ok,so i take a guy for a ride in my almost new 93 and i miss 3rd gear,just like my old 94. what do i have to buy to correct this problem? no, its not my driving. one good thing about my c5 was the fact that i never missed 3rd. Do i need a short throw shifter with a tq brace?

 

A torque brace may help but I would think that it's something wrong with your shifting to miss third.

 

I think 90% of the missed 2nd-3rd shifts are due to sloppy coordination between the hands and feet. Too many drivers trying to do the "I shift mad quick yo" end up trying to engage 3rd after they've already disengaged the clutch. By that, I mean that as they move the lever to disengage second, they're already letting off the clutch pedal before they've fully engaged third. Getting a short shifter won't necessarily solve the problem. Be positive with your shifts, including insuring that you're completely engaging the clutch when you step on the pedal.

 

It IS your driving. You don't need a brace or other band-aid (now if you have bad motor mounts or something, that's different). I used to ALWAYS miss the 2-3 if I was trying to accelerate hard. A drag racer told me I was probably getting lazy with the clutch -- turns out he was right. I had to really make myself concentrate on disengaging the clutch all the way and not rushing the release. I haven't missed a 2-3 shift since. No braces or other such gobblegook.

 

I dunno about bad shifting, i remember a lot a fd drivers complaining about missed 3rd. i am getting a short shifter,maybe that will help.

 

And that's what we're saying: a lot of those complaining about it were probably being lazy with their hands/feet. A short shifter won't allow you to engage the gear any more positively; it shortens the throw, but also increases the effort necessary to accomplish the gear engagement. If the synchros are under any power-- such as disengaging the clutch before actually engaging the next gear-- they're not going to mesh no matter what you do.

 

some think it does, but the only time i ever missed 3rd was my first time driving and FD in my friend's car. the gears are pretty close so it really is all about the driver getting used to it before tossing the shifter around.

the nut behind the wheel also might need a little tightening

 

I have a short shifter, doesn't help.. I misshift when I'm screwing around @ wot trying to shift too fast. I have to say it's driver error.

 

def driver error

when i first got my car (maybe after 1 week), i had to feel the power it had (of course duh lol) and i had my brother with me at that time so i turned onto an empty street and i gunned it..1st gear, 7k, 2nd gear, 7k and when i tired to shift to 3rd, all you heard was a grrriinnnnddd!!!

i was like whoa whoa and my bro was like what happened? and i tried to play it off saying o it might be the car..lol

i never tried to do the quick 2nd to 3rd gear shift for another 3 weeks til i got used to the car..

and now after a year, i never grinded 3rd so far..

so yes, it is driver error..

 

bushings?

and yes
USER ERROR.

if you're too ignorant to even consider it is you, it is.

 

It can also be easy to miss if you have multiple cars. My 3rd gen has the closest spacing and the only time I miss is when I have not driven the car for a while. So, I try to take it easy until I am used to the car again.

 

tough crowd! maybe i still shift like i am driving my c5(no missed shifts) i guess i will have to relearn how to smack 3rd in my fd. Lighten up! I remember reading how a tq brace and short throw shifter had worked for some drivers. I have owned several muscle cars and could power shift with the best of them,i always seem too have a problem with my fds,i will work on my technique.

 

I don't care what they all say. I've completely engaged the clutch after blasting through 2nd at WOT, tried to find 3rd sometimes, and its like not even there.

It literally feels like the transmission is moving.

Keep in mind this is a t78 funning like 420rwhp- 15psi

Im pretty sure a tranny brace will brace will help more than anything-
Soon...

 

The transmission IS moving contrary the direction you're shifting. While with a little practice this is easy to avoid (though sometimes it might feel like you're shifting into first), a transmission brace will help the "problem". Makes the cabin kinda noisy though.

 

Mazda upgraded the shift select spindle in '94 which helps missed 3rd gear shifts so give coolvette a break:

http://www.fd3s.net/shift_select_spindle.html


I upgraded mine last year and I can see how it helps prevent shifting from 2nd right into 5th.

You can replace it without dropping the transmission and it's about a $50 part if I remember correctly. You don't need a torque brace or a short shifter or any of that crap to fix this problem.

 

Coolvette, I disagree with the mob.

Get a tranny brace and a B&M shifter. Major improvement. I have missed exactly one shift since the B&M and brace went in.

I recently put the stock shifter back in for one reason or another, and in my opinion, it is rubbery dreck. Dump it.

 

I missed 3rd once or twice, threw into 5th instead. Was due to bad motor mounts, as a bandaid quick fix I fabbed up a torque brace( didnt miss 3rd after that). Now I have poly mounts and the motor is just as solid as it was with the torque brace, now I have less metal in my engine bay. Also helps to have a tranny brace and diff brace, whole drivetrain is solid

 

ghostrx7 raises an important issue: make sure your motor mounts are not broken.

 

Exactly, ...the torque brace was just a temporary fix Till I got the poly mounts. If third gear is a constant problem I would check your motor, easy way to check is grab your motor, and shake it around, if you can move it by hand, mounts are trashed, usually the passenger side I believe is the one to go bad the most.

 

Anybody know if the motor mounts will make a click-click-click sound under hard turns if they're bad? I missed a shift into 3rd the other day racing against a brand new M3 (we were even up until the missed shift) and I'm also experiencing the click noise during hard turns. Just wondering.

 

that happened to me alot, i am getting some poly mounts so hopefully it wont happen anymore

 

Why are people getting defensive here? Because some of us are saying it's driver error? Guess what, those of us who are saying that are saying it because WE EXPERIENCED THE SAME ISSUE!

There is no reason to get defensive and get all puffed up. It's very easy to not be in the habit of perfectly disengaging the clutch during a quick shift. It's not a personal insult!

While I admit that those with cars making serious hp might be in need of stiffer motor mounts, braces, etc., any one who thinks that a missed 2-3 shift is solely due to some problem with the car are deluding themselves.

 

i missed third alot, sometimes it wouldn't go in other times it would go into 5th. Then i installed a short shifter and engine torque brace... and it still happened, then i changed the way i hold the shift **** in my hand, i put my hand directly on the top of the "ball" of the shifter and shift like i'm trying to shift into 1st- actually pulling the shifter towards me and up- not just up. Now i very rarely miss.

 

I'm only asking because I've been shifting from 2nd to 3rd for over 7 years driving rx-7's and have never had a problem shifting accidentally into 5th. Given some other problems I've noticed recently, including not being able to shift into 3rd on a hard turn at the track, I'm wondering if maybe there is something going on causing the problems.

 

HAHA - This is SO damn true. My TT Z has a clutch booster in it so pedal engagement has a certain feel, my NA Z does not so it has an entirely different feel, and then the FD has a completely different feel too and to top it off I drive my girlfriend's civic once or twice a week with a completely different feel. I have been driving stick for 10 years but I will be the first to admit that on the rare occasion I will stall a car when I am not paying close attention - especially the civic. haha......