Hi,

I've got a mazda 3, 2010 MT, with 90000 km on it. got it used in 2012 with about 60000 km. Recently it's become a little difficult to shift from 1st to 2nd gear, and also sometimes from 2nd to 3rd. Forth and fifth aren't so bad, but still I'm finding that overall it has become more difficult to shift because the shifter does not seem to slide into place easily anymore (clutch is pressed all the way down)

I live in Montreal and we have terrible traffic, which requires a lot of shifting between 1st and 2nd which seems to be the root cause of the problem. Occasionally, the gear does not go into place, and there is a terrible grinding sound and I can feel it vibrating through the stick shift.

Is this the kind of thing that lubricant or adjusting fluids can help? Or am I totally screwed and need to open up the transmission and replace the gears? Or how would I knew if my clutch is burned out?

Any advice would be much appreciated... Thanks

 

Can't Find 'Em, Grind 'Em!!!

the sychro cannot spin up to speed fast enough to match the next gear right before you place the car in the next gear. This is more so the issue on the lower gears than the higher gears as the difference in the gear ratios is greater between 1st and 2nd then between 4th and 5th.
You could wait a bit longer before shifting.
--a bad clutch can also cause this, not fully disengaging it's letting the main shaft spin under pressure which makes it hard for the synchs to match up to the trans gears.
Too thick of fluid will cause this, but I doubt that is your problem.

 

It is possible that the clutch does not completely engage (a clutch engages when it is separating the disk from the flywheel) even though the pedal is completely pressed down. You have to check if there is too much free play. Free play can be adjusted.

Here is an example for the Miata. It is really no different for other cars. You are looking for not more than 1 cm free pedal play.



If this is correct and it still grinds you may want to read Noggin's reply again.