Problem shifting into 3rd
 

I have big problems shifting into 3rd gear when shifting up from 2nd at just over 7k RPM. Synchro ? Is it worth replacing all of them once the tranny is apart ? How many hours of labor would that be ? Where to get new synchros ? How much are they?

Thanks !

Many people miss the 2-3 sift and end up shifting into 5th. If that is your case, one suggestion would be to buy a short shifter. I have the gotham racing short shifter and it has helped solve my 2-3 shifts. I'm sure I'm not the only one that has benefited from a ssort shifter. Anyone else care to chime in?

get a tranny brace to hold it.. (should work correct me if im wrong)

I'm not a big fan of the short shift kits. The ones I've tried have all made the shifting notchy and high effort. I'd be more inclined to make sure that your engine mounts aren't old and loose, and possibly use an ETB as well.

i've got a b&m short shift and i still have trouble. i made a home depot torque brace and it did wonders, but i now have solid motor mounts ready to install that i'm sure will cure it totally, but haven't gotten the energy to install them yet

I've got new engine mounts and I still have the 3rd to 5th problem. Has anyone purchaced a engine torque brace, or a short shifter and completely solved this problem? I don't want to buy either if it won't help this problem. I have already replaced the 5th gear synchro once...

Torque braces, short shifters, they're all the same -- a BAND-AID.

I learned this my first time at the drag strip. It is very easy to mis-shift the 2-3 and the most common reason is likely that you don't have the clutch fully depressed when you are actually trying to shift.

Move your seat up one notch. Really focus on jamming the clutch all the way to the floor. Don't try to lightning shift. Don't try to "aim" the shifter, just move the shifter naturally. I bet you'll discover you can shift the 2-3 just fine. After a little practice doing that, you'll be able to do the 2-3 shift very quickly without screwing it up.

Trust me, it works. Before Ed (redline 53 on the forum) pointed this out to me at the drag strip, I missed the 2-3 quite regularly during hard driving. I might have missed it ONCE since then.

So... its not the synchro ? :)

It grinded really bad when I tried to shift quickly into 3rd. Too bad... today we had some fun racing and I was going against new Audi S4 (4.2L V8, 344hp, 4x4) and he beat me off the line for like 2 car lengths (today was my first time dragracing from stop, so I'm not the best at launches :p:) and at the end of 2nd I was already gaining on him, but then the 3rd gear shift blew it for me both times. I also had a chance to drive against new M3, Celica GT Four, Mercedes AMG and Evo, but had to put them all off due to this shifting problem.

If I shift 1k earlier, I have no problems, but RPMs fall out of powerband.

What is this engine torque brace, does it affect anything else (any downsides), where to get it, how does one mount it and how much $$$ ?

P.S.: I managed to install the PFS SMIC today and was looking for some fun racing... oh well :)

Well, I'm not going to say that the synchro isn't bad (now!), but do yourself a favor and practice the steps I outlined above. I seriously went from grinding that shift about 2/3 of the time to not doing it all -- and it was FREE.

I assume a bad synchro would also grind in lower RPMs, no ?

SkywarpR,

Are you motor mount from Mazda?

i had the same problem as you. I changed to B&M short shifter and it helped the problem but i still misshifted. I put the Garfinkle engine torque brace on and now it bangs into every gear perfectly. I think it was the best mod i put on my car that improved on racing. Besides my single turbo of course!

Where does one get the engine torque brace ? Does it have any (bad) side effects ? And... how much does it cost ? Do you need to fabricate some special brackets for it to fit ?

Cruiser:

So you're not buying that it's "driver's error"? I notice that a lot on this forum. I don't mean to personally bust your balls or anything but it seems like you are totally discounting the fact that it's driver error and not a flaw with the car.

Save yourself some money and try my techniques listed above. Unless you've already damaged the tranny, I GUARANTEE you will find that you don't need a torque brace, short shifter, or any other such nonsense.

EDIT: Oh, and to answer your question, you can buy a torque brace from www.rx7store.net or www.rotaryextreme.com, as well as from Japanese companies (Feed, etc).

Rynberg: No no... you got me wrong - I will definately try your method, you can count on it. But on the other hand if the ETB would help me during my shifts without any ill side-effects then I would like to consider it also.

But why does it only happen when shifting from 2nd to 3rd gear in high RPMs ? This is what I find strange. It should then cause problems in all gears. So why doesnt it ?

I'll try your method next weekend and tell you what I find out. My gearbox is fine during normal driving or if I shift slower (e.g. street driving). Just that "mad quick yo" shifting doesnt seem to work :p:

Has anyone experienced the 2nd to 3rd shift around redline where the shifter gets stuck in 3rd but hasn't engaged the gears, and you have to yank the hell out of it to pop it back in to neutral?

Its probably because at higher rpms you are trying to shift faster. I've found that if I just slow down and concentrate on the shift, it may take a millisecond longer to shift, but its much better than missing the shift and taking a second to back off and try again.

This may very well be the case. Also, having a new Audi S4 on the other lane doesnt improve on the situation. I guess I just got too anxious when I started gaining on him at top of 2nd gear and I wanted to get into 3rd gear asap to catch him :D :p:

I'll practice the Rynberg's advice and take a rematch on that Audi. Gotta spank that ass (4.2L, V8, 344hp, 4x4)

try taking him on a roll so he doesnt get so much of a jump on you off the line. You should be able to beat him there. If you beat him from the line then thats just icing on the cake because he should get a healthy jump on you.

If you think about it, the short shifter kit will make it
easier to (miss) a gear since the shift pattern gets
smaller.
Try rynberg's idea first, before you waist your money
on a short shift kit like I did.

Jack

The torque brace has no ill effects on anything (unless you count a little pressure on the engine fender wall which does nothing). The reason you miss shift isnt because you are trying to shift too fast, its because when your pushing your motor the motor sways back and forth, which in turn, pulls the tranny with it and the gear that your shifting into isnt exactly in the place you push your shifter. The engine torque brace eliminates the engine from twisting and it leaves the tranny in the same spot. I will tell you its a completely different ball game now. If you misshift with this thing on, then you really do need to learn how to drive better. The engine torque braces from the rx7store and rotaryextreme i hear cause vibration in the car. The garfinkle torque brace has 0 vibration because it is built to your specifications, you give him a precise measurement. The brace i believe is like 85 dollars plus a few shipping charges (I think, im not 100 percent sure because me and him worked out a deal when i sold him my hood). Also another thing that could help is replacing your shifter bushings, the parts are less then 20 dollars from Malloy i believe and it takes like 15 minutes to install. This should tighten things up nicely.

yes i agree 100%, the etb helps ALOT!!

A torque brace works really well.

I agree with Rynberg that you can't "aim" the shifter, and that there is no substitute for practice, but my experience with the brace has been excellent. And a short shifter makes for faster, if notchier shifts.

follow what rynberg said. he knows his shit. the more i drive my car the easier that 3rd gear is becoming. also try changing the tranny oil with some nice synthetic stuff like Redline. that will help smooth out shifting and overall lubrication.

just be careful with the torque braces. if your motor mounts are bad, you will rip a hole in your fender. do a search or check the arquives for a post where that happened to someone.

the torque brace is kind of a band aid for overall drivetrain "slop" or movement when the engine is putting lots of power/torque to the wheels. with 10 years on the chassis, you can imagine that many of the rubber bushings and mounts are not as strong as they used to be.

much of this has been discussed before so don't hesitate to use the old search button for more in depth info.

cheers.

Yea... I did the search for all possible combinations of words about shifting, 3rd gear, 2nd gear, problem, torque brace, etc... :p:

Thanks for the input.

P.S.: I'll be getting a ETB for sure in addition to honing my skillz yo :D