## PLEASE HELP - SHIFTING PROBLEM - ##

[thomas_cory2000]

So today I turned on my air conditioner bec it was about 95 degrees where I live. I never usually use my air, when i took off from the stop light as I shifted from 2nd into 3rd, about about 3k RPM, it was rough. Not anything crazy, but it always shifts buttery smooth. (btw I had the trans oil replaced about 6 months ago w ford motorcraft oil). It was as if thou the gear wasnt catching properly, or maybe the clutch was not disengageing properly. SO I (carefully) continued on into gears 3, 4, 5...did the same thing. Then when I went into 6th gear it seemed normal!?

I turned off the air conditioner @ the next stop light and proceeded thru the gears again (shifting @ about 3k RMP everytime) Did the same EXACT thing, but wasn't as noticeable.
Just drove the car back to work from my apt....was still doing it. I hooked up my AP and nothing seemed to be out of the ordinary (that i noticed from about a 3 mile drive).

My clutch is not rattling or vibrating by any means, and my car is very well taken care of & in mint condition. I have NEVER experienced this before & I also do not push my car to the limit on a dailey basis like some do. My tranny and clutch are original/stock my car just turned 85k miles. What I dont understand is that it only does it in gears 3-5 (2nd going into 3rd all the way to 4th going into 5th). It is a lot worse w the air conditioner on, which is odd?

I'm not even sure where to begin. I did take a look @ my shifter weight under my hood maybe thinking something was catching etc. But came up with nothing.

OPEN TO SUGGESTIONS PLEASE

[cesaros]

you're fine...

there is no need for suggestions, because your car isn't doing anything out of the ordinary.

Drive with the A/C on more, and youll see this is normal behavior for this car.

/thread

[chuckms6]

put that left foot all the way down

[thomas_cory2000]

Originally Posted by cesaros you're fine... there is no need for suggestions, because your car isn't doing anything out of the ordinary. Drive with the A/C on more, and youll see this is normal behavior for this car. /thread

I'm aware the A/C does take away like 10% (give or take) of the HP etc. I've had it on before lol. But NOW it does it with the A/C off. It started when I turned on the A/C and after I turned it off, it still continued

[ScarMS3]

No rmm? Could be that the stock one is wearing out.

[thomas_cory2000]

Originally Posted by ScarMS3 No rmm? Could be that the stock one is wearing out.

NO RMM, the mod's I have are listed below, but if that was the case, why would it happen for the 1st time ever, all the sudden while using the A/C.

I do agree thou, it's a possibility...what's the best way to find out if it is in fact the RMM??

[thomas_cory2000]

I did just notice when I drove it back home lastnight with the AP hooked up when I'd shift gears (from 2-5) it did register between 0.3-0.7 KR for a split second. However, this was ONLY when I would shift from 2-5. Again, it has never done that before so constantly.

[chuckms6]

That's normal. Stop tripping and enjoy your car. Its fine

Tapatalking

[thomas_cory2000]

lol I swear it's not normal, bec it hasnt acted like this before. Something is either loose or going out & I'd like to figure out what that is b4 it leaves my sorry ass stranded somewhere lol

[SilverDemon]

Easy enough to tell if one of the mounts are failing. The rear mount is the weakest and can cause shifting problems from excess movement of the engine (rocking front to back). This problem is going to be most evident in the lower gears since the car is under load to get itself moving.

Get under the car and look at the rubber insert in the mount, if there is any fatigue to the rubber, then it is most likely failing.

The other two mounts are fluid filled, if they break, there will be this gooey fluid all over the place.

Worse case is the synchros are going out, but rule out that by checking out the mounts.

[Vansquish]

If you're having trouble engaging gears because it feels like there's more effort required to get each one to slot in properly, then you probably need to check your rear motor mount (and possibly your passenger and Trans mounts as well).

It's unlikely that turning on the AC did anything other than cause the car to be under more load at idle and run slightly rougher as a result, but it should have ZERO impact on shift-quality. If you're having shifting issues, then you likely have a motor mount that's failing and causing a slight misalignment in the geometry of the shift-mechanism. I had this very problem in my MS6 and when I replaced the RMM (which had about 4mm of free play in it), all those issues disappeared.

[Stealth01]

The KR while shifting is perfectly normal in these cars. The MZR is a noisy motor, with a lot of rattling and shit making noise, which the knock sensor picks up. It's also hot outside, meaning your boost air temps are probably like 120-140 degrees, so some knock is going to occur. As long as it doesn't go over 2.0 on a regular basis, you're good.

As far as the difference while shifting -- the KR could indicate something is loose and making some noise while shifting, which could also result in a different feel through the shifter. Try checking all your mounts (RMM, PMM, etc) visually and see if any have shit the bed.

It's not missing gears or slipping out of gear, I assume?

[thomas_cory2000]

I dont have a lift or ramps :-( but I do have a friend who has ramps, I'll try to get under the car and check it out, but that wont be able to happen until freakin Sunday @ the earliest. What's strange is that it happens thru gears 2-5 ONLY.

[Stealth01]

You don't need ramps. Just get some jackstands and a jack. Does the MS3 have a skid plate like the MS6? If it does, it should be like 6 bolts to drop that and the RMM will be visible. Looks like this, on the right:



Just be safe under the car. Use the stands (NEVER just a jack) and chock those wheels to keep it from rolling.

I recommend this replacement LOL but seriously, ANY of the aftermarket ones will be an improvement over stock:

[Stealth01]

Oh, and check HERE to find someone locally who will be able to get eyes-on this issue and help you out.

[thomas_cory2000]

Originally Posted by Stealth01 The KR while shifting is perfectly normal in these cars. The MZR is a noisy motor, with a lot of rattling and shit making noise, which the knock sensor picks up. It's also hot outside, meaning your boost air temps are probably like 120-140 degrees, so some knock is going to occur. As long as it doesn't go over 2.0 on a regular basis, you're good. As far as the difference while shifting -- the KR could indicate something is loose and making some noise while shifting, which could also result in a different feel through the shifter. Try checking all your mounts (RMM, PMM, etc) visually and see if any have shit the bed. It's not missing gears or slipping out of gear, I assume?

Believe me I understand about the damn KR with these engines lol. It's just the feel of the shifter changed to a degree to where I know something isn't right. I dont believe it's slipping thou.

Originally Posted by Stealth01 You don't need ramps. Just get some jackstands and a jack. Does the MS3 have a skid plate like the MS6? If it does, it should be like 6 bolts to drop that and the RMM will be visible. Looks like this, on the right: Just be safe under the car. Use the stands (NEVER just a jack) and chock those wheels to keep it from rolling. I recommend this replacement LOL but seriously, ANY of the aftermarket ones will be an improvement over stock:

I dont have jack stands either, I kow right ? lol But Silver Demon is the most local I know of, he lives about an hour & a half away, but I think I can get a friend who has jack stands to look @ with me, it's just a mattter of finding the time to do so. I do have a motorcycle...I'm going to ride that 99% of the time till Sunday - which is when I cna get it checked out, jus to be safe.

[tddvrrn]

Originally Posted by thomas_cory2000 Believe me I understand about the damn KR with these engines lol. It's just the feel of the shifter changed to a degree to where I know something isn't right. I dont believe it's slipping thou. I dont have jack stands either, I kow right ? lol But Silver Demon is the most local I know of, he lives about an hour & a half away, but I think I can get a friend who has jack stands to look @ with me, it's just a mattter of finding the time to do so. I do have a motorcycle...I'm going to ride that 99% of the time till Sunday - which is when I cna get it checked out, jus to be safe.

hey, chill. i had very similar issues right before i replaced my TMM. shifts began to feel difficult and sloppy, all of a sudden. when i replaced the TMM with a jbarone unit the problem was solved. also, the TMM is NOT fluid filled, only the PMM.

right now i am waiting on a PMM from jbarone to replace mine. i am having what feels like surge at partial throttle. i thought i had fucked something up when doing my IM/valve scrub. but i also suspected the PMM. so i opened my hood and gave the PMM a poke. oil just oozed out and now the car surges/bucks even more. i am now 99.99% sure it is my PMM causing this. i hope to have jamie's unit in my hands (!) tomorrow and then i'll know for sure. but i can feel the engine just moving around right now and this behaviour began all of a sudden. it seems there is a threshold that the mounts hit and then they begin to lose stiffness.

what i'm getting at is this: stock motor mounts may looks fine, but the elasticity of the rubber can change without visible changes, especially in the heat of summer. this is why i think you noticed it when you first turned on the a/c. not because of the a/c but because it is hot enough to turn on the a/c, the heat being the factor making all of your mounts softer. when the whole engine moves, shifting feels much more difficult and sloppy. i replaced my RMM at 30k, my TMM at 70k and am now replacing my PMM at 74k. it seems these bad boys need replacing at some point.. i am pretty sure new mounts will solve your problems. start with the RMM if you don't want to do all 3 at once.

oh, and you can jack the car up with the scissor jack and use stacked lumber in place of jack stands. don't forget the hand brake and some type of chocks. also, your car will be fine if you drive it, so you could go to walmart and buy ramps/chocks for $50..

[ScarMS3]

I just changed mine from the trz to stock with inserts...and I just used my scissor jack cuz I felt lazy...

[thomas_cory2000]

So I'm going to have Scott (Silverdemon) look @ my car tomorrow & see what we can come up with. If it's something major, I'm going to sell my car, it is almsot paid off. On the bright side, if my worst fear does happen....a guy within a 2hr drive of me has the exact same year, color, make, model of my car for sale lol...Mazda Mazdaspeed 2007

[thomas_cory2000]

Scott and I figured it out (we think lol) I have a Sure shortcut and it was rubbing the rubber surround against the rod it connects too in certain gears. Put some lube on it & haven't had the problem in 100 miles.

[tddvrrn]

well bust my buttons. i didn't even think of mentioning that. i put super heavy duty grease on the rubber boot where it rubs against the other linkage. cures it right up and sticks around a long time...

i love simple fixes.