Michael Broadway

I have a 2012 GT with the MT82. Bought it new and now have a little over 15K miles on it.
Shifting has been notchy, on and off, especially when cold.

HOWEVER...

I have discovered something that resolves that issue, and I'm wondering if anyone can explain this to me. Here's the situation:

1. First shift from 1st to 2nd is almost always notchy. The same is true with 2nd to 3rd. And even from 3rd to 4th. This is more noticeable in cold weather, or when the engine is cold. But here's what I've discovered...

2. If I shift out of 1st (without depressing the clutch) then depress the clutch and finish the shift into 2nd, it's like butter. The same with 2nd to 3rd and 3rd to 4th.

This took a little longer than a regular shift when I first started doing it, but with a little practice, I've gotten faster and I can do it at the same speed I do when depressing the clutch prior to shifting out of a gear.

I've done this for three days now, and the results are the same every time, even with a cold engine. The notchyiness is totally gone and the shift is like silk with no resistance at all.

I'm wondering why this is the case, and I'm hoping someone can answer that question for me here. I'd be interested to hear from anyone who tries this and find out if they have the same results.

Thanks!

matthawk7

If be interested in an answer to this too... Will give it a try tomorrow for sure

Joeywhat

My guess would be that since the clutch is still engaged while in neutral for a brief moment, it allows the gears to slow down a bit quicker then if the clutch was disengaged and it was spinning more freely. So when you shift into second the syncro doesn't need to do as much work.

Just a guess...

Michael Broadway

I like that possibility. I was thinking it had something to do with the disengagement of the clutch. I'm not a mechanic, so I really was guessing too. Maybe we can get a mechanic to chime in and splain it.

Ace Red

I saw a video of someone speed shifting and doing almost exactly what you describe. I tried it and had very similar results. Mine doesn't shift too bad compared to what I hear on the boards but this made it even better.

Michael Broadway

Thanks for chiming in on this Ace. I'm really liking the way this feels when you use this method.

spqr

From what I understand, shifting like that puts a lot more wear on the synchros. I could be wrong though...

Personally, I try to rev match or shift super early to keep a tight rpm range when it's cold outside and the engine/tranny are cold. This seems to remove most of my notchiness.

Michael Broadway

I've found the opposite in my car. When I shift at low rpm my notchiness is worse. Maybe it's just a difference in our cars. Also, I don't see how shifting in this manner would put any wear on the synchros. Maybe a mechanic can chime in here and enlighten us.

Ace Red

I probably tend to shift higher rpms as well. It does shift better at higher rpms

14Glassback

I am a ASE certified tech, but do not turn wrenches anymore for a living. And I am far from a transmission expert. But it seems very logical to me that shifting this way would put extra stress on the synchros. Your synchros are more or less teeth that guide each gear together. Not pressing in on the clutch and disconnecting engine power from the transmission would put extra stress on those components. I personally would not shift my MT82 this way...

Last1

A picture is worth a thousand words

Ace Red

I'm not doing it like a..... speed shift... But it is a little similar. Comes out nice and clutch goes down near same time and slides in with little or no effort.

MustangDude

I would want to shift normally, not have to do a work around. The MGW will change everything.

Black Fire

Notchy shifts when cold is inherent to all manual transmissions.
I've driven Ford toploaders, Muncie M20's 21's and 22's, Borg Warner T5's Super T10's and T56's and the MT82 is no different. A proper shifter can make all the difference in the world on any of them.

RubyRedMCA_Beast

It can't be good on things inside the transmission to continually pull it out of gear without using the clutch.

Edit - I was a Ford mechanic for a few years and have worked in the industry for the past 13 years. I've never heard of anyone doing this under normal circumstances.

What does the owner's manual say about shifting? I'm sure there is something in there that says you're supposed to use the clutch before shifting out of gear.

FromZto5

Agree. And that's just the top half of the MGW. That's like an iceberg. The real meat and beef comes in the lower half.

As to the op and his topic, a proper, working, non-issue transmission shouldn't need to be shifted like that. That's not normal. Even when I had the pos stock shifter, it wasn't great, but it was functional. Just me, but I'd never shift without a clutch.

Moejoe_989

My dad is a mechanic so I'll ask him.
I remember him, or maybe an uncle or someone? Telling me when I was 16 that you don't need to push the clutch in to shift it out of gear, so long as you are in the right RPM range, which is easier said than done.

I've shifted my car both in AND out of gear this way, but it's always easier out or down a gear. Say, from 3rd into neutral.

If you keep the accelerator pushed though, it is extra added stress on the syncros and something will inevitably go wrong or cause damage.

Mine is notchy on cold days but when I shift around 2500 RPMs it's fine

Johnny Bravo

I've been doing the same thing! I randomely did it one day and was like "Wow, this makes shifting a lot smoother."