I just changed out my gs rearend for a gsl rearend I also changed my 12a tranny for a -se tranny.....Now I get a severe shudder when I take off in first.....Mostly when I turn as i take off.....Some say I need LSD additive in the rear...Thats not it........I have all my bolts,new tranny mount,good clutch/throwout bearing......What could it be?.....Some opinions please.......

 

Shuttering in first and reverse is supposedly a common problem with RX-7s. Racing Beat makes an engine torque brace to help eliminate this problem. Although, I have not experienced this is three of my four RX-7s.

~T.J.

 

That would be my opinion. Why do you think that that is not the problem?

 

I have two gsl-se's and they both do it...that is just the way it is...however, I noticed that when the car is warmed it, it is much less shutter...also, you can rev it a little higher when you start out ...that helps ...or....you can get that brace that the above person mentioned...you will see that this is common...thats just the way it is....oh....and you can double clutch as well and that helps a bit........live with it , I do....or get the brace...any one ever get the brace out there??? and does it work to your satisfaction??....cjf

 

also...the LSD rear end additive will not stop the shutter, but you do need to change the rear end fluid and make sure you do have the additive for LSD or buy redline synthetic fluid and you do not need to add the addititive...thats the way I went ...and red line is "real" good stuff...

 

I installed Redline with the additive and the shutter I had went away.

 

yeah, there is a shutter in a lsd rear end if you do not have the additive but not the kind of shutter you get in 1st gear like this guy speaks..I had a lsd rear end in an old mustang I had and it did a shutter or more like a click....found out the prior owner did not has the "additive" in it...i put it in and the shutter/click in the rear went away too.....my gsl-se has the tred line in the rear like I said but still have the shutter in 1st gear only...if you go to mazda trix site and look at this brace, they tell you in the add that it is common to these cars ( I think just the gsl-se but I could be wrong)...and that the brace is the remedy... do what you like and good luck

 

My '80 shudders a bit in first and reverse. It mostly happens while slipping the clutch in reverse. I think it is possibly due to my worn-out transmission, at least in my case. But I have also heard that this is a common occurence in 1st gens. I'm having another tranny rebuilt soon, we'll see if that has any effect. I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

 

wankelguy...mine does it in reverse too...would hate to think it is a transmission problem...let me/us know if the new tranny does it....you never know...cjf

 

I'll be sure to post a thread about it when it's done.
I had this transmission in an RX4 briefly, and it seemed to shudder a bit in that car too, IIRC.

 

I have the Racing Beat engine brace on my racecar. It was easy to install and works well. I think it was about $60.

I didn't get it to prevent the first gear shutter. I got it to use as an alternative to solid motor mounts. Solid motor mounts will vibrate your car apart (literally) at high RPM. Having the torque brace keeps the engine and tranny from rotating, like solid mounts, but allows you to keep the fillings in your teeth. The benefit of not having your driveline rotate on accelleration and decelleration is two fold. First, when you go to shift, the gate is always where you expect it to be and elimates missed shifts. Secondly, it helps put the power to the ground quicker.

 

Thanks guys.....Ill try the brace......

 

dang.... nice thanks.

 

I think (at least I HOPE) that the finger pic is related to the thing in his sig about fixing his hood and fender, and is not aimed at anyone on this board.

 

Don't confuse a shudder with rear end "Chatter" - the chatter is a symtom of a LSD rearend that need the additive - the shudder is (IMO) a symptom of a warn tranny. My last '83 had it bad and I just put up with it - my current 85 se doesn't but it's very low milage. The engine brace is an interesting idea - I find myself missing third on the odd occasion. Nice tip Buttlips (butlipps ??? )

 

The finger pic is about the hood and fender thing

 

Yeah, it must be normal. I have that problem too. Strangely it only happens in 1st when I'm turning a corner. I hope my transmission isn't worn out, I've only got ~65k miles.