I am starting this thread because it seems like there are 4 or so explanations why the GSR transmissions are notchy and grind between 1-2 and 2-3. There has to be a definite reason why this happens. The reason axle shaft seals leak on Titans are because they suck, the reason 08+ CBR1000RR's have noisy transmission is due to a poorly made gear... there are definite explanations for these issues with other vehicles... what is the reason for the GSR Trans issues?

-Trans Fluid?
-Shifter?
-Restrictor pill?
-Just a crap transmission?
-Just a racing tranny that hates me driving it to work?


I am sick and tired of it, I spent 36 grand and have a transmission that so far blows ass. It grinds into 2nd gear if you can even find the damn gear under hard acceleration, it randomly grinds going into third just cruising around, its no where close to smooth.

PLEASE HELP BEFORE I TRADE THAT DAMN THING FOR AN STI!

Sounds like you damaged your synchros already.

The 5spd is a notchy beast. If you cannot engage under acceleration tho, sounds like you hurt it. Mine drove perfectly normal (normal for Evo x that is) and turns out the reverse synchro was broken. It was found during the trans build.

I've noticed that my 2nd to 3rd shift feels very notchy when the transmission isn't warmed up. After that it's pretty good. It hasn't been grinding though. A lot of performance transmissions don't like to play until they've driven a few miles. My father's C6 Corvette was HORRIBLE when the trans was cool.

This has cured my grinding and notchy trans..

get yourself some shifter bushings on the base and on the trans

get a lower engine mount 70 duro if you like it like stock and 90 duro if you like a back massage when you're at a stop.

replace the transfluid with amsoil equiv

Put miles on your car.. i have over 45k and its gotten better with age.

i have over 45k and its gotten better with age.

...like a fine box of wine.

...like a fine box of wine.

or a cougar they are also 45 and get better with age i hear.

^^^ I agree it has gotten much better with age. Also let the car warm up for like 5 min or so then go it helps some.

mine was rough for about 5k miles at the most. its fine now. when its breaking in, don't get all pissed and he-man it. all you do it grind metal and cause permanent damage.

Mine hates the cold. I try to let it warm up a bit, and then it seems to be ok. As noted above, don't force anything, because that just makes matters worse. Mine's a tad notchy (got 9k miles) but usually after a few miles, and it being "warm" it is smooth.

So what do I have to blame for this:

I am often locked out of 1st and reverse, ONLY from a stop.

I sometimes have to put it in 3rd and roll off the clutch a tiny bit just to get the tires to move maybe a quarter of an inch. That makes gear 1 and the reverse useable, otherwise they're locked out (can't get the shifter in at all, haven't tried physically forcing it in because that'd be really really dumb, forreal)

I have absolutely no transmission complaints otherwise. Will also try the "cocktail" to see if I like the transmission even more.

Sounds like you damaged your synchros already.

The 5spd is a notchy beast. If you cannot engage under acceleration tho, sounds like you hurt it. Mine drove perfectly normal (normal for Evo x that is) and turns out the reverse synchro was broken. It was found during the trans build.

It has 1900 miles on it!!! That scares me. It shifts into 2nd perfectly unless you give shift it very quickly under hard acceleration, and then it shifts fine into 2nd half the time under a heavy load?!

keep going, its still breaking in. im at 53k and mine is smooth now with the redline cocktail.

maybe 1st and 3rd could be bad because there is no reverse gear, they just use another shaft that uses 1st and 3rd gear instead of a reverse gear.

read this: http://www.jackstransmissions.com/pages/evox-review

I have about 12k miles on my '10 GSR and it has been stock from new up until a couple months ago when I put a full exhaust on it. Beat the piss out of the car and DD it and my gears go in perfectly. Only complaint I have on it is reverse is a bitch to get in at times which is common because of how Mitsu did the gearing.
Like others have said, you may have messed up your syncros.

keep going, its still breaking in. im at 53k and mine is smooth now with the redline cocktail.

maybe 1st and 3rd could be bad because there is no reverse gear, they just use another shaft that uses 1st and 3rd gear instead of a reverse gear.

read this: http://www.jackstransmissions.com/pages/evox-review

You beat me to it, I was just going to post this up.
BTW read the bottom addition about the diff pins

yup, already did. good thing im local to jacks.

I have about 12k miles on my '10 GSR and it has been stock from new up until a couple months ago when I put a full exhaust on it. Beat the piss out of the car and DD it and my gears go in perfectly. Only complaint I have on it is reverse is a bitch to get in at times which is common because of how Mitsu did the gearing.
Like others have said, you may have messed up your syncros.

How would I have messed up the syncros? My complaints are no different from any of the other 20+ pages.

How then do you differentiate a grind and a notch... it being audible? None of it is audible, just a feeling.

i have a same complain, my car is 2010 w/ 8k miles, but i notice sometimes its not notchy or grind when the weather is hot, btw i got the car last summer but when the winter hits they start to notch and grind from 1st to 2nd to 3rd..

how do you know if you messup your syncros??

and i even have TWM SS and base bushing...

I am 100% stock. Had the car a month, Louisiana spring so its 85 our with 75% humidity.

I am 100% stock. Had the car a month, Louisiana spring so its 85 our with 75% humidity.

like i said, its still breaking in, dont freak out. if you havent been beating the shit out of it, then im sure its fine

Ok I just went and drove it. Flawless shifts from 1-2 & 2-3 both cruising around, driving spiritedly, then very spiritedly, so I think the few times in the past that it did feel notchy between 1-2 I may have not have been paying attention or shifting properly.

If your syncos are out you will grind every time at full throttle and even some times when you are just shifting normally. Mine does not do this, so I have concluded that the syncros are not bad.

The notch/grind I am feeling occasionally while shifting into 3rd gear has been that way since I picked the car up with 2 miles on it. So I think I am simply having the same problems that every one complains about. I addressed this with the service manager, he drove my car and one just like it and mentioned it felt normal. So I will give it a few thousand miles more and see how it ends up. If it continues I will try the lube-cocktail. I am probably going to get that shifter anyway.... looks like it will make driving around alot easier.

if the synchros were toast, then the gears would not line up correctly, and yes, it would grind every shift, no matter if your just cruising or at WOT

Here is my problem: unable to select any gear at will from a cold start up. Have to just wiggle it up a bit till it finds a random gear then release clutch slightly to get the wheels to move a notch then quickly select 1st or reverse. When slowing down and stopping for a light, i grab 1st right before the wheels stop rolling...else i might find it hard to get in there when i get the Go! Sometimes i find i get locked out of 2nd from 1st when i up-shift too slow but when i shift quickly it selects 2nd but feels notchy.

Will the perfect timing of shifts help with this? I hope im not the only person experiencing this! Mine is a RHD from japan so we all have this problem guys ! i dont feel so bad after all !

So what do I have to blame for this:

I am often locked out of 1st and reverse, ONLY from a stop.

I sometimes have to put it in 3rd and roll off the clutch a tiny bit just to get the tires to move maybe a quarter of an inch. That makes gear 1 and the reverse useable, otherwise they're locked out (can't get the shifter in at all, haven't tried physically forcing it in because that'd be really really dumb, forreal)

I have absolutely no transmission complaints otherwise. Will also try the "cocktail" to see if I like the transmission even more.


There is a simple fix. Double Clutch. Put your shifter in neutral. Let the clutch out. Put the clutch back in. Now that the parts are spinning, it will go right into gear.

That works for anytime you are "locked out" of a gear.

Here is my problem: unable to select any gear at will from a cold start up. Have to just wiggle it up a bit till it finds a random gear then release clutch slightly to get the wheels to move a notch then quickly select 1st or reverse. When slowing down and stopping for a light, i grab 1st right before the wheels stop rolling...else i might find it hard to get in there when i get the Go! Sometimes i find i get locked out of 2nd from 1st when i up-shift too slow but when i shift quickly it selects 2nd but feels notchy.

Will the perfect timing of shifts help with this? I hope im not the only person experiencing this! Mine is a RHD from japan so we all have this problem guys ! i dont feel so bad after all !

This happens to you and everyone else. To answer your original question there is no answer on this or any other forum, I've got the same damn question (along with hundreds of other folks). Fluid helped but all the other suggestions just change the feeling and short shifters just make it worse. Time will improve the problem, learn to love it or sell it.

I have a 2011 too, and at 300 miles I replaced all the transmissions bushings with TWM's kit and installed a short throw shifter w/ weight knob. OP, I also felt that the stock shifter sucked which is what drove me to make this my first mod. Along with the clutch restrictor pill removal, the car now shifts properly. I don't have any grinding or problems getting into gear under load, and everything now feels tight and mechanical. I have about 1500 miles now.

Yes, it's still hard to put the car in reverse or 1st gear in the morning when everything's cold (easily remedied by just putting it into 2nd gear then back to 1st or reverse), but I haven't been locked out a gear since or ground terribly. Next mod will be redline cocktail, which I anticipate will clear up the rest of my complaints.

But if you don't want to replace any parts yet, remove that stupid clutch restrictor pill. It's useless unless you're a n00b who like to clutch drop at 5k all the time (which it doesn't sound like, since you're fairly well spoken :)).

Yes, it's still hard to put the car in reverse or 1st gear in the morning when everything's cold (easily remedied by just putting it into 2nd gear then back to 1st or reverse), but I haven't been locked out a gear since or ground terribly. Next mod will be redline cocktail, which I anticipate will clear up the rest of my complaints.

thats just because there is no reverse gear, they just use 1st and 3rd and an alternate shaft to save weight

I know this sounds silly, but check the carpeting under your clutch pedal. See if there is anything there in the way (even the rug, sometimes car washes or service centers dont put them back in the right place) preventing the clutch pedal from being fully pressed, causing the gear engagement to be weird.

It's a long shot, but takes 2 seconds to take a peek and see.

I have about 12k miles on my '10 GSR and it has been stock from new up until a couple months ago when I put a full exhaust on it. Beat the piss out of the car and DD it and my gears go in perfectly. Only complaint I have on it is reverse is a bitch to get in at times which is common because of how Mitsu did the gearing.
Like others have said, you may have messed up your syncros.

That's because you have super legs...remember the gas pedal breaking lol. That clutch pedal is pressed so hard your transmission is scared to death of you to grind.

LOL JK... But yes I have driven Andre's car and it shifts super smooth and he does get on it quite a bit and shifts fast.

Like I said, the OP should check the carpeting under the clutch pedal.

Or maybe put some penzoil syncromesh? Not sure what the recomended one is for the Evos.

Also couldn't hurt to see if your stock MC is leaking or needs bled

I have 1500 on my GSR and I hated the 1st to 2nd shift i would baby it and you still could here a metal to metal sound outside of the car which is emabarassing and more importantly not good.... it wore off wen car is warm and after i started pushing the limits a little more, i also double clutch alot

I put a Redline cocktail in mine, with AMS underhood shifter bushings, shifter base bushings and Works SS wit weighted knob and it helped out a lot.

Not an anwser for your question, but a solution to the notchiness.

There is a simple fix. Double Clutch. Put your shifter in neutral. Let the clutch out. Put the clutch back in. Now that the parts are spinning, it will go right into gear.

That works for anytime you are "locked out" of a gear.

Correct, this works with a completely shit GSR as well. Perfect technique to use to allow everything to get warmed up and then all is well.

thats just because there is no reverse gear, they just use 1st and 3rd and an alternate shaft to save weight

I am aware of the reverse issue already, and you already stated it earlier in the thread. I was just trying to imply that it's not a problem, but rather, a minor inconvenience with the car. Obviously the redline cocktail won't fix a design decision made by Mitsu, but it will help (even if just slightly) with any residual and occasional problems with notchy/grinding gears.

So what is the reason for the restrictor pill?

I learned most everything I needed to know about the pill itself and how to remove it from this thread:

http://www.evoxforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=37928

Slows the grabbing of the clutch, thereby saving the drivetrain at the expense of the clutch.

Yeah releasing the clutch then depressing it again does absolutely nothing for being locked out of first and reverse. I always have to inch it forward slightly in 3rd and all of a sudden first and reverse opens wide and no problem gettin it in.

Okay so we're talking about several different problems, and I'm going to focus on two below that both have to do with the notchiness. I think the fluid cocktail was a way of masking some of the symptoms that deal with these two problems by slightly increasing fluid viscosity, though I profess that I have absolutely no facts to back that up. OP also mentions a crap transmission, but I will defer to the Jack's Transmission Evo X review that I believe was also mentioned earlier in the thread; the article mentions (loosely paraphrased) some small issues but generally great improvement over previous generations:
http://www.jackstransmissions.com/pages/evox-review

(1) is each synchro in your transmission. Each gear has a synchro whose sole job it is to match rotational velocities as you slide into gear (hence synchronize). Double clutching- where you press the clutch pedal, go to neutral, release the clutch pedal, press the clutch pedal, shift to next gear- does the same job as your nifty synchro. It's how all old transmissions used to work before synchros. If double clutching helps, your synchro might be going out; there are some times (i.e. when the tranny is far below normal operating temperature) when the transmission might not shift as fluidly, and within normal limits that can produce nearly inaudible "notchiness". So far as I'm aware, there is no native problem with our forks/synchros/bearings/etc. that has been pinpointed as the reason for the "notchiness". If you always let your car warm way up, and especially if you're in a warm climate, you may never notice it.

(2) is this clutch restrictor pill. It's supposed to save your drivetrain from shock by tapering the clutch engagement. SO theoretically it will have no impact on the disengagement of the clutch, it is supposed to be pushed back, out of the direction of flow. However, there is inevitably some turbulence/restriction (exacerbated by the cold, leading to a lower viscosity clutch fluid -> lower flow rate), incorrectly so, that can mean the clutch is partially engaged when it shouldn't be, that is likely to be coupled with you putting it into the next gear at what is likely to be a non-optimal RPM (i.e. not the perfect RPM for a smooth, clutch-less shift) and that shift will inevitably be very notchy, even grindy. And the CORRECT functionality of the restrictor pill, to forcibly slip the clutch every engagement, wears down your clutch prematurely. What REALLY CHAPS MY BALLS is that Mitsu penalizes every owner for the sake of saving themselves the pain of dealing with people who don't understand how to use a clutch. Oh well, it's not like Mitsu is the ONLY auto manufacturer to so severely distrust their customers use of the clutch, are they? Do they think that ANYONE plans to go straight from clutch dumping on a strip (first of all, who the hell does that?) to claiming warranty drivetrain work...? They've been very clear to me that they can void my warranty if they can prove that the cause of the damage was abuse.

My suspicion is that shifting too soon after fully depressing the clutch pedal with the restrictor pill in will gradually wear down the synchros, it will slowly become more and more notchy with time unless you significantly delay shifting into the next gear after disengaging the clutch, and eventually, you will need to double clutch to prevent the inevitable grind. So, take the restrictor pill out, and hope you didn't damage any synchros before then.

Just decided to remove the pill in my GSR. Quite an easy job. Bleeding was also a charm. Will have to wait tomorrow to try it though.

What decided me was the fact that the clutch wasn't always the same. Since 2 days, it was a operating super nicely and I almost had no notchy 2nd and 3rd gear. But before, they were very notchy, even when the car was warmed up. It was like a cycle that kept coming and going... I thought that maybe the restrictor was getting misplaced or something and that it was making the clutch not disengage far enough or fast enough.

Anyway, I'll test it out tomorrow and post the results.

The double clutching method stated earlier has worked for me every time I'm locked out of reverse.

Sub'd


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Just decided to remove the pill in my GSR. Quite an easy job. Bleeding was also a charm. Will have to wait tomorrow to try it though.

What decided me was the fact that the clutch wasn't always the same. Since 2 days, it was a operating super nicely and I almost had no notchy 2nd and 3rd gear. But before, they were very notchy, even when the car was warmed up. It was like a cycle that kept coming and going... I thought that maybe the restrictor was getting misplaced or something and that it was making the clutch not disengage far enough or fast enough.

Anyway, I'll test it out tomorrow and post the results.

Holy shit, should have done this WAY sooner! It's almost like driving another car! Clutch feel is much more precise and consistent. But the main thing, no more grinding going in 2nd and 3rd! Still a bit notchy when cold, but once hot, I could throw the gears around no problems. Before, I really had to baby it in 2nd and 3rd, it was no fun.

WOW, i have the same problem. Bought my car brand new with 11 miles. Notchy sound from 1st to 2nd and from 2nd to 3rd. Brought it back to the dealer and they told me the bearings were loose. They replaced all 4 bearings, less notchy sound but its still there. :slaphead:

Hello to all. I'm new here. Normally after buying a new car, I research products and mods but this time around I find myself researching why my brand new evo has issues going into 2nd and 3rd gear. Just like everyone else on this thread, it's notchy. If I shift real slow it is ok but with a normal shift, I feel the gears vibrate the shifter. Funny thing is it doesn't do it going from 3rd to 2nd but it does do it when going from 1st to 2nd.

Hello to all. I'm new here. Normally after buying a new car, I research products and mods but this time around I find myself researching why my brand new evo has issues going into 2nd and 3rd gear. Just like everyone else on this thread, it's notchy. If I shift real slow it is ok but with a normal shift, I feel the gears vibrate the shifter. Funny thing is it doesn't do it going from 3rd to 2nd but it does do it when going from 1st to 2nd.

Change your transmission fluid and that will solve about 60% of it. The rest is solved by putting miles on the car. My car is stock shifter and shifts great. It takes about 10k miles to break it in. Better transmission fluid makes a big difference also.

I did the clutch restrictor (pill) removal this weekend and can tell that the notchiness has been reduced dramatically even when cold.

Some people say it lowers the grab point but it didn't for me. I believe others felt that it did due to not bleeding the line good enough.

I did the clutch restrictor (pill) removal this weekend and can tell that the notchiness has been reduced dramatically even when cold.

Some people say it lowers the grab point but it didn't for me. I believe others felt that it did due to not bleeding the line good enough.

Just wanna know what is the "clutch restrictor pill" and where is it?


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this thread here will help explain it http://www.evoxforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=37928


Just wanna know what is the "clutch restrictor pill" and where is it?


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If you have that clunking when shifting hard installing drive shaft carrier and rear diff bushing help a lot.

What are the risks of this besides voiding the warrenty? My 2012 clutch and tranny feels great! Even with the pill removed I'd assume that 3-4 launches will roast the clutch or is it the high rpm pill induced slip that does it?