When i shift into second i have to force it.. it is the same at low and high rpm. goinf from first to second, as well as downshifting. any ideas?

 

1. So no grinds into 2nd gear?

2. Try double declutch to see if its a synchro problem

 

thanks for the quick response. nope no grinds. blipping the throttle helped a tad when downshifting. i am not very knowledgeable about the workings of a transmission but my guess is synchros. any idea how expensive a fix that is if it is just the synchro for second gear?

 

There was a 2nd gear shift fork issue for some 2004 build dates.

Anyone have a copy of the TSB?

 

A bit of resistance from first to second is normal when your transmission is cold. However, once it gets warmed up things should be smoother.

 

http://www.coremazda.com/tsb/rx8/pow...-extension.pdf

 

Well i am over 60,000 miles. any idea how much a synchro replacement wuold be?

 

Out of curiosity, when was your last tranny fluid change?

 

fix it yet, if so how much?

 

I had trouble shifting into second in cold weather before I switched to synthetic gear oil. It stays thinner at cooler temps, and more predictable viscosity == more predictable shifting.

It could be a synchro problem, but from what I've heard when a synchro goes bad either it won't go into gear at all or it grinds like a coffeemaker. Drain the gear oil first, and check it for metal bits to see if there's abnormal wear inside the transmission. If it looks fine, just swap in some better gear oil and keep driving.

This car seems to have a very mechanical-feeling transmission, on account of there being no intermediate linkage between the shift lever and the shift forks. You're always going to feel exactly what's going on inside the transmission, and manual transmissions have moods just every mechanical system. As long as it's driveable, I wouldn't worry about it too much.

 

im not sure when the transmission fluid was last changed. ive had this car for about a month.. ill definately get that looked at though... how involved is it to change that? ive never done it before. i dont even change my oil.....

 

just to clarify that last post, i do not change my oil MYSELF is what i should have said. i do get it changed haha

 

change the transmission fluid. my old wrangler wont go into gear when fluid is too thin.

 

Changing the fluid is easy you don't even need to jack up the car. Basic hand tools, some common sense and a funnel with about a 4' hose are all ya need. Try looking in the DIY forum there's one for this I believe.