Tranny Wants to Shift without Clutch

[MASTERNC]

While I was checking the "play" of my gearshift the other day (the car was turned off), I noticed that I could almost shift my car out of 3rd gear without stepping on the clutch. While driving, I noticed that I could get the gears to "grind" when the car is in 3rd and the clutch is not pressed. I could not duplicate this with any other gear. I am usually good with my tranny and have only mis-shifted a few times (failing to remove myself completely from the gas pedal when shifting).

Is this normal or do I have a problem?

 

[tsunami]

third gear has been problematic for some... i would keep your eye on it and if things take a turn for the worse bring it in to your dealer.... (strange how its only 3rd)

 

[BradC]

If you know what you are doing and the car isn't at a dead stop (while running) you should be able to go in and out of every forward gear w/out using the clutch. And when the motor is off, of course you can shift around, what is stopping it from happening?

 

[Biznass]

third gear has been problematic for some... i would keep your eye on it and if things take a turn for the worse bring it in to your dealer.... (strange how its only 3rd)

It's not only third, I lost second and they replaced third as well (2nd, 3rd and both synchros, hub) I would keep an eye on it. I lost 2nd around 13k or so. BTW, 04 hatch build date 1/04. The worst part is I was going to buy the ms flywheel since they were allready in there but they never called to tell me what they where doing, they just called to let me know it was ready for pickup (chair)

 

[GimmeA3S]

Shifting without a clutch can be done, but you need to know what you're doing in order to avoid damage to your cones and gears. The taller gears are easier to get in and out of, and it's just a matter of rev-matching. Shifting up (for me anyway) is easier than shifting down, as you have to actually use the throttle to rev-match the transmission when shifting down. Shifting up just requires good timing - pull it out of gear, wait a second for revs to drop to the point that it matches your next gear ratio, and pop it in.

Not a good thing to do regularly, as you're bound to miss your shift points and grind gears, but it is possible to limp home a manual car if your clutch master or slave goes out - just pray that you don't have to come to a complete stop.

Your worries begin if your transmission comes out of gear by itself - that should never happen.

 

[newf_709]

When I was working for mazda in the spring there was a lot of talk about problems with the 3 and 4 cylindar 6 transmissions. A rep was even in talking about it. We never had many 3s come in with problems, but the 6 were losing transmissions before they were even off the lot. I still bought a 3 anyways and am going to take my chances, but if you are having any problems I would bring it in to the garage for sure.

 

[MASTERNC]

Well I took my car to the dealer and mentioned my tranny issue. When I called to inquire about the car they said that the tranny nees to be replaced. Of course, this is 1 week before I am to leave for school (with the car) and it takes that long just to get the parts (not to mention the several days it may take to make the repair). Thankfully, they say it's not serious enough that I can't drive the car, so I may try to have the repair done at school or when I return on break (otherwise I take my dad's somewhat drab Camry for a month).

I will see what the invoice says when I pick up the car and give you an update.

 

[tsunami]

wow... replaced the whole tranny for that.... my third feels a bit strange i have noticed for a while now... as soon as i get my car together from the stereo install this weekend i am deffinatly going to take it in and see what they say... thanks for the update and be sure to let us know what the invoice says...

 

[MASTERNC]

I picked up the car last night after service had closed. The invoice basically said that there is an "internal problem" and that the tranny needs to be "pulled and torn down". I called this morning and they said that the tranny does not need to be replaced (that's not what I understood on the phone yesterday), only disassembled and repaired. They also do not have any specific ideas on what might be causing the problem. When I asked if the issue might cause transmission damage they said that the problem is just a "nuisance issue" and that driving it unrepaired will not cause a breakdown.

I would like to try to hold off until January to have the work done (I will be home then and can easily arrange other transportation). My dad also brought up the issue that breaking the seals on the transmission might affect its longevity (can anyone verify this?).