why doesnt my car like shifting?

thekoldwarkidd · 05-28-2009, 12:49 AM

ok...im new to mr2s, but not toyotas. i do all of my own work, but just so i dont go and screw up, i figured id ask you guys because you all seem to really know what youre doing, so heres the story...so i just bought my car last friday. it's an 87, one-owner(female), 5-speed, NA 4age, 61,000 original miles. beautiful car i must say, garaged most of its life(ill post pics up soon). only one problem: it doesnt like shifting. when i first bought it, it shifted great, and over the weekend it was fine, and to/from work this week it shifted great, real smooth. today, however, was a different story...halfway to work this morning(only like a 7 mile commute, probably less) it didnt want to go into gear. it would go into gear, but was tough and made a scary clicking noise. after work, it shifted into all the gears fine on the ride home. going to pick up some laundry wasnt too bad, only a slight click when shifting(in all gears) and just a little tougher than usual. the drive back from picking up laundry was the worst. i had to shove it into gear really hard, and i felt like i was going to break the shifter. clicking noise was really evident, and it sounded like it was going to die when starting out(only tried it in 1st though). the revs dropped slightly and everything. i found that i really had to lay into the clutch to get it to engage into a gear. when i got home, i ran it through all the gears with the engine on, and it was still tough, and reverse grinds bad. turned the car off, and it goes into every gear like butter....im lost! its late, so i didnt check, but do i just need more clutch/tranny fluid? it's practically a brand new car, and im absolutely in love with it. the spare was never even used before for chrissakes. i dont want my baby to be down without even have owning her for a week yet! any ideas? thanks guys....

thekoldwarkidd · 05-28-2009, 12:53 AM

here's a pic like i promised...oh yeah, some asshat jacked my headlight trim on the drivers side when i was at work the FIRST day of owning it...made me such a sad panda. speaking of which, anyone know where i could find a replacement? thanks fellas...

muffinman · 05-28-2009, 10:28 AM

Welcome and congratulations.

1. as for the headlight trim you speak of it's still available new , contact Aaron at :Lithia Toyota of Springfield - Toyota MR2 Message Board
2. for your shifting problem , if the car only has 61,000 then i'm assuming it's probably a 22 year old stock clutch which probably was never driven as hard as i'm sure you have been driving it. also try changing the fluid.

asetech · 05-28-2009, 08:52 PM

Sounds like you got either a leaky slave cylinder or clutch master cylinder. You may have gotten air in the clutch lines.

thekoldwarkidd · 05-29-2009, 07:36 PM

problem fixed...im officially dumb. it was just low on clutch fluid

no leaks though. shifts like butter again

thanks so much guys!

scottohno · 06-11-2009, 01:41 AM

i had this problem. thanks. new problem now though... my car grinds going into second at about 7000... why? maybe syncros? no 5th popout... it also shifts kinda hard and clicks, not smooth when its running only. i dont get it... HELP???

Capt.Evergreen · 06-15-2009, 06:48 PM

Smae here I can't shift into 2nd to fast or it will grind...also leaking clutch peadle is it air in system that wold create problem???

dirocyn · 06-19-2009, 10:00 AM

Air in the clutch hydraulic lines can make it grind going into gear. Air in the lines means the hydraulic fluid is spongy--and that means your clutch may not disengage as fully as it is supposed to. I say may not because it's spongy and uneven--sometimes it'll grind, other times it won't. The problem may be worse for some gears than others. It will also be more of a problem if the gears you are trying to mesh are going at radically different speeds. Fix the leak and bleed the clutch, that should fix it.

dirocyn · 06-19-2009, 10:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by scottohno

my car grinds going into second at about 7000... why? maybe syncros?

Going into 2nd at 7000 rpms will make syncros scream unless you just came out of 1st at about 8,000 or 3rd at about 6,000. I don't push mine that hard, but I've got 214,000 miles on it and want it to last another 100k.

Syncros are there to make it easier to shift when there's a difference between engine speed and gear speed, but they can only handle so much.

lsgheero · 06-19-2009, 10:21 AM

8,000 you trying to kill the engine lol factory redline is 7.5 anything past that is not recommended.. unless you have heavily modded the car therefore increasing the safe redline zone.

05-28-2009, 12:49 AM	#1 (permalink)
thekoldwarkidd No Skills Join Date: May 2009 Posts: 3 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts iTrader Rating: (0/0% )	why doesnt my car like shifting? ok...im new to mr2s, but not toyotas. i do all of my own work, but just so i dont go and screw up, i figured id ask you guys because you all seem to really know what youre doing, so heres the story...so i just bought my car last friday. it's an 87, one-owner(female), 5-speed, NA 4age, 61,000 original miles. beautiful car i must say, garaged most of its life(ill post pics up soon). only one problem: it doesnt like shifting. when i first bought it, it shifted great, and over the weekend it was fine, and to/from work this week it shifted great, real smooth. today, however, was a different story...halfway to work this morning(only like a 7 mile commute, probably less) it didnt want to go into gear. it would go into gear, but was tough and made a scary clicking noise. after work, it shifted into all the gears fine on the ride home. going to pick up some laundry wasnt too bad, only a slight click when shifting(in all gears) and just a little tougher than usual. the drive back from picking up laundry was the worst. i had to shove it into gear really hard, and i felt like i was going to break the shifter. clicking noise was really evident, and it sounded like it was going to die when starting out(only tried it in 1st though). the revs dropped slightly and everything. i found that i really had to lay into the clutch to get it to engage into a gear. when i got home, i ran it through all the gears with the engine on, and it was still tough, and reverse grinds bad. turned the car off, and it goes into every gear like butter....im lost! its late, so i didnt check, but do i just need more clutch/tranny fluid? it's practically a brand new car, and im absolutely in love with it. the spare was never even used before for chrissakes. i dont want my baby to be down without even have owning her for a week yet! any ideas? thanks guys....

05-28-2009, 12:53 AM	#2 (permalink)
thekoldwarkidd No Skills Join Date: May 2009 Posts: 3 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts iTrader Rating: (0/0% )	here's a pic like i promised...oh yeah, some asshat jacked my headlight trim on the drivers side when i was at work the FIRST day of owning it...made me such a sad panda. speaking of which, anyone know where i could find a replacement? thanks fellas... Attached Thumbnails

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05-28-2009, 10:28 AM	#3 (permalink)
muffinman Brain Surgeon Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Ft. Lauderdale Posts: 1,797 Thanks: 24 Thanked 102 Times in 99 Posts My Google Map iTrader Rating: (1/100% )	Welcome and congratulations. 1. as for the headlight trim you speak of it's still available new , contact Aaron at :Lithia Toyota of Springfield - Toyota MR2 Message Board 2. for your shifting problem , if the car only has 61,000 then i'm assuming it's probably a 22 year old stock clutch which probably was never driven as hard as i'm sure you have been driving it. also try changing the fluid.

05-28-2009, 08:52 PM	#4 (permalink)
asetech No Skills Join Date: May 2009 Location: Wichita, KS Posts: 6 Thanks: 0 Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post iTrader Rating: (0/0% )	Sounds like you got either a leaky slave cylinder or clutch master cylinder. You may have gotten air in the clutch lines.

05-29-2009, 07:36 PM	#5 (permalink)
thekoldwarkidd No Skills Join Date: May 2009 Posts: 3 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts iTrader Rating: (0/0% )	problem fixed...im officially dumb. it was just low on clutch fluid no leaks though. shifts like butter again thanks so much guys!

06-11-2009, 01:41 AM	#6 (permalink)
scottohno Cage Fighter Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Orland Park, IL Posts: 127 Thanks: 5 Thanked 2 Times in 2 Posts iTrader Rating: (0/0% )	i had this problem. thanks. new problem now though... my car grinds going into second at about 7000... why? maybe syncros? no 5th popout... it also shifts kinda hard and clicks, not smooth when its running only. i dont get it... HELP???

06-15-2009, 06:48 PM	#7 (permalink)
Capt.Evergreen Cage Fighter Join Date: Apr 2008 Posts: 106 Thanks: 2 Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post iTrader Rating: (0/0% )	Smae here I can't shift into 2nd to fast or it will grind...also leaking clutch peadle is it air in system that wold create problem???

06-19-2009, 10:00 AM	#8 (permalink)
dirocyn Cage Fighter Join Date: Mar 2009 Posts: 133 Thanks: 6 Thanked 12 Times in 12 Posts iTrader Rating: (0/0% )	Air in the clutch hydraulic lines can make it grind going into gear. Air in the lines means the hydraulic fluid is spongy--and that means your clutch may not disengage as fully as it is supposed to. I say may not because it's spongy and uneven--sometimes it'll grind, other times it won't. The problem may be worse for some gears than others. It will also be more of a problem if the gears you are trying to mesh are going at radically different speeds. Fix the leak and bleed the clutch, that should fix it.

06-19-2009, 10:21 AM	#10 (permalink)
lsgheero RAR! Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Arizona Posts: 613 Thanks: 7 Thanked 27 Times in 27 Posts My Google Map iTrader Rating: (1/100% )	8,000 you trying to kill the engine lol factory redline is 7.5 anything past that is not recommended.. unless you have heavily modded the car therefore increasing the safe redline zone.