I have heard that the rx7 transmission can be a little "notchy" but whenever I upshift into 2nd it can be very hard to the point sometimes it takes me like 3 or 4 seconds to get it in. Up shifting out of 2nd is fine. This mainly happens at lower speeds but even when Im redlining it it sticks a little. Any idea why this is? Thanks.

 

Mine did it too, pop off the shift boot, take a look at the bushings,
replace if they look awful.
if not I'm sure someone will chime in here in a moment

 

know where I can get some good bushings?

 

mazdatrix has them. Get the upper and lower bushings. might as well replace the rubber boots while you're at it if yours look worn.... or nonexistent, as in my case!

 

Change shifter bushings.

Change trans fluid and use some kind of additive.

 

Mine does that too. The shifter bushing and boot are non-existent.

 

mazdatrix, forum forsale, rx7store, blackdragonauto.com wherever you're comfortable

 

An RPM dependant transmission problem would point to the transmission and not the bushings in my eyes.

You're synchros could be gone.

"In a synchromesh gearbox, to correctly match the speed of the gear to that of the shaft as the gear is engaged, the collar initially applies a force to a cone-shaped brass clutch attached to the gear, which brings the speeds to match prior to the collar locking into place."

The problem with it sticking, is the speeds could not be matching properly.

 

The above is true, could be the syncros. Fortunately, mine is rpm independant and it goes in fine with no grinding but since my bushings are trash, the shifter is loose which exacerbates the notchy feel of the rx7 tranny. I always thought it was odd that 1sdt and second had and shift angle on top of pulling the stick to the side. This is what i am talking about...

\_|_|_
/..|..|..|

The above ascii represents how the shifter feels. Ignore the periods, they are just so the forum doesn't reformat the spaces out. 1,3,5 on top and 2,4,R on bottom.

 

my shifter does have mad slop when in neutral...dunno what that means. also sometimes its difficult to downshift if say Im going 40 and try to shift to second to engine break.(dont hold me to those numbers just an example)...this doesnt happen frequently

 

Are you rev-matching the shifts and still finding difficulty downshifting? If so, try double-clutching the downshift? And if that doesn't work, then synchros being gone would be the most likely suspect.

If you have mad slop in neutral, does the shifter go back to center? If not, that's a new return spring you'll need. If it does, then your shifter bushings are probably gone.

To the OP, 2nd gear synchros are the weak link on the FC trans. Just be more patient and gentle with the 1 -> 2 shift. Try double-clutching to see if it helps. Not a granny double clutch, but a fast one, so that on the second clutch, you're shifting into second right when the engine rpm's drop to what second gear should be at whatever speed you're doing. Beyond that, only a rebuild can repair a synchro problem.

You could try different gear oils as well. Royal Purple 75w90 works well with bad tranny's due to its thickness.

 

I had a customer recently who was told she needed a new trans buy her shop. Her 88se would not go into reverse. Told her about replacing the shifter bushings and what do you know-Problem went away!

 

When I rev match there is no problem. The shifter does go back to center so its bushings? Oh and I suck at double clutching I bought this car in December and its my first standard car. So im still working on the double clutching.

 

Look at Mazdatrix's short shifter installation guide. There's a section in it regarding the shifter bushings.

 

Thanks Roen

 

Shifter bushings could very well have something to do with it, and certainly couldn't hurt to replace... but to me, that sounds like your synchros are shot.