Hey everybody,

I just recently (this last weekend) bought a 2004 Evo RS, and I LOVE the car!! I am extremely happy with it, and it's been a hell of a lot of fun. I was able to break the motor in using Perfection Motorsport's dynapack dyno, and we also got some decent stock whp & wt numbers after breaking it in.

The only minor issue I am having with the car is this - my 3rd gear feels a little rough, and it always has since I bought the car. It may sound a little strange to buy a "new" 2004 car these days, but the car was a left over '04 model and only had 90 miles on it. Anyhow, it goes into 3rd okay on up and downshifts, but you have to be sure the clutch is completely down all the way, and even then it feels a little notchy compared to all other gears.

My question is this: Do you guys think I should take it to a dealer and see if they can do anything under warranty? Or would it make sense just to skip the dealer and put in some good gear oil like Neo or Redline or something? I am guessing a really high quality oil may solve the issue, but I'm not sure. I do not have any Mitsu dealers in my area that I fully trust, and I get the feeling as if I am just going to take it in, they'll drive the car, then give it back saying "it's all within spec" or whatever. I know that I am pretty picky about everything on my cars, so while it is a nuisance to me, the dealer may just tell me it's normal and not to worry about it.

Just looking for some opinions on what you guys think I should do... Any input is appreciated!

-Trevor
2004 RS
Stock.... for now

 

notchy is normal. Some syncromesh will clear that up.

Grinding is not.

 

take it to the dealer and see what they say

 

Cool, glad to hear it's not unusual. Is it typical for it to be notchier in one gear than the next though? Sounds like my original plan of putting some synchromesh in should take care of it. Is there any particular brand / weight that people have had good luck with in these cars? Thanks for the reply!

 

Do everything but DO NOT use NEO oil as I tried this type of gear oil and I could not even shift. Use the following oil for the best results
GM synchromesh
Pennzoil synchromesh
Qu state synchromesh
BG synchromesh

they are all the same and your tranny will love it. The dealer will tell you its normal and it is normal (nothing they can do as it notchy but you still can shift).

I had 4th and 2nd gear grind notchy feeling before but after the GM synchromesh everything shift like a civic

 

Nice, thanks! I'll give that a shot. Sounds kinda weird since I had great luck with Neo in my MR2T - seemed to work a lot better than other choices. Anyhow, I'll most likely give that a try in a while and see how it helps. Thanks again for the input... Anybody else have any recommendations, feel free to share!

 

EVO8 5 speed tranny is very notchy ...
EVO8 MR 6 speed tranny is as smooth as butter

As Bolsen said notchy is normal grinding is not ..... did I tell you Bolsen is my hero

 

x 2, in the winter, good luck getting it in gear for the first 5 min.