Shifting problems with a mr2 trans and 7th gen short shifter Options

[supershannon77]

Hey everyone one I hope someone can help me. I recently bought Rjb23's car and I beleive he has the 7th gen short shifter and mr2 tans w/o lsd. The shifter feels much stiffer than othe car but thats not the problem. The shifter will be reall stiff but then it will get really lose and if you go into a gear in will be in a completely different gear...You can be driving and when your in first its like ur in 3rd or you will wan to shift into 3rd but it will be a downshift...this only happens when the shifter gets really lose. The only thing I did was pick up the car in Kentucky and drive it to new jersey which it like a 12 hr drive and havent really driving it much...I am a lil worried becaue when this happens the clucth smokes a lil and you can smell it..Does anyone no what this could be and how bad it is or how hard it is to fix...Thank you. O he said the car also has a stage 2 clutch..Thanks again ~shannon

This post has been edited by supershannon77: Mar 10, 2007 - 2:24 PM

[supershannon77]

A little bump with a side of some more info....The car shifts fine..well I have to put it in 1st with the car off but if I than drive around in first and second it is fineits once I try to go into third that the shifter gets all weird and loss and doesnt wanna go into 3rd..when you get it in it feels like a down shift...anybody?

[lagos]

its either a problem with him using incorrect shifter cables, or its a clutch issue.

[playr158]

take off the shifter boot and make sure all the cables are connected properly and the linkages are in good shape

check the linkages on the tranny themselves as well

[supershannon77]

I can shift the car with it on but It seems that I need to downshift it first.
I took the shifter off but to be honest I was just trying to buy a car that was complete bc I dont no much about this kind of stuff so I have no idea what I am looking at. I think it is the shifter cables or linkage or something not the clutch but I am not real sure....What if I took pics of the shifter?

[lagos]

did you try talking to the last owner on the car. im sure he knows what was wrong with it.

[supershannon77]

I tried asking him and he said that he never noticed anything about it getting lossing up...He did say it was harder to shift in the cold which was no help...But burnyd said this happen to his car and he had the mr2 swap...he said it was the shifter levers need to be adjusted...is htat an easy fix off hand?

[jgreening]

My recommendation is to seek the services of the JDM crew. Do not take it to someone unfamiliar with this swap - especially a Toyota dealer.

[Remy]

When was the last time the tranny fluid was changed ?? That could be the problem or the shift linkages or maybe the tranny is bad....and since you just bought the car did you give it a tune-up ??

[lagos]

shannon ...i got your pm on ctech, so ill just reply to it here.

you should ask the last seller what shifter cables he used when he did the swap. if the car started out as an ST, and he kept the stock shifter cables, then that might be the issue. i remember a few guys here with that same trans having a similar issues. besides that, just wait for some guys who have that tranny to post their replies. they will probably have more tips for you.

[supershannon77]

I have had the car for like a week so I have not had time but the oil and spark plugs have been changed. Does anyone know how to look for a place that knows what they are talking about when it comes to these car..Because I got really screwed over with my last car..so any tips?

[supershannon77]

The shifter cables are still for an st does this need to be changed to the mr2 ones? If so where do I look to get them and how do I go about doing it?

[Punisher]

Shannon, I sent you a PM.

[supershannon77]

Yes, I got your Pm I will keep you in mind but I think I found the problem..The c clamp thing came off the cable. (in the engine bay) Ill get a new one tomorrow thank you everyone!!

[jason]

i was gonna say, may sure everything is tightly connected under the hood, i had a problem with stuff coming loose in my talon i guess from changin gears fast with alot of force, i dont really drive my celica hard cuz its not a fast car, if the car will shift when off but not when running it may be due to vibrations etc mis aligning stuff i dunno, if everything else is all a-ok with the car i think you should be happy with this fixed =)

[brianforster]

the only place id take that car is the dealer, let them know what engine it is and it should be fine, the jdm and usdm motors arent really THAT different, just let them know you swapped it, its going to probably be the first one they saw, but they should be able to work on it still.

[Punisher]

I'm willing to bet that most techs at dealerships have rarely worked on a 3sgte based car.. especially with this much modification.

< will never take my car to a shop again for anything other than an alignment.. Which is fine by me.. I've learned to work on engines and transmissions and everything inbetween.

[brianforster]

you realize that the manuals that we swear by, the bgb's, are step by step what the dealer would do? they can get the JDM bgb's, and there are also head tech's that have probably been there for years and have seen a 3sgte before. im not saying your average joe mechanic can work on these (although i think he can as long as you give him the proper information, after all, its still just an internal combustion motor ).

now you cant just drop it off and expect them to fix it but if you give them the rundown they can prolly do it.

there is a reason why they made a career out of being a mechanic and most of us just have it as a hobby. dont think that reading every message board and manual you can get your hands on will give you the upper hand on a professional mechanic (especially one for toyota, who are the people who made the car)

This post has been edited by brianforster: Mar 14, 2007 - 4:37 PM

[Punisher]

you realize that the manuals that we swear by, the bgb's, are step by step what the dealer would do? they can get the JDM bgb's, and there are also head tech's that have probably been there for years and have seen a 3sgte before. im not saying your average joe mechanic can work on these (although i think he can as long as you give him the proper information, after all, its still just an internal combustion motor ).

now you cant just drop it off and expect them to fix it but if you give them the rundown they can prolly do it.

there is a reason why they made a career out of being a mechanic and most of us just have it as a hobby. dont think that reading every message board and manual you can get your hands on will give you the upper hand on a professional mechanic (especially one for toyota, who are the people who made the car)

Did you get that out of a toyota commercial? YES! Everyone that works as a tech at a dealership is a god.. i mean.. every single one of them knows it all and actually gives a flying F* about your car.

I'm also sure that any given custom turbo setup on the 3sgte is also in the BGB. Trust me, there are people out in the every day world that don't practice auto mechanics for a living that are more knowledgeable than dealership service techs.

[jgreening]

the only place id take that car is the dealer, let them know what engine it is and it should be fine, the jdm and usdm motors arent really THAT different, just let them know you swapped it, its going to probably be the first one they saw, but they should be able to work on it still.

The dealer is the last place I would take it. You will be over charged and 90+% of the mechanics there today will have NEVER seen a 3sgte much less a swapped car with shifting issues from a combination of bastard parts. Just like doctors or any other professional you would hire, hire the person for his experience and expertise in YOUR problem - not the facility in which he works.

I still think you should ask Jeff, Dustin and Manny to have a peak when they are in your area. They would probably charge you a couple beers for the diagnosis - just ask Shin.