rx8van

Recently I've noticed that if I park on even a minor incline. Place the car in first gear and shut off the engine the car will roll back like it's in neutral. In order for me to park on any hill I must fully engage the parking brake.

Now, generally speaking I have always engaged the parking brake whenever I park, however I remember in past cars that I could just put the car in gear and that would suffice. Now it's just like the car is in neutral.

Mazda looked over the vehicle and said this is normal operation of the transmission. I dunno though, I'm a little skeptical.

Does anyone have any feedback?

Low Fly'n 8

You should always let your cheap parking brake support the weight of the car instead your very expensive transmission. I don't think mine will roll in 1st the way you are describing though. That doesn't sound like "normal operation" to me.

Dima26

Mine does not roll in first too and I park on a steep driveway.

cas2themoe

Mine rolls. But kinda like it goes then catches and the goes and then catches.(but thats on a very steep hill. Its weird, so I just leave the Parking Brake on and it in 1st gear.

adim_x

Mine rolls. But kinda like it goes then catches and the goes and then catches.(but thats on a very steep hill. Its weird, so I just leave the Parking Brake on and it in 1st gear



that is probably the engine turning over. without the oil pump running or anything to lubricate. i highly recommend not doing this.

KYLiquid

ive never tried, but i do notice my car doesnt roll back when in neutral on minor inclines (that my last manual car would roll backwards on in neutral)

rx8van

This is exactly what my car does.

cas2themoe

I have no clue whats going on then. My car runs great! :D

kmg1186

In my previous car (Acura Integra) I'd be able to leave it in first gear on a hill without it rolling. However, when I attempted that in the 8, it was the same way. Roll, catch, roll, catch... Easy solution -- use the parking brake. It really isn't that big of a hassle.

Razz1

Try second or Reverse.
I think reverse is better.

Frostee

could this rolling-catching thing be because it is a rotary? the rolling is the rotor actually being pushed through the housing and the catching is the next apex hitting the side...and repeat.

a piston engine (i would think) would be harder as you would have to have the pistons move up and down, which isnt as smooth a movement

*disclaimer: this is just a thought, as i have no mechanical expertise whatsoever and the thought popped into my head* :D

LiveBlues

I've never tried it. I even engage my parking brake when it is in the garage. If I am going to park on a hill, not only do I set the parking brake, but I even take the extra second to turn the wheels to the correct position.

fullsmoke

Yar, use 2nd gear and sacrafice your e-brake before your tranny. I think that if you put it in 1st and the car rolls backwards problems could occur because the engine is turning the wrong way...

pcimino

Holy maackerel! Do you people really think there's any significant wear and tear on a transmission that isn't moving? The engine and tranny are statically holding the car from rolling, which is a whole lot less than accelerating the car. Rolling backwards isn't a problem unless you try to jump start the car backwards.

You don't want the car to roll into gear hard, so you (1) Car off (2) foot on brake and clutch (3) pull e-brake (4) engage 1st gear (5) release clutch (6) release brake

First off, the car should not roll in 1st gear more than an inch or so, even without the e-brake, so if your car is rolling have the dealer or someone check the clutch and clutch adjustment, you might be burning up the clutch without even knowing it. If the car is rolling AND you hear the engine spinning, even in first, then you might have a compression issue.

If you park with only the e-brake, unless you pull it so tight as to really stretch the cable, you may find the car rolling away once the brakess cool down.

2nd gear should hold the car, but it will still move easier than in 1st.

Raz0rama

I've done that sequence so fast twice after turning off the car that the engine is still winding down when I release the brake and it lurches forward slightly when the brake is released, even though the rpms looks like its at 0 and I can't hear the engine any more. I recommend that you wait at least 5 seconds after the key is turned before doing steps 4-6.

Also, unless you're on more than 5% grade or so, the E-brake should be more than enough to hold the car even without putting it in gear. I personally rarely put the car in gear when leaving it parked anywhere except my house because I'd rather not have a tow truck who doesn't know what they're doing decide to tow it with the rear wheels down and the transmission in gear.

pcimino

If the brakes are hot, you'd want to use the gear and not the brake. The hot pads can leave residue on the disc. Then when you use the brakes you get that vibration that makes some people think their disc is warped.

rx8van

This is how I feel, yet the dealer has said (twice) that this is normal operation of the transmission. I don't want warranty to end and find out it was screwed the whole time.

fullsmoke

DuH... We are describing a situation where the car WILL roll and ROLLS backwards. Of course if the car is at a standstill, no damage should occur.

FS

red7

Actually I experience the same thing you guys describe on both my Rx-7's. What is going on is the engine is turning. This is becuse of the low comppresion at low rpm on a rotary engine. The rotary engine relies a bit on centrifugal force for the apex seals to create full compresion. The rotary engine is the only engine that you can actually turn by hand by turning the pullies w/your hands. This is not possible on a piston engine unless it has lost compression.

pcimino

I was responding to people who were stating they never put it in gear, only use the e-brake.

pcimino

So it sounds like he has bad apex seals, or more likely bad apex seal springs, which keep the seals seated when the rotors aren't turning.

Do you have hard starting? That would also suggest an issue with the seals.

Take it to a different dealer. If they give you a hard time, you can argue it is a safety issue. All manuals are supposed to be able to park on a grade, in gear, to keep from rolling. The e-brake is a backup, not the primary device to keep the car from rolling.

wedge357

Apex seals get their maximum seal from the centrifugal forces generated when the rotors are spinning. On a stationary engine only the springs are holding the seal against the rotor. Unless your renesis has the schwarzenneger spring option :D it won't be strong enough. The reason the above issue occurs is that the transmission does start to turn the rotors around the housing when the incline becomes great enough. Remember that the rotary engine have a very small displacement and is therefore easier to overcome than a standard piston engine. Having less moving parts in a rotary engine also makes it easier to turn.

I always use both. I park on an incline using my e-brake plus engage the transmission in 1st gear as a back-up.

cas2themoe

Sounds about right............. :D

Flop

He is right. Also, with the car off, the oil injectors aren't engaging. The oil helps to generate a tighter seal with the adjacent sides of the rotors.

Elara

Gees guys- don't EVER park your manual transmission car without putting it in gear AND using the parking/emergency brake, no matter what kind of incline you're on- didn't anyone teach you this when you were learning to drive stick? I knew better, and accidently found out the hard way that just because you're using one or the other does not mean it will stay there. I had a VW beetle come *this* close to rolling down a very large, steep hill onto a highway because all I did was stick the parking brake on. It wasn't even one a steep incline to begin with, but it was enough to make the car roll backwards and gain momentum- and then it got stuck on a large chunk of wood around a flower garden, thank god.

Our BMW also rolls if you only put it in gear and don't engage the brake. I've had this happen numerous times, luckily never before I've gotten out of the car.

If you're facing uphill, put the car in 1st and use the brake. If you're facing downhill, put it in reverse and use the brake. And I know someone or another is going to argue and argue and argue that "NO THAT'S NOT HOW YOU DO IT" but yes, it's how everyone else in the world does it.