Weird Trans
 

i bought my mazda 3 used a couple of months ago and the transmission has been pissing me off lately ill start the car in the morning and it wont shift into 1st or reverse. sometimes i can just force it, sometimes ill let off the clutch and something will align and itll shift, and sometimes i have to put it into 2nd and then 1st or reverse and itl work. im not sure whats wrong i just know its not right and the car is still under warrentee and went once to a dealer and they say they cant reproduce the problem. if anybody knows whats happening and knows what causes it so i can try to reproduce and get me a new transmission. Thanks alot

Does it ever help if you pump the clutch one or two times, or does it seem like it's independant of the clutch?

My first guess would be something with the clutch (or the master/slave cylinders). Try and figure out exactly how to reproduce it so you can demonstrate for them. Also does it only do it after it's been sitting? When it's cold?

Oh yeah and just to check are you pushing the clutch in all the way? How long have you been driving manuals?

its my first manual but ive been doing valet for over a year now and drive stick constantly and have never had this happen to me in any car not even other mazda3's. and it is usually after sitting for a while and i will push the clutch all the way down will all my might to make sure its all the way down and it wont budge. and ive only had the car in cold months so i dont even know if it does it in warm weather too. also ill drive it down the road like a few hundred feet and stop at a light and put it in nuetral and i wont be able to put it back into 1st. i have no clue what mades it happen i leave it in neutral when its parked. Thanks for trying to help me out

When it "jams" see if pumping the clutch lets you shift it. If so then you probably have a leak in the clutch master or slave cylinder, and pumping the brake builds the pressure back up.

This recently happened to my wife's Elantra. If you're under warranty (I know you tried) then go to them again and let it sit for awhile and then have them try it. We weren't under warranty and parts/labor ran around $150.

my car does that to, its really stiff in the cold, but after you drive for a little bit, it frees up. and sometimes it doesnt want to go into reverse. nomatter if its cold or warm. if you let the clutch out about halfway, it slipps right into gear... idk why, and its kind of annoying. my best guess... and this is only a guess... is that there is some sort of safe guard that wont let you downshift if your going to fast for the gear. or shift into reverse if your moving forward... and maybe it doesnt work right sometimes? i dont know...

good luck!

It's 'normal' (as in it's expected) on most Mazdas when it's very cold (gear oil is thick!) Letting the car roll a tiny bit before you put it in gear will work, as will putting it in 2nd before reverse.

yea thanks for the advice ill have to check that stuff out. i found out my dealership uses a vallet to bring the cars in and out of thegarage its no wonder they could reproduce it cuz they dont touch it when it usually happens. im gonna have to addres that next time i bring it there. if anybody else has anymore input please let me know

One possibility is that the clutch needs adjustment. We had that happened to our Suzuki. There's places where they'll adjust it for free.

^^^

im gonna try a couple of these things today i appreciate the help. all other adcise is welcom too

It's a lockout feature so you can't shift while rolling slowly... though you can grind gears when driving forward - who knows. But if you come to a full stop before shifting (may take a second or two) it should go right in.
I have this issue on my 3 and it's friggin annoying, wish it was easy to disable all together - like without a transmission removal. If I want to gring gears and kill things it should be up to me, otherwise just let me shift.
Good luck

yea im so confuse right now i just found something else out today when im rolling backwards down a hill no matter how far i push the clutch in while i shift in reverse it grinds. it doesnt grind going foward though. i dont see how that can be a very helpfull feature that grinds your gears to keep you out of them they usually have lockout features to keep you from grinding gears. im starting to get pissed im gonna go back to the dealer tomorrow and get an explanation atleast if not a new tranny.

i talked to my boss and he had a mazda pickup like a 2001 and i know that has nothing to do with my 3 but he had the same problem as me and he said they had to change the fluid to a synthetic one and his problem is gone so im gonna ask about getting that done too. wish me luck

Reverse doesn't have syncros, so never shift into reverse while moving, ever. I've never driven a manual transmission car that wasn't like that.