Manual shifting 1st to 2nd trouble sometimes?
 

Its hard to explain because its really tempermental and I can't quite figure out when it happens and link it to the temperature of anything really. But any way... my car 2002 Protege ES has 31k and I don't really get good shifts at all... Especially 1st to 2nd! It seems like whatever the combination with the clutch and gas..Most of the time its never smooth. I don't think its me...although it could be...but I think its the car. Could it be that I have to change the transmission fluid? I use castrol every 3k. I don't really drive agressive at all. Just normal accelerating and driving. But I can't stand that the shifts aren't smooth...and other times...are. I am getting a b&m or a kartboy short throw. It seems like when I shift low with the stick rather then the knob...I get better shifts. I am not sure what to do...any thoughts would be great!

It may be the car? mine doesn't shift as smooth as some other cars i've driven, neither of my protege's had the smoothest shifting, and i seem to recall other people complaining about this as well.
peace
dante

If it is just a notchy feeling when putting into gear, it could be the linkage...

Its not so much the shifting its the cars diriving... The car doesn't dive smooth as I think it should out of each gear. The car is very sensitive and not forgiving at all. Its forcing me to master shifting..just regular driving.

So my car can buck or stutter a little out of gears at times. Do you guys let the clutch out fully before even touching the gas. Or at the end of letting out the clutch start on the gas...etc. I have tried all combinations. I don't want to be riding the clutch. But it seems like thats what I have to do. It seems like the only way I get a smooth shift is if I do this perfect combination...do you guys experience the same thing? Thanks!

yeah i just kinda "slip it into gear" i guess thats how you'd say it? this car is pretty sensitive about how you shift i'm not sure hot you drive when i'm doing regular driving genrally i take off then put the clutch in but i don't shift right away i kinda coast for a few secs then slip it in this seems to help out a bit but like i said i had a 90 and now i've got a 02 and neither of them are the smoothest shifting cars i've ever driven maybe a differn't clutch could help but i'm not sure?
peace
dante

also i see your in new jersey could be the temp out side cuz my car sucks to shift gears in when its cold out side did you just start noticing this or is it this way in warm weather too?
peace
dante

Thanks for the quick posts! I notice it it both cold and hot weather..but I think more so in cold....like I said..it's real tempermental...and I can't quite figure out what causes it.

Any more thoughts?

um i would say just try slipping it into gear and like you said practice i guess?:) i guess we just have to get used to how these cars shift gears? lol
peace
dante

Should I change my transmission fluid..can this help it...or it's prolly just the car?

that may help i've never done it cuz i've only had my car like a month or 2 i'm going to try this hopefully it helps
peace
dante

drivethru--honestly, I think part of the problem may be that you are not shifting agressively enough. If you shift at lower RPMs, say around 3-3500, you are gonna get that jerky feeling, esp. between 1st and 2nd. That's because between shifts your RPMs are dropping down too low and it jerks into the next gear. Try letting the car rev up to about 4-4500 and flick that lever quickly into the next gear--your shifts will be a LOT smoother.
These cars like to rev, not like my Sentra where I could shift at 2500 and it was like an automatic.

Have you bled the clutch recently? My car wasn't shifting very well until we did that...

I actually shift around 2500-3000 like you said... If I do it any higher just for regular driving (not trying to accelerate fast) isn't that beating on the engine and tranny, etc.? The only time I shift any higher is if I am trying to get some real speed. What hurts and doesn't hurt you car as for shifting? Thoughts??

You don't need to run at WOT, just run the RPMs up there higher when you do accelerate.
You will not hurt the clutch or tranny at all, unless you start taking it up to redline on every shift.
I never shift below 4000 rpm unless I'm in bumper-to-bumper traffic.

Doesn't that kill your fuel economy, shifting at 4grand? At whar rmps or point do you guys think its putting stress on the mp? j/w Any other thoughts... bump?

I am still having trouble shifting like mentioned when I started the thread...Is there any way at all I can fix this?? Any thoughts would be great!

bump

Like I asked before...did you try bleeding the clutch?

no...how do I go about doing that and what could this help or change? Thanks for the reply! someone posted this elsewhere..could this help? Has anyone tried this?

"I am a new member. I was searching the forum to see if anybody had hard shifting problem. I recently fixed my car. It has 100000 miles on it and after several reports to the dealer, my hard shifting problem was conisdered normal. Like cold temp etc. etc..

I decided to check out the problem myself. And what I found was the bottom of the shift lever (under the car) that connects the extension bar has a bushing. I diconnected the extension bar (not the control rod) and found the shift lever was very smooth indicating a good ball joint. But the extension bar bolt was very difficult to loosen. I cleaned the bolt, applied some grease to the bushing that sits at the end of the shift lever. I re attached the shift linkages and found that my shift lever is VERY SMOOTH. I had been driving my car for about 70000 miles with that problem. Looks like my bolt/bushing got siezed long time ago.
But finally it is a night and day difference in effort to change the gears."

??

No...but I have the Kartboy bushings and shifter.

Looks like you solved the problem. The bolt that attaches the bottom of the shift lever to the change control rod has a torque setting of 12-16 ft/lbs (16-22 N/m) according to the FSM. When this bolt is too tight, as you found out, shifting is very stiff.

For a further improvement in shifting, you might consider changing to a synthetic transmission oil. I use Red Line MT-90 and found that it provides somewhat smoother shifts, particularly in cold weather, compared with the OEM mineral oil previously used.

Finally, I recommend installing the Kartboy bushings. These attach to the transmission end of the extension bar and will remove excess play from the shift mechanism and enable more precise shifts.