I have a brand spanking new 2008 Miata (only 90 miles on it when I got it last week!) with a 6 speed transmission. I have 600 miles on it now and noticed something strange and I don't know if it's me or the car. I generally shift around 2500-3000 rpm for faster acceleration and don't rev the engine more than 3100 - 3200. The last time I drove a manual was a '85 Isuzu Trooper with only 4 speeds so I'm relearning my shifting techniques.
What happens is I'll be in 4th gear and all of a sudden the stick shift pops out into neutral. The first time it happened I was very surprised as this had never happened to me in a manual car before. I just put the clutch in and popped it back into 4th.
The 2nd time it happened, I noticed that I was around 3K rpm. I tried revving higher in 4th thinking that maybe these newer manual transmissions were telling me I needed to get into the next gear, but I couldn't force it to pop out into neutral anywhere between 2000 -
3500 rpm in fourth gear.The 3rd time it happened, I noticed again that I was around 3000 rpm when it popped into neutral. Again tried revving higher but I couldn't duplicate it.
Is this normal? Or do I have a defective 4th gear? It doesn't happen all the time, but the fact that it has happened 3 times in less than a week concerns me.
I made sure my hand wasn't anywhere near it the last two times (so I know my hand isn't hitting the knob), the clutch was out (no foot on the clutch) in all 3 times, it's always happened when it's been a fairly straight road, not really accelerating to shift into 5th but just cruising along. It only has happened in the 4th gear, it hasn't occurred in any other gears.
I guess my next step is to check with the dealer, as I'm sure it's covered under warranty. I would appreciate any ideas.