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Are these normal characteristics of the gearbox?

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orlando
#1
Hello all,

I have 1,300 miles on my fiesta st. When I first bought the car new, I swear the gearbox was shifting buttery smooth in every gear. Now the gears feel different. After about 600 miles, I felt the shift from one to second started having a clunky shift feeling. Like when putting into second it has a bit of resistance, then it clunks into place. I also have this fairly strong resistance when trying to get into reverse. It seems totally abnormal.


Took it to my dealer and they said transmission was operating normal. Anybody have input? Are these normal characteristics of a fiesta st, or should I try a different dealer.

Yes my foot is all the way down on the clutch and I pull all the way up on the reverse lockout ring... :p
 


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Rochester
#2
I'm at a little over 2k miles on mine and kind of know what you're talking about.

My thought is the cables in the cable trans setup stretched just a little to wear in. I also think it might be total placbo effect of getting used to the car and then wanting it to be even better (enter shifting mods)
 


OP
S
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orlando
Thread Starter #3
I'm at a little over 2k miles on mine and kind of know what you're talking about.

My thought is the cables in the cable trans setup stretched just a little to wear in. I also think it might be total placbo effect of getting used to the car and then wanting it to be even better (enter shifting mods)
Thank you for your input! Yeah maybe it’s normal break in and I’m being over paranoid.
 


maestromaestro

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#4
It's not my experience. I don't believe that there's any "break in" period for the transmission. If it hesitates from 1 to 2, something is 'loose'. Synchro? Shifting fork? If it persists, take it in.
 


cxwrench

Active member
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Marin County
#5
There is no way that the cables in the shifter mechanism have actually 'stretched'. There are things that can probably happen that lead to a cable being slightly loose feeling but it's not actually the cable stretching. I'm a professional bicycle mechanic and this is one of the things we hear all the time...cable stretch this, cable stretch that. Doesn't happen. The housing the cable run through may compress and/or seat into it's stops completely, something like that can happen.
 


dmb

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#6
how far from the floor does the clutch engage? if its down at the floor or close you got a problem, should be at the top. alot of people change the trans oil, but not at 1300mi
 


Intuit

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#7
Reverse gear is not synchronized. So there will be times that it won't engage without (engine running) pumping the clutch pedal once/twice, or temporarily hitting another gear/two or rolling the vehicle a hair. Perfectly normal.

To a degree, the other stuff is normal also. Minus regular abuse, manual transmissions are pretty solid because they're comparably simple. Prior car had hydraulic linkages instead of lever and cable. Adjusting was just a simple turn or two to lengthen a push rod that went between the clutch pedal and firewall plunger. Back to smooth engagement. The manual for that had specifications for pedal free-play and engage height. I merely adjusted for personal preference and it matched manual specification to the fraction. I have noticed the smoothness of the engagement gradually changing in much the same way with this vehicle. Failing to maintain it, daily driving with engagement issues, amounts to abuse.

Also, I discovered that the factory was underfilling some portion of the B6 transmissions. You'll want to check your level and refill to 2.1L instead of the 1.6L they might have installed. Only consequence to note thus far, is a noisier clickity-clackity shifting transmission. No engagement issues, damage or failures attributed to the underfilling.

Related threads...
https://www.fiestastforum.com/threa...nual-Transmission-B6?highlight=Adjust+shifter
https://www.fiestastforum.com/threa...y-and-Assembly?p=332015&viewfull=1#post332015
https://www.fiestastforum.com/threads/19362-Bleeding-the-Clutch
https://www.fiestastforum.com/threads/16881-Transmission-Fluid-Change?p=297010&viewfull=1#post297010

Clutch hydraulics aren't like brake hydraulics... not subjected to extremely high pressures and hot parts. Clutch hydraulics if present, are very light duty. As a matter of safety, shared reservoirs are divided by spillway, preventing one system from running the other dry.

123FindMe
 


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Location
Naples
#8
My 2017 just hit 9400 miles and the transmission shifts exactly the same. No difference since new, still buttery smooth and no issues at all. The clutch pedal made a squeaky noise after about 2K miles and I felt some resistance/drag in it- I had to lube all of the pivot point of the clutch mechanism under the dash. Been perfectly fine since.
 


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Location
Huntington Beach
#9
scawt, I’m on my second Fiesta ST and both of them have had the same shifter feel. A ‘16 and now a ‘19. Both exactly how you describe it. Harder and clunkier in the winter, then smoother and easier in summer. I’ve felt other setups, and the best I’ve felt was a simple fluid change to some Motul or other high quality stuff and poly bushings in the shifter. You’ll grab 2nd smooth again sooner or later. [emoji2941]
 


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Location
Los Angeles
#11
Good to know it’s not just mine too, I’m at 12k but I’ve noticed it for a while it kinda has a “clunk” between 1st and 2nd gear. I was going to switch to Motul fluid in hopes that helps smooth it out.


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TyphoonFiST

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#12
Good to know it’s not just mine too, I’m at 12k but I’ve noticed it for a while it kinda has a “clunk” between 1st and 2nd gear. I was going to switch to Motul fluid in hopes that helps smooth it out.


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Ravenol 75w80...end of story

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XR650R

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#13
One thing that could be causing that is the rear motor mount. I thought mine was fine at first, but after 10,000 miles or so, it seemed to soften up considerably. I don't really beat on it too hard, but I imagine it will get soft faster if you do.

I had to give it a split second more to go from 1st to 2nd, because the engine was moving a lot. Put a mountune RMM on it, and now it moves a lot less between shifts, so I can do it quicker.

Also, +1 on the Ravenol. Good stuff. Put all 2 liters in and forget about it.
 


Intuit

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#14
Good to know it’s not just mine too, I’m at 12k but I’ve noticed it for a while it kinda has a “clunk” between 1st and 2nd gear. I was going to switch to Motul fluid in hopes that helps smooth it out.


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Clack as the clutch is released - for me it wasn't the transmission or the axles, but the dual mass flywheel. Noise from an engine mount striking is going to transmit through the body (and sound like it's from the passenger side) as opposed to only the air. The engine mount only strikes if I drive like a complete T-hole... that takes some work. The clack can be head turning loud at times and doesn't necessarily require RPMs or torque... though I suspect torque is what causes the initial problem. I did the fluid and warranty did the axles. The fluid helps quiet the clickity-clackity shifting noises; nothing to do with loading the engine/trans.
 


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Location
Los Angeles
#15
One thing that could be causing that is the rear motor mount. I thought mine was fine at first, but after 10,000 miles or so, it seemed to soften up considerably. I don't really beat on it too hard, but I imagine it will get soft faster if you do.

I had to give it a split second more to go from 1st to 2nd, because the engine was moving a lot. Put a mountune RMM on it, and now it moves a lot less between shifts, so I can do it quicker.

Also, +1 on the Ravenol. Good stuff. Put all 2 liters in and forget about it.
I should have mentioned I added the mountune RMM too and it helped a lot as well. Not too much of a “clunk” btw, I’ll give the Ravenol a look are there any benefits to that over the Motul?


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TyphoonFiST

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#16
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Suffolk
#18
Just purchased a 2019 and today is day 2 of driving. Hit 150 miles and as I was downshifting coming into town noticed the clunking every time I down or up shifted. Stop at dealer and they said to drive it and see if it gets worse. Supposed to bring it in at 1500 miles for them to check everything out. Shouldn't have an issue already. And also babying the car. Was actually using cruise control at 60mph on interstate. Not happy right now.

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Location
Suffolk
#19
Without actually hearing the sound for myself, you're probably hearing the shifting arms on the transmission. A recording would go a long way in diagnosing. It could also just be the "bang-shift." Does it occur in every gear?
Yea it happens every gear while moving. Sitting still don't hear anything.

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Intuit

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#20
Probably an engine mount. Unfortunately cars get abused by lackeys at the dealer. Doesn't mean it shouldn't be able to handle it though. If it's that consistent, it should be easy to locate. It's the subtle, inconsistent and intermittent stuff that's a PIA to get addressed. Regardless of whether or not you know what needs to be replaced, the mechanic looking at it needs to come to the same conclusion... and that's where the problem lies.
 




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