Hi all,
I've seen a few other posts about manual transmission issues, but my search didn't turn up what I'm experiencing.
What I encounter is that the shift from 1st to 2nd takes real effort when actually driving (if I'm sitting at a light, I can shift from 1->2 no problem). All other shifts seem pretty easy - 2nd -> 3rd, 3rd->4th, & 4th->5th.
Has anyone experienced this kind of thing with any of their gears? I may go test drive another fit just to see if there is a difference.
By the way, I've had my fit for about 3 weeks now and just filled the tank up for the 2nd time today. 40% highway 60% city driving. The problem is noticeable and manageable by me, but if I teach my wife to drive a MT(5) I think it may hinder her learning.

Thanks!

 

Second gear is a bit difficult to get into while driving. I've tried a few things to see if it can be remedied but the only thing that seems to make the 1-2 shift smoother is taking it up to 3500-4000rpm before shifting. I'd like to know what else helps, if anything.

 

i had the same issue... i switched my knob to the skunk2 one.. much better! very smooth engagement!

 

the stock shifter is accurate but sometimes feels a little too
notchy with the stock knob unless your shift timing is perfect
each time. the gear box will loosen up as it breaks in... usually
by 10k miles the gates felt very smooth on my MT's in the past.

i too changed it out to some generic Type-R knob in satin
color. nice weight, smooth shifts, looks great.

 

When I go nice and slowish and smoothish from 1>2 its not bad.
If I go a bit faster it makes a slight crunch noise (not gear chirp)
If I go a bit faster still it is hard as hell to pull out of 1st and hard to put into 2nd.
This happens seemingly regardless of what RPM I am at.
All other gears seem ok (with regards to this particular issue)


It feels like I am going to break the darn stick sometimes...ugh!

I have a weighted ball and it seems a bit better but not really. (and when I say weighted I mean huge and heavy!!!!!!!) I will throw up a pic soon..heehee

I won that SS and hard mount from H-fit but I have not installed it yet, but I am really hoping it will help to mitigate the issue some.

I have to admit thought its a tiny itty bitty bit better than when it was fresh off the lot (I am a little bit over 3k now)

 

Snap Fit mentioned this, but how many miles are on your car? Ours is getting easier to shift as it breaks in.

 

i had the same problem (gear chirp from 1st->2nd)..then i learned to shift slower in the Fit and that just solved all issues.. btw i have the mugen short shifter

 

if you're in the market for height weighted knobs, check out TWM.
i run their TypeR weighted knob with height adjustability on my G35C.

it is a fantastic knob. yeh, costs over $100 with shippingbut why not?



scroll down the link and you'll see a satin knob installed. that's
actually my G35C. they used my pict. hey, it's on sale!

Type R Shift Knobs - TWM Performance Weighted Shift Knobs

 

Hey All,
Thanks for the replies, glad I'm not the only one (too bad for all of us). I think Snap_Fit's description is best of the problem I experience (except I don't have a problem leaving first, just the hard feel and crunch sound going into 2nd, again not gear chirp, just a crunch or clunk sound). I have just over 700 miles on the car right now so I'm just past the factory recommended "break in" and haven't had a chance to run hard yet. I'll be on some back roads tonight and I'll see if higher rpms have any affect. I hope it gets better with more break in. Update later tonight!

 

It may also be the cold weather. I notice mine seems a bit notchier than usual when the temps get in the 40's.

 

Kenchan, that looks the exact same as the Skunk2 knob which costs about 1/2 the price. Is there a difference?

 

the TWM one is height adjustable... is the Skunk2 knob the same?

the reason why i got the TWM one for my G was i like that design first
of all, the color perfectly matches the interior, and the thread size/pitch
is different between Nissan and Honda.. TWM uses internal threaded
sleeves so you can use either thread size.

 

Just to clarify I dont have gear chirp,(with this) nor do I think anybody mentioned that. (if indeed you were refering to my or OP's post)

just in case it was missed in MT5_Fit most recent post.

 

Well, was out tonight on some back roads with my 4 year old in the back seat. I asked him if he wanted to do some fast starts and he said yes, so we did, we both had fun! After a few starts, I can't say that I notice much difference in the shift from 1->2. Still needed a solid push on the shifter to get into 2nd. Again this isn't a HARD push, just more than the other gears. Oh well, gave me a reason to do some fast starts and have some fun with the car since I'm past the 600 mile mark (or as the 4yo say, since the car is broke now ). I think I'll have fun on this whole tank of gas and then try for some real fuel efficiency.

 

For some reason mine has never had this issue. Wondering if it is different from Fit to Fit?

I can also say I have never rushed the shift so maybe that's the difference???

 

it means your slamming gears to hard. i know its hard not to get caught up in the moment with the immense power from all 1.5 liters of pure adrenaline haha. no but seriously ive learned from my past car that if you just slam gears it doesnt wanna go in, and its supposed to be a nice flow and mellow, you can be quick and soft at the same time.

 

The 1 > 2 shift is usually more difficult than the others in almost any car. My experience has been the same, both with my new Fit and previous cars. The only car that I didn't have the problem with was my 5.0 Mustang. It had a fairly low first gear ratio (somewhere around 3.15) but second gear was only like 2.3ish with a final drive ratio of 2.73 so everything was real easy in that thing. I think the fact that the gearing is so 'short' in the Fits is one of the reason why it is so difficult to go from 1 > 2 smoothly. The torque multiplication in those two gears, especially 1st, is huge so to disengage the clutch at any speed is a little tougher. Some clutches actually gain holding power with RPM, which the manual Fits get plenty of in 1st gear. I chalked it up to gearing in my Fit. I expect it to get better over time, but not much.

 

Fitsperfectly, I don't think I'm slamming my gears, yes, maybe when I was doing my fast starts, but not in my normal driving. Either way doesn't seem to make a difference.

Arizona_Notch, interesting about 5.0 Mustang, that was the last manual trans I owned (several years ago now), but if yours didn't exhibit the 1->2 "stiffness", maybe that is why I'm noticing it now b/c the Mustang was my last point of reference for manual shifting.

 

maybe take it in. this used to happen to alot of D series trannys in older civics, so it could be a simple fix with the linkage. which sometimes has its ups and downs but is easily fixed, and free if your in bounds of stock warranty.

 

It indeed could mean that, but unfortunately thats not when it necessarily happens. Which I can totally understand.