7MT - 3rd gear notchiness?

[thesocalexplorer]

Hey fellow 7MT owners. I'm about 5500 miles into my 7MT ownership. Wanted to see if anyone else is noticing 3rd gear to be a bit more notchy than the other gears? Almost like some extra force is needed to get into the shift gate, and then it finally clicks in.

Mainly happens when the rig is under full operating temp, happens way less when up to temp. All other gears are super smooth.

Anyone else experiencing 3rd gear notchiness?

Sponsored

 

[Jawaburger]

I have no issues with different gears, all gear shifts are smooth.

 

[5.0 to 2.3]

All mine are smooth and sexy

 

[dejones64]

I'm at about 5,500, all good so far.

 

[Direwild]

I think I know what you are talking about. I've had a manual since 2013. First a 2012 Mazdaspeed 3(I miss you baby), then a 2016 golf GTI, and now a 2022 Ford bronco. Everyone of them had a bit of a hiccup with 3rd gear. Idk why but it never behaves like the other for some reason. Even in the bronco I've missed 3rd gear once already. But if it's very noticable I'd take it in for warranty work.

 

[cyberfalco]

Does anyone have the gear ratios for each gear? Typically the jump from 2nd to 3rd is the largest jump on a lot of manuals which can feel odd at times.

 

[bradcd]

I have about 800 miles so far on my Badlands. While I don't notice anything specific about 3rd gear, I do feel it helps to release the clutch more slowly while accelerating into 1st, 2nd, and 3rd. Once I hit 4th and above I can get my foot off the clutch as humanly possible.

 

[Lil Red Broncette]

I think I know what you are talking about. I've had a manual since 2013. First a 2012 Mazdaspeed 3(I miss you baby), then a 2016 golf GTI, and now a 2022 Ford bronco. Everyone of them had a bit of a hiccup with 3rd gear. Idk why but it never behaves like the other for some reason. Even in the bronco I've missed 3rd gear once already. But if it's very noticable I'd take it in for warranty work.

I've had a manual trans vehicle most of my life and never experienced anything particular about 3rd.

 

[Lil Red Broncette]

Hey fellow 7MT owners. I'm about 5500 miles into my 7MT ownership. Wanted to see if anyone else is noticing 3rd gear to be a bit more notchy than the other gears? Almost like some extra force is needed to get into the shift gate, and then it finally clicks in.

Haven't gotten my Bronco with the Manual Trans yet.

in general, what you describe sounds like the resistance the synchro will generate when there is a big mismatch between the engine shaft RPM and the RPM of the gear it is trying to synchronize with. This is most commonly experienced when down shifting to the lowest gear where engine RPMs are low and actual RPM if it were in the lowest gear would be very high.

I wonder if what you experience gets better or worse if you shift earlier than typical and or wind it out to higher RPM before shifting.

 

[Murph914]

My F350 was worse, my Bronco had some. In time the gears mesh together and get smoother. I’d be worried if it gets worse.

 

[Direwild]

I've had a manual trans vehicle most of my life and never experienced anything particular about 3rd.

Honestly it could be the way I drive but I usually stay consistent with my shifts. Bronco is not bad about it. Now my Mazdaspeed 3 it probably happened to me at least once every 2 months. The GTI was better about it but every now and then I'd miss shift into 3rd.
Btw it's only 3rd that this has ever happened to me. No other gears has ever cause me to miss shift.

 

[thesocalexplorer]

Haven't gotten my Bronco with the Manual Trans yet.

in general, what you describe sounds like the resistance the synchro will generate when there is a big mismatch between the engine shaft RPM and the RPM of the gear it is trying to synchronize with. This is most commonly experienced when down shifting to the lowest gear where engine RPMs are low and actual RPM if it were in the lowest gear would be very high.

I wonder if what you experience gets better or worse if you shift earlier than typical and or wind it out to higher RPM before shifting.

That's a good point! I usually notice it right at 3k rpm. A bit lower or higher (2.7 kor 3.2k) and the shift is back to buttery smooth. May just be a quirk of the getrag.

Clutch in at a stop, rowing through the gears is buttery smooth.

 

[DaveInSA]

Mine has it, conditionally. I haven't determined what those conditions are. Match up between engine and gear speeds maybe. Sometimes it's smooth, sometimes there's a little hitch going in to 3rd. But it's never that bad.

 

[SoDak1623]

8700 miles into mine since April and no complaints about the transmission. It is smooth and direct for all shifts. I had a 2013 focus with the old ford MTX-75 5 speed and a 2004 focus with the same MTX-75 after that up until the Bronco and never had any issues with Ford manuals. I hated the 6 speed in my 2015 Jeep Rubicon though. It never shifted well, popped out of 1st occasionally, and the ratios were just bad. But no issues with my Ford transmissions.

 

[Bronco-ocnorB]

I have had some notchiness going into 2nd gear from day one....today (just hit 1,000 miles), while hitting some traffic on the highway I was downshifting through the gears, get to second and it would not go into gear, almost felt like trying to get over into crawl without lifting the collar. Kept the clutch in and tried to cycle through first and back to second to try and sync it up (keeping the clutch in) and it would not go into first either. Felt the same way.

Took a deep frustrated breath and cycled over into third and back to second and was able to 'force it' in. When I got off the highway on my exit, at a light cycled through all of the gears several times. It was fine accelerating through, but when downshifting again it did it again....

Anyone experience the same? Any thoughts?

Sponsored