[BeBe]

I've only driven my new to me car for a couple hundred miles. It is a manual transmission. Sometimes when I downshift from 3rd to 2nd, the gears don't seem to mesh and I end up pushing the clutch back in. Hard to describe in words, but it almost seems like something in the drivetrain is bucking around. All the other upshifts and downshifts are fine. It doesn't happen every time and happens more often if I'm downshifting from a faster speed.



Not much to go on, but has anyone else experienced this and found a cause? Transmission or something other?



Appreciate any theories.



Greg

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[Darth Vadar]

Greg, how many miles on the car, and how many on the clutch? Could be issue with 2nd gear synchros??? Although I had a ton of miles on my first 968 and never had an issue with synchros even when tthe clutch had to be redone... but I am a sort of careful shifter!



Or maybe the nylon/plastic bushing in the shifter mechanism??? I know they wear and get sloppy, but would think you would notice this on other gear changes....

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[Rap]

Not very knowledgeable but have you tried revving up right before you shift?

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[BeBe]

Just shy of 60K miles on the car. No history on what has been replaced to date. I'm not much of a mechanic, but if each gear has it's own synchros, that could be the problem since it only happens on that particular downshift. I am getting ready to take it in for some major mechanical work (timing belt/water pump/balance shaft belt), so I'll get them to drive it a bit and see what they think.



If it is a synchro, is that big $$?

... and I'll try matching the engine speed a little better.

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[flash]

try double clutching too and see if that changes things

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[DaveN]

+1 on what Flash just suggested, if it shifts better then the synchro may be shot. Part isn't that expensive but if it's buried deep on the shaft then there are a lot of tolerances and assy issues for a newbie. I did a 5th synchro on my 944 S2 and got lucky as it was the last gear on the shaft so it was relatively easy to do (except for the RE/RE - removing the trans, splitting the case etc.).

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[BeBe]

Haven't driven the car since I posted the question. I will try the rev matching and double clutching. If it is the synchro, I'm not ready to dive into a transmission myself. She's going into the shop soon for a timing belt and water pump. Hopefully I won't have to add transmission work to the list.

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[BeBe]

I had the car in for front end seals/belts, etc. Two mechanics at the shop didn't think there is anything wrong with the clutch, so I guess it may be the driver (me). It is definitely better if I double clutch and/or rev match. I'm not totally convinced there's nothing amiss, but I'll try to drive a little more skillfully and just not hasten whatever may be happening.

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[Langley968]

This may sound like a "stupid" comment...

Make sure you do not have the floor mat "bunching up" behind the clutch pedal. My daughters manual car caused shifting problems for her and not for me. It turned out to be a floor mat that kept creeping under the pedals and would not allow her to push down far enough to make it work some of the time...

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[BeBe]

I did have a problem with the driver side floor mat creeping up under the pedals, but I solved that one with the double-sided non-slip "tape" that you put under rugs on hardwood floors indoors. You never know what the problem is not until you consider the possibility and rule it out. Thanks.

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[Ryan]

If it was synchros I would think you would hear gear crunch and not feel bucking around. I wonder if it is not the duel-mass flywheel starting to break-down. I hope not. Rev-matching will help a great deal on this. I would avoid doing a lot of engine braking and blip that gas before downshifts. Hope this helps.

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