Thud when shifting 1-3 gears
 

Does anyone else feel and hear a thud when shifting in gears 1-3. Mine does this even when the car is NOT moving and I put it in 1st gear. Also it does it when down shifting.

I took it in to the dealer and they told me it was due to the performance nature of the triple sync gears. The thing is it feels like it is coming from the slip differential.

Does this sound normal?

Chuck

My Shifts were real smooth on the test drive. But I did notice a thud when the car was off and I was going through the gears.

Yes it thuds, I assume it is normal, you hear it more because of where the transmision is as well.

When you talk about a thud - how load is it? Can you feel it as well as hear it?

I guess you can slightly feel it, but not much, it's not too loud, you won't hear it with music on.

So does the sound occur all the time or only when you are hammering up through/down the gears?

Always... pretty sure, but I don't always notice it. I think it does it more when your going slower. Could be that I just hear it more at slow speeds.

Occasionally I hear a small thud when engaging 1st gear at stand still. When I hear it, I immediatly test first gear again but there's no sound. Others have commented on this as well, the consensus seemed like it was a none issue.

There also seems to be a small thud when you immediately turn your car from start-up, again consensus was a none issue.

I'm having a "shifting issue" which is different and I'm looking for comments/suggestions here:
http://www.rx8forum.com/showthread.p...threadid=10273

Yes I would say it's a non-issue. brothervoodoo, how fast do you have to go to hit 7-9k in third? 2nd gear at that speed and I'm WAY over the speed limit anyways.

I haven't experienced any clunkiness in 3rd, but my wife did experience it when engaging 1st from a standstill. As has been suggested, I believe it's a function of the synchros doing their thing. I suggested a workaround which at least one person confirmed was effective.

I hear that, too. It's a bit of a "clunk" and it sounds like it's coming from the rear.

Not sure exactly but somewhere's in the mid 80's or 90's before you redline in 3rd gear. As some have noted, if you are on the freeway going 60 in 5th or 6th gear and you need some passing speed, drop it in 3rd and you automatically engage the flux capacitor...

Ah yes the flux capasitor ;)

Not sure about your highways, but all the highways around here that I would cruise at 60-70mph would be 4 laners, so no need for extra power on passing, just switch lanes and cruise :cool:.

I did once however go from 55mph to 80mph to pass on a 2 laner and it was FAST :D.

Wow I just realized that in New York state (the only state I've driven in, oh and vermont) most of the interstates are 55mph? That SUCKS, that's like 90km/h, our "interstates" or as we call them 400 series highways, are at least 100km/h or 62mph but everyone goes at least 120km/h or 75mph.

If this is a non issue, then Mazda must have known about it and should have indicated it in the manual, that the transmission is close to the driver and that these noises are normal operation?

I mean when you first hear it, it does get you very concerned about the car.

I gave my friend a ride to lunch where he sat in the back and kept commenting about how the car doesn't shift very smoothly.. I didn't understand what he was talking about, but apparently whenever I shift he hears loud noises.

I'm basically a lurker, sorry for the dumb question, but where is reverse in your shifter pattern?

I was thinking maybe you have a lock to prevent you from going into reverse. Sometimes this makes a loud noise... good luck. :)

Charles

Some additional notes on the thud during shifting:

You can both hear and feel it. It is pronounced enough that passengers have commented on the noise.

It happens only in gears 1-3- ie the ones that are triple sync'd

It will occasionally happen when you are standing still and you shift into first from neutral or other gear.

It can also happen when downshifting

It is not consistent; it happens more frequently when going slower

It seems to be more pronounced when going slower.


I think it is a poor design and will discuss it again with Mazda. I will let you know what they say.

yes...holding down the clutch for a second or two before placing it into first or second results in no "thud"...if you immediately place it onto first after holding the clutch in, i guarantee there will be a "thud"

I noticed yesterday (and I believe this has been said before) if you hold the clutch in for say 1-2 secs before shifting no thud occurs.

And make sure you shift with the pedal FULLY on the floor. I know I'm usually lazy and simply shift below the catch point, but I have made it a new habit to push all the way down.

I really paid attention to this today when leaving the house. I hear a dull "clunk" a split second after first accelerating in first gear. The noise is definitely not when shifting, but just after depressing the throttle. I shifted from neutral into first and sat there for a couple of seconds. Then I gently pushed the accelerator and heard the noise in the rear. It's the same every time. I'm not concerned about it necessarily, but I would like to know what it is.

I have thunk when I engage 1st gear, and a slight lurch. When I start moving, I get another thunk from the drivetrian, within 5-15 feet. Also I have a high pitched whine when in neutral, goes away when I put clutch down.

Hey guys....

I have been lurking this board for awhile and saw this post. I love the RX-8 and think it is one of the best looking cars on the road.

I have an 02 IS300 5spd manual and we too have this thump. The Supras had this thump as well. It is slack in the drivetrain that is caussing this. When you let off the clutch the slack tightens and a slight thump is heard. Not a big deal. Just characteristics of your drivetrain. Here is a link...

http://new.is300.net/modules.php?nam...ighlight=thump

Interesting! What did Lexus do about it?

Is this something that needs to be fixed or is it an inherent behavior of the transmission or clutch?

Hey you are right!

Vince

I heard they were going to fix it in the 04's but nothing is set in stone as far as I know yet. It's not that big of a deal. I am so used to it I don't even hear it anymore. Pretty soon I won't even hear it once I get my Supercharger next month...I will be too busy listening to the BOV..:D

If it only happens the first time you get going after backing out of your driveway, it's a sound produced by the ABS self-test. Perfectly normal.