Problem finding 3rd gear.
08-04-2009, 06:25 AM
#1
Thread Starter
Problem finding 3rd gear.
I have an '00 car that was totaled in a front-end crash and turned into a track car. Before I get into the problem, the front end damage was all forward of the big rectangular cross-brace in the frame. All suspension pickup points measure true and the car has been on an alignment rack many times with no issues. I do not believe the mechanical structure of the car is the problem.
Now, the car has been back together and autocrossing since July of '08. In September of '08, I attended my first event where I needed 3rd gear. Roughly 60% of the time, a shift to 3rd would be met with what felt like something blocking the gate where the shifter should go. Double-clutching and forcing it didn't help. My co-driver had the same problem. Driving around the paddock, the transmission shifts into every gear perfectly. It's only when driven 'in anger' that 3rd gear won't engage.
So, over the off-season, I dropped in an AP2 transmission, hoping to solve the issue. Well, that trans ended up having the 2nd-gear 'pop out while decelerating' issue. I did attend a couple of events where I needed 3rd and it seemed to be better, but still had the 3rd gear 'blockage' problem occasionally. Figuring that maybe I just got unlucky, and getting really sick of having the car pop out of 2nd gear while on-course, I picked up another transmission. This one is a low-mileage AP1 from a reliable, trustworthy source. At the first event after installing it, I was really shocked when I went to grab 3rd and had the same problem with transmission #3.
After that event, I decided something other than the transmission has to be causing this. I found a torn passenger-side motor mount and actually got excited that I'd found the problem. I replaced the torn mount and at the same time, I installed an engine torque damper -- I know it does very little, but I figure it can't make things any worse. So, this weekend was the test to see if the torn mount was the underlying cause. The first time I shifted to 3rd on-course, it was smooth as silk. The second time, I went to grab 3rd, and got the same 'blockage' as before. I was really pissed after that run, and didn't attempt 3rd gear for the rest of the event. I've done another once-over inspection with the car up on my lift and I can't find anything obviously broken or loose. I'm stumped.
Has anyone had a similar issue getting into 3rd gear and successfully fixed it? Does anyone have any ideas for things I should check next?
Now, the car has been back together and autocrossing since July of '08. In September of '08, I attended my first event where I needed 3rd gear. Roughly 60% of the time, a shift to 3rd would be met with what felt like something blocking the gate where the shifter should go. Double-clutching and forcing it didn't help. My co-driver had the same problem. Driving around the paddock, the transmission shifts into every gear perfectly. It's only when driven 'in anger' that 3rd gear won't engage.
So, over the off-season, I dropped in an AP2 transmission, hoping to solve the issue. Well, that trans ended up having the 2nd-gear 'pop out while decelerating' issue. I did attend a couple of events where I needed 3rd and it seemed to be better, but still had the 3rd gear 'blockage' problem occasionally. Figuring that maybe I just got unlucky, and getting really sick of having the car pop out of 2nd gear while on-course, I picked up another transmission. This one is a low-mileage AP1 from a reliable, trustworthy source. At the first event after installing it, I was really shocked when I went to grab 3rd and had the same problem with transmission #3.
After that event, I decided something other than the transmission has to be causing this. I found a torn passenger-side motor mount and actually got excited that I'd found the problem. I replaced the torn mount and at the same time, I installed an engine torque damper -- I know it does very little, but I figure it can't make things any worse. So, this weekend was the test to see if the torn mount was the underlying cause. The first time I shifted to 3rd on-course, it was smooth as silk. The second time, I went to grab 3rd, and got the same 'blockage' as before. I was really pissed after that run, and didn't attempt 3rd gear for the rest of the event. I've done another once-over inspection with the car up on my lift and I can't find anything obviously broken or loose. I'm stumped.
Has anyone had a similar issue getting into 3rd gear and successfully fixed it? Does anyone have any ideas for things I should check next?
08-04-2009, 07:49 AM
#2
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Not much help, but I used to have that problem in my 2000 Civic. It was only when I was trying to go to third in a turn. Left turns maybe? I attributed it to driving technique as my body was leaning into the turn, the shift position wasn't as accurate, and I ended up hitting the gate between 1st and 3rd sometimes.
Just like you, it only happened in autocross, so I figured it had to be my technique.
Just like you, it only happened in autocross, so I figured it had to be my technique.
08-04-2009, 03:55 PM
#7
Thread Starter
I respect your input and recognize that is certainly a possibility, but Is there anything else it can be? I'm having a tough time believing that I've had 3 different transmissions with the same problem. Transmission number 3 came out of a car where I know and trust the owner and he says that he never had a problem winding out 2nd and grabbing 3rd. I'd like to rule out every other potential issue before throwing more money into yet another transmission.
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08-05-2009, 04:49 AM
#10
Thread Starter
Nope. Initially, I had an Axial Flow short shifter, but thinking it may be the source of the problem on transmission #1, I switched back to OEM. Transmission #2 came with an OEM shifter, which I used, as it was in better condition than my original. I kept that shifter when I installed transmission #3.