is ECU related. The engine has a very harsh on/off idle control. I believe the TPS sensors are partly to blame.

All in all, no matter what, most manual transmission vehicles no matter what brand, will have a little driveline lash. Mazda just seems to be a little more pronounced than most.

 

[flat_black]

My RX-7's got some nasty lash going on, too, yeah. =) The torque brace definitly helps a lot. And yes, the TPS is VERY sensitive compared to most. There's a fix for that issue, but I can't remember where I read about it at the moment. =) Anyway, I like the nice, snappy feeling it gives under acceleration in the RX-7. =)

 

[mazdadan]

My RX-7's got some nasty lash going on, too, yeah. =) The torque brace definitly helps a lot. And yes, the TPS is VERY sensitive compared to most. There's a fix for that issue, but I can't remember where I read about it at the moment. =) Anyway, I like the nice, snappy feeling it gives under acceleration in the RX-7. =)

Definitely. When I still had my '91 NA, I made the TPS tool which consisted of two light bulbs. You then tune it until one of the bulbs stays lit and the other goes out. I don't remember the specifics though. I also chased down plenty of cold solder points/electrical deamons in my 2nd gen (Seatbelt light flashing at random, cold solder points in idiot light/clock, cold solder points in CPU, bad wiper relay). All in all it was a great vehicle.

My '82 was a 13B streetported beast with a body crafted of primarily Bondo filling the rust holes.

 

[kk52736]

is this normal when you put in every next gear it is not smooth, and like click click before complete go in.....i used to had a civic and it never do that unless the clutch is time to change....so anyone know what happen or how can i make it smoother when go next upper gear?