I've seen a few up-shift problems here on the forums - anyone else have trouble - I mean, sometimes it's IMPOSSIBLE to shift down into 2nd gear above 40mph - going down thru the gears?

My kar 'supposedly' has Royal Purple in the tranny (Can't confirm the dealership actually DID the fluid change - felt NO difference in shifting afterwards), and 30,000 miles.


Thoughts?

 

maybe you suck at driving. heh, j/k. Did you buy it new? maybe the clutch pin? is it only second?
how do you like the basics?

 

I bought the kar new, yeah. Clutch disc was replaced with the original disc exploded. It's only 2nd gear giving the problems. I LOVE the basics - course they seem to be softening, or I'm getting use to them...feel more body roll than I did initially.

How do you like Merritt Island? My buddy lives (near) there.

 

I shift into 2nd gear all the time at 40mph with no difficulty. The only way it would be "impossible" is if I didn't bring the revs up before trying to shift down into 2nd.

Some people have a hard time shifting into 1st gear as well. Even at low speed, 4 to 9 mph, the throttle needs a little blip so you can shift down into 1st.

I never try to force a downshift. If it won't go, that means I don't have the rpm high enough.

I hope that you cannot downshift into 2nd due to user error. If it is due to a mechanical problem with your vehicle, I feel very sorry. Sometimes you just need to be able to shift into 2nd gear at 40mph+ for immediate acceleration... shifting into 2nd gear at 30 mph or below provides "slow" acceleration like an economy sedan.

 

do you rev match?

 

It's not driver-error...I'm a GREAT driver. Really. The only times it'll go is if I've got the rpm's near red-line. 1 year ago, it'd go into 2nd gear at 45-50mph as-needed based on the circumstances required.


Rev-matching only affects things 'after' it's gone into gear, with the clutch depressed. And yes. I heal-toe consistently.

 

it's boring. but there are some twisties around. getting the basics on mine soon. they're sitting my couch begging to be installed.

 

I rev-match. It's not a rev-issue when the rev's have to get progressively higher for the shifter to even GO INTO gear. :D


I thought all roads in Florida were straight-aways, with a few intersections tossed in?

 

that's a negative. beach side is a different story. nice and twisty going towards melbourne from the north cocoa beach area. speed limit 45-55 though. They really should add an rx8 caveat to that. "rx8s: 95 or whatever you're feeling".

 

if the clutch is good and the hydraulic slave line has no air then your 2nd gear synchros are f'd

you might check the clutch pedal adjustments too, these are in the service manaul

 

Just rev matching will only help you when you try to get off the clutch once in gear, that is unless you double clutch. It sounds like the OP has a bad or fading second gear synchro. They are a little weak in this car, and if you downshift hard and fast (or upshift hard and fast) they will wear quickly and start to give you problems. The easy free fix is to learn to heel-toe and double clutch. If you rev match in neutral, you will spool up the input shaft to the appropriate rpm for the ratio your about to engage instead of relying on the synchromesh to help do the job for you. The shift will be buttery smooth, this is how we downshift race cars with no synchros, just blip the throttle in neutral.

Also, in a synchro gear box, hard fast upshifts are hard on the synchromesh. Second gear always gets the most abuse.

Hope this helps.

 

Thanks, as I stated, I Heel-toe with 98% of my downshifts. Sometimes I triple and quadruple-clutch between shifts..

I'm thinking the sychro is jacked. May start shopping for replacement/repair

 

Hrmmmm, I don't know how triple or quadruple clutching would help. Are you sure your hitting the blip while in neutral with your foot all the way off the clutch pedal. If thats the case, then your synchro must be so fouled up that its actually interefering with the shift. I had my second gear synchro in my alfa go so bad that it wasn't just not helping, it was actually making things worse than if there was no synchro in place at all.

Sounds like its warranty work time for you my friend.

 

I'd normally guess the synchros but if you constantly rev match and double clutch it may be the clutch pedal itself. It seems a few of us (at least five or six) have had the clutch pedal assembly fall off. Double clutching (which I also do) is great for the synchros but puts 2X the stress on the clutch pedal assembly. CharlesR.Hill is working on a replacement bracket for it.

If you want to check, get under the steering column and push the pedal down with your hand while checking the bracket assembly. If you look where the assembly connects to the firewall you should see a couple of spot welds on each side. Push the pedal down and look for separation along those welds.

 

Thanks guys

- eforer - If I bring it in, they won't do anything but say "Well, if something broke, it's obvious you 'abused' it! But...it's worth a shot, I suppose.

- Enuff - I'll check under there this weekend - thanks mate.

 

Every once in a while, a gear will lock me out when I go for it. I get this the most when going for reverse from a stand still. The synchros will be misaligned in such a way that trying to push into them does not cause them to align. I'll usually shift into 5th and then back. I've noticed it happening sometimes in other gears. Maybe once a week. I'm hoping the stock tranny oil is garbage and when I change it in a couple weeks things will go smoother.

I've had second lock me out trying to downshift a couple times but not consistently enough to call it a problem. I don't really push the shifter hard enough to know if it'll go or not. If it doesn't pop in, I stop, back out and try again.

The moral of the story is I think dmp should design a new tranny made of space age alloys and retails for 23$.

 

Mine started gradually...same deal. Now, I have to rev to red-line, and catch the RPMs as they fall to get it into gear above 40-45mph.

 

Darin, given your history with your local dealers, I'm not sure if you'll have luck, but I also say take it in for warranty service.

Good luck.

 

If you decided to *do it youself*

This is the 2nd gear part number
y61117251

hundred something bucks.

Syncho
y60217245 38 bux
y60117245 24 bux

 

This is exactly what my dealer told me. He also added that shifting hard is considered abuse by Mazda so they may not warranty the work if they get a badly worn synchro especially with a low mileage car.

 

TeamRX8 had posted that SpeedSource sells their own shift forks. May want to call them and get the scoop. MazdaMotorsports now carries the 5 speed tranny. I wonder if it's "better" in this area.

 

ooo - not good news. Second gear synchros are the **** in this tranny.

 

I didn't see that post before, you may have some misconceptions about double clutching. If you rev match in neutral with the clutch NOT depressed, it accelerates the input shaft. It is true however that if you rev match without double clutching there is no benefit to the gear box beyond reducing negative drive through the gearbox when the clutch pedal is released.

 

I have just started to have this problem when downshifting into second....and it happens even when I rev match....it also has the same problem when I upshift to second at a high rpm in first........but If I showft slowly and allow the rpm to lower slighly it seems to shift fine. I took it to mazda as I read the warranty booklet and it states that it was covered. I told the service manager that it generaly has trouble when upshifting above 5k and he imediately told me that it would not be covered as I was abusing the car.......he also told me that they wouldn't replace the synchro for second and they would just put in a whole new transmission. I told him that he was full of **** and that there should be no reason why they couldn't replace the one part that isn't working and save the rest of the transmission. Then he took it for a drive, and of course when he down shifted into 2 the grind was there and he immediately told me that it was the clutch and not the second gear synchro?????......all I know is that I am going to get a second opinion from a transmission specialst in my area......I don't really trust my mazda dealer as last time I went there for an oil change they didn't rpleace my oil or filter.....and I had to argue with them abou it........they told me I was lying and it was my word against one of thier head mechanics.......unfortunately for him I had etched the oil filter a bit before I went in as it was the first time i had been to this mazda dealer as I had moved........they gave me my money back and I told the mechanic he was a fucling dick.......I don't get my stuff done their anymore.

 

I'm noticing this on my '06 with 10k miles on it. When I put it in reverse in the morning, 8 times out of 10 I have to slowly let off the clutch while pushing it into reverse before it will slide all the way into reverse - if I don't, it won 't go passed halfway and it will grind. I also notice it on 1st and 2nd gear downshifts - first gear is nearly impossible.