I currently have 16,000 on my IX MR. I just noticed last night that I was more, forcing myself to put the car in the gears I wanted. I remmeber before it was a nice smooth and lock transition to change gears. Now im using more force to take it out of gear and using a little more force to put it in gear. Would this be a symptom for transmission fluid needing a change? I don't dog on the car much at all, usually used for highway driving to school (have spirited driving here and there but nothing too harsh)

 

Everytime my shifter starts feeling notchy or harder to engage gears, I change the transmission fluid.

 

How does the transmission shift when the engine is off?

To conduct this test you must still use the clutch.

1. Press clutch all the way in.
2. Shift transmission into 1st gear; disregard how it shifts during this shift.
3. Shift transmission back to neutral.
4. Now shift the transmission back into 1st gear. This shift should be smooth and free of excessive force.

Repeat the above sequence through all the other gears.

The reason for disregarding the initial shift is because the synchronizer needs to get lined up with the engagement teeth and this test is only for checking to see of the sleeves are hanging up on the hubs. The 6 speed is notorious for having the sleeve overheat and warping and eventually cracking.

Jon@TRE