When I begin driving the car in the morning and it hasn't warmed up quite yet, the first couple times I shift into second I'm getting a grind. It's cold where I'm at in Prescott, AZ (around 20 to 25 in the morning) and I do let the car sit and warm up a little instead of just driving it off, but I can't dismiss the fact that something might be wrong. I'm thinking of trying a different transmission fluid but should I check or try anything else (fluid level is fine)? Scion wants to test the car out but they're gonna do it in California (my hometown) where I bought the car, and the conditions won't be nearly the same. Does anyone have any suggestions?
Find a local dealer and take it to them... personally it sounds like the master cylinder is a factory freak and may need to be replaced. Does it only do this when you are first starting up, or does it also do it after it has warmed up?
If it's only when cold and only in second, it could be a synchro issue. I would DEFINITELY have this checked under warranty, if it is a problem with the second gear synchro you want it fixed by Scion.
**not looking forward to rebuilding my Getrag 6 speed with bad first and second synchros**
Not usually. Grinding is the noise you hear when the outer synchro hub is trying to engage the splines on the gear you want to shift into, but the synchro isn't doing a good job of matching the speed of the synchro hub with the gear (its sole purpose in life).
As in "If ya' can't find 'em, grind 'em!" for those who are manual transmission challenged.
have'ta say...2nd has been 'odd'. As an 'older' driver..ehem...I have to say that the tC has an unusually rough tranny. To clarify, I dig the 'you know you're shifting' feel but sometimes it does feel lost. I am pretty sure it's due to the 'drive by wire' not giving the same throttle resist...at least in my case. If it's a prob....we have our warranties to fix it.
I suspect I'll be putting Red Line MTL in mine shortly to smooth out the coarseness. I have no issues with second, all mine are with third. It seems the reach is about 1/2" too far.
As for the 'older' driver issue, I've been driving vehicles with clutches since I was 6 driving tractors on the farm, so I have almost 39 years of manual transmission driving...I still miss third from time to time...
well.. to revive an old thread (hehe.. i did a search
) i've noticed that my tC shifts hard when it's cold.... at first i thought it was just part of the breaking in period... but its only when its cool that it does it so im thinking it may be something else.... i dont exactly grind... but i cannot smoothly go into any gear... maybe i'll try the Red Line MTL... but im wondering if i should take it to get checked out
If it's only on cold cycle, it's a lubricant issue, not a gearbox issue. Toyco specifies API GL-4 or GL-5 75w-90 gear oil, with a stated capacity of 2.5 liters (2.6 U.S. quarts). MTL meets all those requirements, and has worked really well in the two AE92 Corollas and three AW11 MR2s (NA and Supercharged) that I've owned. I bet changing the oil will alleviate your problem.
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