Hey guys,

I just replaced my clutch in my S5 Turbo RX7. New Turbo Master and Slave, and the clutch was an Exedy Stage 1 HD Clutch Kit (10803AHD). Pilot Bearing and throw out bearing was also replaced.

At first, the clutch would not disengage when I pressed the pedal down and I couldn't get the car into any gear at all, so I thought we had installed something wrong, but I read on the Miata forums that when you install an HD clutch that you have to adjust your clutch pedal so that it has less play, and thus will make the clutch disengage. Well that fixed it, and the clutch feels beefy as hell and engages probably about an inch off the floor.

Now, on to my transmission, I also had just installed a new Mazdatrix shortshifter too, and that thing is pretty hard to shift into gear too, more so than the stock one, which is to be expected, but my friend has the same shifter in his Turbo with a stock clutch, and his doesn't take as much force as mine does to shift. Shifting up 1-5 is pretty smooth, but it's when I downshift 3->2->1 that it's pretty hard to get it into gear sometimes. I've only put about 50 miles on the clutch so far, so people have been telling me that it will get easier as I wear in the clutch.

Does my shifting issue have to do with how heavy duty my clutch is and will it get better as I work the clutch it? Or should I keep adjusting my pedal till it's easier to shift with? I haven't maxed out my pedal play yet, but I thought I'd ask before I continue any further.

 

new bushings for the shifter? sounds like what was happening when i put a miata shifter in my car. new bushings will fit really tight until you wear them in.

 

Yeah the Mazdatrix had all new bushings with the Kit. Hmmmmm~ I hope it's that, Auto-X season is coming up soon here and I don't want my shifter being the cause of my slow times ;p. Anyone have any more ideas?

 

when you put the bottom bushing in, did you make sure the spring didn't get caught on anything? it might not be compressing.

 

Yeah I'm sure the spring didn't get caught on anything. I guess I could try putting it back in and see, but I adjusted the pedal play again, and it seems to be shifting a little better again... Still need some more ideas!

 

Well, I went and drove my buddy's car today with his Mazdatrix short shifter, and it's smooth! I'm pushing about 10x harder... we just installed his last fall too, so I'm not too sure what the issue is. Bad short shifter?

tldr; Installed new clutch, slave, master, pilot bearing, throwout. Installed Mazdatrix shortshifter, and it's really really hard to get into gear. Stock shifter works fine. Bad short shifter?

Transmission is a JDM one.

 

Keep messing with the clutch pedal adjustment.

 

Ok well I maxed out the pedal adjustment and I'm still super stuff. I threw the stock shifter back in there, and even with the stock one, I realized that, it's slightly notchy. It goes in like butter but I can feel the slight notchyness that is amplified 10x by the Mazdatrix short shifter. Is my Transmission messed up? I can hear a slight rattling, like marbles in a cup coming from the transmission. This is reminding me of my last Turbo II transmission where the reverse gear fell out of place.... Any more suggestions guys?

 

You can try this if the shifter feels a little notchy:
Get a piece of cork gasket,and cut a gasket the shape of the upper transmission hole,where the shifter's collar attaches with the 3 10mm bolts.
Place the cork gasket onto the transmission,then get 3 thick lock washers and place them between the short shifter's Collar and the Gasket...Put the short shifter on,and then put the bolts through the Collar,and tighten.
What that does,in effect,is raises the short shifter in the little block that the Shifter ball sits in and make the shift a little smoother.

 

I'll see if I can give that a try.

I was searching the forums and some people were mentioning transmission fluid? I'm running some cheap Valvoline 75-90 in there right now, I was thinking of throwing some Redline MT90 and seeing if that would help it or not. Any more ideas as to why its really hard to shift with the short shifter?

 

Do you have any Fluid in the top part of the transmission,where the shifter sits in the hole?..there should be some fluid at least covering the Block that the shifter's bottom ball will sit in.
If you don't,then just add some 75weight to it.No big deal.

 

Yeah I do have fluid in there, it's 1/4 inch from the top as Mazdatrix explains in their install proceedure...

 

Anymore ideas? Still stuck on this one~

 

To the top!

 

Try adjusting the rod on the pedal again.(that is under the dash).
adjust it out,towards the Master..and then tighten the 12mm nut.
That will push the plunger in the master a little further in..and really it makes a world of difference.
your pedal feel should increase dramatically.

 

I'm already maxed out on pedal play, the pedal feels great, it's the shifting that I'm having issues with.

 

If the pedal feels great and the car shifts OK..allowing the clutch to engage and disengage from the Engine,then the problem is in the transmission,or the shifter..NOT The Clutch.
You could always try putting in some Redline MT-90 synthetic and a Friction Modifier..( I forget what the Fark it is called now,,I think I used Lucas.)

 

Yeah, the next plan of action was to get some MT-90 and swap out the fluids. I have a hunch that more than likely my transmission is going... sucks cause I've only had it for 6 months and got it from Japan2LA too~

 

try to fluid and let me know how it works...sounds like the same issue i have with mine with the rattle too i thought mine was a pilot bearing but sounds similar. let me know how you get on.

 

clutch disk installed backwards?

 

If it was I don't think that the unit would have fit, but I mean, I could be wrong. The car drives fine with the stock shifter in the car, doesn't slip, and pulls hard, but with the short shifter, it's just super hard to shift. And then there's the light rattling I'm hearing again.

I'll probably be pulling the transmission if the fluid swap doesn't seem to do anything.

 

Either that or a bad short shifter..