oO New 2004 '8' owner, CLUTCH/TRANNY THUNK Oo
 

Howdy folks,

I am the proud new owner of a silver 2004 RX8 with approx 37k miles on the odo. I love most everything about the car, from the steering to the snick-snick tranny to the quite utilitarian interior. My weekend car is an S54 powered M Coupe with coilovers and other goodies and the RX8 out of the box is more of a proper sports car than the M Coupe is STOCK =)

My only minor nuisance is rearward visibility and blindspots. It doesn't give me as much confidence backing up and changing lanes like other cars.

Now for my very serious concern:

90-95% of the time when I shift fairly rapidly only from 1st to 2nd (note I'm not banging the gears by any means or trying to shift abnormally fast) the clutch or gearbox will produce a thunk/bang that is audible and definitely noticeable through seat of the pants feel.

The clutch or gearbox thunk happens after I clutch in and start to move the lever into second. Before it even moves into 2nd gear it will produce a clunk that you can hear and feel. I've driven many stick-shift cars and this is the first time I've ever encountered this problem. I highly doubt it is normal. This occurence also happens on occasion while doing the 2 to 3 shift.

I would really appreciate it if any of you guys could help provide some input regarding my situation. Most of the time I have to literally granny the 1-2 shift to make the transition feel 'normal'.

Thanks!!

-Andrew

A lot of people report a "notchy" 1-2 shift but a discernable "thunk" doesn't sound right to me.

Does it feel like it's coming from the gearbox or more of a clutch release issue that you feel on the drivetrain?

Some early 2004 models had problems with bolts coming loose resulting in a clutch that never completely released. Maybe your clutch is not completely releasing and it causes that weird shift thunk?

Some of our more knowledgeable members could probably help you, have a look at the sticky thread titled "transmission issues/questions"

I have one of the "notchy" 1-2 shifts, but it becomes smooth when the tranny is warm. It never clunks or thunks. Quite a few had bent shift forks. Its covered under warranty, you might have them look at it.

Could also be a worn clutch.

Mike

The clutch feels fine in the other gears. Shifting around feels excessively notchy at times, especially going into fifth.

I took it in to the dealer on Friday to have the techs look at it. One of them went along with me for a test drive and I showed them what happens when I shift at a normal pace around 4.5k rpms. He then asks to drive the car to see if he could replicate the problem (you guys know the drill) and he intentionally shifts slowly so that the clunk wouldn't occur. You gotta love these jokes who pull all types of bullshit out of their ass to deny your claim(s). He said something along the lines of, "This car has a special driveline since it's rear-wheel drive. It's different from other sports cars so it is perfectly normal for that to occur."

After the short diagnostics drive, we head back to the dealer and he decides to have me drive one of the RX-8s on the lot (a customer's 2005 car) with 29k on the clock. Note, my car has a tick over 37k miles. I fire her up and start moving the shift lever through the gate and I immediately felt a difference. It felt more buttery smooth and less notchy overall. On to the test drive... no banging at all from 1-2. Everything felt wonderful as it should be. I knew the tech silently acknowledged that something was wrong with my transmission but you know how they operate.

Update:

Service manager calls me up on Saturday to inform me that they had a couple other techs look at it but they couldn't replicate the problem whatsoever. Okay. He then goes on to tell me that the regional service rep will be coming in on Tuesday and if I wanted him to inspect it. I gave him the green light to keep my car until then and that was that. What can I do to insist on getting my tranny replaced under warranty? Go to another dealer with the possibility of getting shafted too?

Thanks guys! I really appreciate the help.

Maybe you should take it elsewhere. I think some shops have lazy techs. See if you car wasn't under warranty they would probably have just agreed with you since they get paid more for the labor.

Oh well, I guess everything is a lost cause. The bastards (including the regional tech) all claim there is nothing wrong with the transmission. Should I try for another dealer and take the risk of having my car gone for a week and probably beaten on again?

How were some of you guys able to push for a new transmission even after all their denying of any problems?