Stupid third gear...
 

What is wrong with the miatas third gear. I was racing someone today, FINALLY SOMEONE TOOK A BITE. I almost had him but I mis shifted from 2nd to fifth because the gear selector kinda hopped over the third gear gate. Even when not gunning it, its sometimes hard to get into third very fast from second.

What gives?

Btw. If your curious, it was an SC430. I had him off the line, started to pull on him in second, tried to short shift into third and fucked up. Fucker wouldnt let me catch up to him either, he knew I woulda had his ass.

hmmm..sounds like a driver problem to me :bowrofl:

Just kidding, but I dont know what is up with my trans either. I shift sometimes when in boost and the shifter will just get loose like its come out of the turret.

I really need to look into it.

However, how are the fluids in your turrent/trans as well as the shifter bushing?

i feel ya on that... almost lost to a CRX(swapped) because i missed 2nd to 3rd and 3rd to 4th....everytime i start eating him up i hit redline and gotta shift, but when i shift i misshift for a second and i start losing

I had that issue too. Then I installed a short throw shifter and now I just completely miss third.

trans and turret has new fluid, dont know the status of the bushing.

Damn, I hate myself still. I coulda had that guy. FUCKKKKK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I got 2 words for you:

Learn to fucking drive.

yeah thats just a little quirk of the miata tranny, nothing wrong with yours. spec miata guys complain about it all the time, I've done it a few times.

its all about how you shift. don't take it out of 2nd and push it over and up into 3rd. put it into 3rd by just pushing up on the back of the stick slowly. it'll pop outta 2nd, move in to the middle by itself and into 3rd. with the gates as close together as they are, if you apply any pressure to the right you're already in 5th.

no offense, but a lexus sc430 is slow as fuck....something like mid 14's at best at like 95ish..(regardless of what magazines say ive seen them run in real life, and brother owned 1)...perhaps its a good thing the race never finished;)

Yea its what I usually do, let the shifter do the work. Guess I got a bit over excited. My heart sure was racing.

Oh and 10PSI + fifth gear = 100% slipping clutch..

I think im gonna need a new one sooner then I thought.

I got four for you:

Learn to fucking count.

Reservoir Dogs.

That movie was fucking weird.

+1

Competition engine mounts helped this problem for my car big time. Comp diff mounts are probably a good idea as well. I almost never miss 3rd anymore since I put the mounts in.
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what mounts did you put it? brand maker?

I had this same problem when I first got my miata(before boost). Since people cant see my car, they always try to kill me on the freeway, so I think my brain does not get so exited anymore. I only miss shifts when my heart is pounding, and that does not happen very often anymore(due to the people that randomly try to kill me all the time on the freeway).

Probably 100% user error. Unless your motor and diff mounts are just horrible, you're not making enough power to flex the drivetrain to the point of mis-aligning 3rd.

Does the 6 speed have this same problem? You could swap them out.

Push up with your palm, pull down with curled fingers.....

dont grab the shifter like you grab your dick.

sorry sam.....sounds like you have an extra chromosome.

Nah, they are all in premo condition.

Its user error.

I know I know. I know thats how you are supposed to drive, ah well. I guess i just got over excited.

I do when I get really excited, I fucking hate it...
Just try to remember to go easy on it and you'll shift much faster.

I used to have the problem drag racing my Miata. I then started just pushing the shifter with the palm of my hand and I never missed third. Holding the shift like a pistol and trying to shift it guaranteed me a missed gear every time.

Enjoy....

The six speed is worse. :giggle:


Mazda Comp motor mounts and solid diff bushings helped a ton though.

sage advice- it's just another form of over driving the car

Anyone hear using a short throw shifter? If so which.

or if you arent. What shift knob are you using?

Short throw shifters on the Miata are sort of redundant. I bet they cause more misshifts than they cure.

Voodoo knob is still the only Miata knob.

Frank

fidanza + voodoo

Brilliant movie, and true statement. Calm down when you shift!

My 1-2 shift is perfect and very, Very fast.. My 2-3 shift almost never happens. I have a fidenza short throw shifter and if I ever attempt a speedy 2-3 shift it pretends it goes into 3rd gear but when I engage the clutch it does nothing, or I'll end up in fifth.. Not sure if its the shifter or what it is, but it pisses me off.

I had a problem upshifting into 3rd during hard rights on the track...but then I became a man and found the gear.

a "short shifter" in a miata is the biggest waste of cash. Drive a vr6 and you'll feel some real pain. I don't understand the need for this part.

I learned to drive a manual transmission on a pickup truck where 1st and 2nd gears are in separate states via shifter travel. Quickly I picked up on speed shifting this, and I got damn fast at it even with a sloppy shitty shifter. After switching out the shitty mazda transmission from the pickup and installing a Tremec T5 my shifting was even faster.. With a short throw in the miata I can flat shift the damn thing 1st to second gears (not lifting off the throttle) at 7000rpm and have the next gear engaged before it hits limiter at 7200rpm...

Dunno what to say other than I like the short shifter, but not as much in the miata trans as I do the T5.. :giggle:

I've found this "no man's land" in my old '90 with both the original and a '95 trans. The lever is stuck in the 3rd position but nothing happens. You need to pop it out and back in. I think this was discussed on the old Miatapower list but I don't remember if the actually problem was ever found.

Frank

LMAO :bowrofl:

Jumping in late with a +1 no the motor mounts. I used to have this issue with my car as well. Under casual acceleration 3'rd gear was easy to find, but on hard acceleration it was damn near impossible. On one occasion in particular I was really working hard to get it in, and hit first instead. That made a really exciting noise when I let the clutch out.

After installing MazdaComp motor mounts, the problem is pretty much gone.

Granny-shifting. Not double-clutching, like you should.

Where can I buy a voodoo knob? or wheres the best price?

Other then the voodoo knob, anybody use anything else?

You do know about a little thing called google right?

Last time I searched, I couldnt find em. That was about 6 months ago. I think they were discontinued or something.

Goodwin racing, they had it. Picked up a black one.

Knobmeister, and get some pimptastic engraving. He's awesome. I've had 2 very cool knobs that came from Joe the knobmeister.

I think I will leave it up to my GF to buy it as a personalized gift, otherwise 25 extra for engraving doesnt tickle my fancy.

Edit: Wow he has wood ones. Hmmmm. That could go nicely with my wooden E-brake handle. Are they the same as voodoo knobs just wood? or what?

Cancelled my order with Goodwin last night and call Joe Knobmeister just now. He is going to hook me up(such a nice guy btw), and the best part is, with some clever negotiation my GF is buying it for me as a anniversary present.

Thanks for the tip Ben, I owe you one.

Achmed should kill you just for waking up this morning... Muchless quoting the gayest and most fucking worthless movie of MAN KIND!!!!!!!!!!! :fawk::fawk::fawk:

Ever driven one? I had OEM motor/diff mounts, rarely missed 3rd, got better and better at it. Ended up shifting hard and fast enough from 2 to 3 to break 3rd gear. Swapped the 6-speed in and I don't think I've ever missed 3rd. If you are hitting 5th, you either need to learn to drive, or take a look at your diff and motor mounts.

+1 that what i do:jerkit:

Simpson short throw and voodoo knob and in 4 years I think I missed 3rd maybe once. I usually have a coupler blow off instead!! :vash:

Vash-

I used to have this problem bad, one of my syncros went so I replaced the trans over this past winter, then I was still having the same problem. Come to find out, one of my motor mounts was completely broken. I made some semi solid mounts, and it got alot better, but it is still really notchy under full boost.

Didn't someone on here make a engine brace that fixed this? Ben I think?