To start off, I recently had a new clutch put it because my old one was all but dead and as it turned out, the fly wheel was somewhat warped. The flywheel has been resurfaced down to the point where it is straight again and the stock clutch was replaced with a Competition Stage 2.

Replacing those things fixed most of my shifting problems. Overall the car shifts way better now. However, I still have a smaller issue with the way it shifts. Maybe it's just how these cars shift as I was told, but I think it could be a little better.

First and second gear seem to be really inconsistent in how smooth they shift. Sometimes they are both perfect and sometimes they aren't. The problem with first is that it almost feels like the clutch isn't releasing. When you pull it out of first, there is resistance and it almost sounds like something is making a popping noise when it finally releases. Usually when that happens, it won't go into second right away. You will have to kind of hold it against second for a little before it will go in. These problems get somewhat worse with the cold.

The mechanic (very familiar with dsms and evos) said that these transmissions don't really get any smoother than mine. If that's the case, I'll just have to live with it, but is there anything I can do to smooth these gear changes out a little?

What I've already done:
I have the metal shifter bushings, both underhood and shifter base. The transmission fluid is the OEM Diaqueen changed less than 1k ago. The clutch pedal engagement is adjusted almost all the way at the top of the throw. The slave and master cylinder don't seem to be leaking. When I had a new clutch put in, I had the guy take the transmission apart and inspect for any wear/damage. He said the transmission (including the syncrhos) looked brand new inside. I'm assuming the clutch was bled after a new one was put in, but I'm not sure. Could that be the cause of my problems?

Let me know if you all have any ideas or if there is anything I'm missing.

 

if you're getting locked out of second during normal driving it's either your clutch not disengaging all the way or the syncros need to be replaced

 

The synchros should be good. As I said, I had the guy take apart the transmission and inspect it for wear. He compared it to a brand new synchro and said it was perfectly fine. I made it very clear I was willing to pay for new parts if it needed anything at all and he said it didn't.

The fact that it's worse when its cold makes me think I have some sort of issue in the clutch's hydraulic system. Maybe the fluid expands when it warms up causing air bubbles in it to shrink to the point of not being as noticeable?

 

This is only somewhat related, but when the tranny is very cold I tend to double-clutch going from 1st to 2nd. Helps make engagement a little better. It's been in the -20°F range for mornings this week and it's helped a little.

 

try to adjust the clutch for more travel.small screw at the top of clutch pedal.

 

I recently did a Competition Stage2 and exedy flywheel and have been having a similar issue...

 

I don't think it's a clutch pedal issue at this point. The fact that it gets better when warmer shouldn't be related to the clutch pedal. Since it stops popping when you pull it out of first gear as much when it warms up means something is making the clutch disengage better when it's warm I would think.

 

try ATF fluid in your gearbox and see if that helps.
ATF helps with synchro performance.

 

i have this same issue but at high rpms

 

im sorry my advice was inaccurate.i mean adjust the clutch pedal for more rod travel(hydraulic travel also).i had similar issue in higher rpms and it helped.but yours might be different.just my 2 cents.good luck.

 

I've already tried that like I mentioned in my original post. Right now it has almost as much as travel as you can have.

 

Ok, it turns out the clutch pedal was adjusted too far away from the floor (usually its the other way around). This solved most of the shifting issues. I still have the problem of the clutch not disengaging right when it's cold. It's fine once it warms up, but it still definitely feels like its not disengaging especially for the first minute or so of driving.

It still seems to me like its some sort of problem in the hydraulic system. Anyone have any ideas?

 

Another update:

If I let the car idle to warm up for 5 minutes or so on a cold morning, the clutch disengagement issue doesn't happen. So whatever it is that is causing the problem gets warmed up as the engine is warming and isn't effected by the transmission being warm or not.

Anyone have any ideas on what is causing this? Is the slave cylinder somehow messed up to the point of it not working properly when cold, but once it gets warmed from the engine's heat it starts working again?

 

The transmission will heat up a bit because it's close to the engine and it's still "spinning" so maybe it's just sloshing fluid around enough to get rid of the cold disengagement issue?

glad to hear the clutch adjustment did something i should probably get that done as well...

 

That's possible, but what is causing it to not disengage in the first place and what can I do to fix it?