Series 2 specific, read a bunch on S1, but this is the S2 section.
So I bought my '09 three months ago with about 70 miles on it. The car has always shifted "notchy". Cold or hot, upshifting into any gear (always sequential). It's not unbearable and I don't have to beat it into gear, but I thought/think it should be smoother. I'm sitting at about 2,000 miles now and thought it might get smoother by now from breaking in, but has not. Read a lot of posts and changed both my Tranny fluid to Redline MT90 today, and my diff to redline 75w90 as that seems to be the consensus. Expected some improvements in shifting, but still the same notchy shift between all gears hot and cold.

Second does seem a little notchier on cold as this seems normal for everyone. I expected 3rd-4th and 5th-6th to glide... this is not the case. Same feeling upshifting into all gears at practically any rpm. Even doing rpm matching it still has a hiccup from neutral to the next gear up, where I've read many people say it shifts like butter... mine hits a frozen butter wall at N. Shifting at a stand still and idle, the shifter glides between 3rd and 4th, and between 5th and 6th, and I'd love to get that feeling while moving under load.

So I'm going to try and bleed my slave cylinder as that seems like a popular reply and see if it helps. Also read it could be a clutch adjustment issue. My clutch feels good and feels like there is about an inch of movement from full release before it starts engaging the clutch and about an inch of movement between full disengagement and the clutch hitting the firewall (could have my engage/disengage backwards). So in my mind, it has the right amount of travel.
Also read there could be bent shift forks???

So, if all of our tranny's are notchy, then sux for all of us, but at least mine is normal. If your's is smooth, then help me fix mine.

Also, is this the bleeder screw of the slave cylinder? Under the black cap


Thanks!

 

Your clutch sounds just like mine at engaging best clutch I've ever had experience with as well. Describing a feel can be very difficult. Is what your feeling difficult shifting at the notch feel or just at the point of putting into gear do you fell a notchy (is that even a word) feel on gear or through the entire through?
I have driven many manuals and this is by far the smoothest manual I have driven and would call it a butter feel even upon the notch feel engaement into all the gears. So all I can say is try comparing to another manual 8 S2 to see if your getting the same feel.

 

try mt90, it really improved shifting on my original trans. and i cant wait to put it into my 2nd trans. but its been too cold.

the other thing you can try is redline 75w140NS.

 

Mine shifts smooth as a gravy sandwich.

 

Changed fluids to MT90 today and did not fix, that is why I posted.

The "notchy" feel is strictly at the point between neutral and the gear I am shifting to. Hard to describe as you say, but smooth to neutral, then notch trying to get it into the next gear. My wife's 6 year old matrix feels similar, maybe a slightly less notch. Was expecting the "gravy sandwich" smoothness.

 

It sounds to me your mt is performing like mine as well from your description. From what I read if you have SS it even has rifle bolt action throughout the entire through with what I believe is the notch engagement into gear (but hard for me to say since I have no experience with SS). So what I'm calling butter is the through portion of the shift between the gears with a notch engagement into gear not the rifle bolt feel between gears. I hope this makes some kind of sense.

 

mine is similar, friends rx8 gears just seem to slip into one and another, mine seems to stick to neutral before i can get in the next gear.

ive tried changing my fluid also nothing changed, ive had 5th gear syncro and 2nd gear syncro replaced gear box feels exactly the same.

 

Smooth - but not miata or 911 smooth

 

Thanks for all the replies. A little further clarification. When I'm "Sunday driving" and "slowly" shifting (which is rare) the notch is not nearly as noticeable and the gear changes feel much better, but when I'm getting on it and trying to shift very fast is when I feel the notchyness. This is regardless of rpms, unless I'm at a dead stop, then can speed shift like butter, otherwise speed shifts hit that notch in the middle

 

I have a bad feeling about this thread. And a bad feeling about our new miata transmission.

I took my 8 for a 900 mile road trip to NY state with only 500 miles on her, and on the return trip I noticed my 5th-6th gears grindin a bit. Ended up double clutching all the way home cause it got so bad. Turns out my 5-6 synchros were already worn.

So there I was about to re-evaluate my entire driving education when my Mazda service guy tells me it's a factory defect and that they'd upgrade them under warranty.

Now I feel the same clunky, 'notchety' shift in 3rd AND reverse.

Car goes back into the shop soon, I'll keep y'all posted. :-(

 

Paging OD ......

 

Huh?
Interesting topic.
I have a little experience with the 09 trans. I recently placed one in my 04 model.
i have ran the 04 model since dec 2003(same trans). i have every known type of trans fluid in the 04 trans and i have ran it with and without the AF SS.

I like the 09 trans. Physically it is slightly heavier and the case is stronger. i like the ratios and the shifter. I had to get used to the shifter.
You cannot change the trans fluid through the shifter hole like you can an 04---does that say something?
The shifter pattern is way different (course reverse is where it is supposed to be) in that the shift gate has a wider gate than the 04. I like this but some may find it awkward. The throw itself is about the same (excluding the SS). It kind of reminds me of the 04 with the af ss in reference to that notchy feel and it does take a little while in these cool months to get warmed up. Longer than the 04.
But to me notchy is not really a bad thing. I have no grinding, no bearing noise and the gear ratios are great. With the 04 trans if you didnt pay attention shifting from 3nd to 4th, or 5th to 4th you can get into 2nd gear when you didnt want it! When that happens on track you get laughed at. The 09 shifter makes that a lot harder to do and i need all the help i can get. Downshifting is less notchy than upshifting---go figure. The 04 is harder to downshift than upshift. The 04 was a smooth shifter--so smooth that you wonder if you were in gear. I didnt really like that. It makes you have a tendency to push harder because you cant feel it go in the gear and you want to be sure that it did?.
The 09 seems more sensitive to proper clutch adjustment also. If the clutch is just a tad out the trans will get harder to shift.
i will take the 09 handsdown any day.
OD

 

OP, Yes, that is your Slave Cylinder Bleeder...for decades Mazda have been using an "Auto Adjust" Slave Cylinder....so you could give it a bleed...remember the fluid comes off the Brake MC, the Rear Tank for the Rear Brakes...it does not hold much...

Transmissions...I think I have the oldest 09 Tranny here...original anyway from new ..now with 12,000 miles...I use Redline MT90...a must as others have pointed out...much smoother changes.

One point, these trannies take a long time to get Hot and a long time to wear in..

Many 09 owners were F@cking up 6th gear, IMO changing too fast...6 is an overdrive gear.

These boxes need a few thousand "gentle" miles, then change the fluid..

I can rev and change in any gear in any direction with NO grinding at all.

Another thing, watch your method, make sure your clutch pedal is all the way down to the floor when changing, if not you can get a notchy shift.

Basically, don't fast change when the tranny is cold.

 

OH yes, there is a known issue with 6th gear, the modded ones have a carbon coat to help bed it in, when the gear plays up it stuffs the synchro ring also, so they have to replace them both.

The coating wears off after a few thousand K's (miles)..

Frankly, I have said this before...and I agree with OD...another persons interpretation of "notchy" can be some what different.

As far back as I can remember Mazda transmission (and or Aisin) have always had that "feel" to them..like there are gears in your hand...which it is meant to be...and I like it like that.

You have not bought an AUTOMATIC with a manual stick..

There are many makes who have manual boxes that have NO FEEL whatsoever, NISSAN is one that comes to mind, the shift just "slops" into each gear gate
with NO SOUL or FEELING...to me that is not a Manual Gearbox..

 

Thanks for the input ASH8.

I don't think there's anyone i trust more for my in-depth Rx-8 information.

Really appreciate your expertise, man. Hope to absorb some of it over time.

Cheers!

 

I agree, isn't this the reason everyone like the SS in the 8? Because of the precise feel of bolt action which I guess could be construed as the notch feel on engagement of SS into gear.

I have driven many manuals and there have been times when I had no clue as to gear engagement until releasing the clutch. Never had this problem with the 8 luv the way it shifts. I'm still curious in how a SS feels in the 8 from all the talk here.

 

Thanks Ash8 and others. Started the thread mainly because of the feeling when trying to shift as fast as I could. During normal driving the notch is not as noticeable, I just didn't know if that was the typical feeling or if it should be the smooth as butter/no driver feedback feeling you were describing on the nissan. Sounds like mine is normal, and I'm happy with it. Since changing the fluid on 1/15, it seems like it shifts better now that when I first changed it... which makes sense as it takes a little while to coat everything with the new fluids, plus I'm probably a little more used to the feeling. Just didn't know how it should feel and wanted to make sure mine was, which sounds like it's good to go. Thanks.

 

I had the exact same problem! I double clutched most downshifts and timed my upshifts as precisely as possible but no matter what I did, only the occasional perfect mesh would be smooth; the rest of the time: super notchy. At 7000 miles switched to redline and it improved slightly but was still bad. I mean, I prefer it to the German rubbery shifters and the honda "pushing a button" style of shifter but sometimes it would even reject third gear. Finally, at 8000 miles I was pissed, I test drove a used '06 before I bought my new '07 rx8 and I remembered how great it was. I was so mad with the car that I stopped shifting nice. Screw it, no more double clutching, just rev match and get it done. I'm now at 9990 miles and the shifting has improved more in the last 2k than in the first 8k!!!!

You are babying the car, it need to be broken in. Mazda realizes that you are going to do an occasional hard 1-2 at redline, sometimes your in 4th but you need 2nd NOW. They built the tranny to take it, go for it. You broke in the engine carefully, good job. Now drive like you stole it and get back to us in a few thousand miles!

 

2nd, 3rd, and 5th are very notchy for me.

 

18,000 miles and it's smooth as glass once it's warmed up. When it's really cold, I have to fight to get it into 1st. I think I've probably had my fluid changed a bit more often than anyone else here. When they did the fix to 6th gear, the guy gouged the edge of the case so it wouldn't seal. Finally got the case replaced after 5 trips to the dealership and a call to MNAO.

 

like hot knife threw butter....