Manual shifter break-in period

As the clutch surface wears in, only the friction point range should change - the clutch pedal distance from starting to grab to fully engaged. As it wears in, this distance decreases. Should have absolutely no effect on pedal force.

They might be using a heavier pressure plate spring or different mechanical advantage in the pedal to release arm.

Oppie

Heres a CC of my post to SaturnFans, hopefully this is more helpful info, didnt get much info there, maybe someone here can look at it here:

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ok, I have driven many manual shift IONs and wonder what the ^*&%$# is going on with my new '07 sedan. I have had it 3.5 months and it has 4K miles on it. I drive sporty, but have never dogged on the shifter. (I haven't driven stick in yrs so I have had a couple of learning curve troubles which the tranny quickly and audibly corrected me on, driving much better now, thank you).

Getting from 1st to 2nd feels like I have to pull the shift lever with unnecessary force. Other gears are OK and quite smooth as far as an unbroken-in tranny. Is this a normal feeling for a new manual tranny or are my arms just getting weak or will this shifter become easier as it breaks in?

I have compared other new manual IONs on the lot as well as an '03 ION (which pleasingly went into all gears nicely) and mine just feels tough to get into 2nd gear. TIA.

marx404

Time to reboot my brain... Don't know how I managed to reply to a shifting question with a clutch pedal effort answer.

Let me ask - how does the shifting feel with the engine off and the clutch in? Either the clutch may not be totally disengaging and the syncros are fighting the engagement or the synchros are dragging on their shafts. If you feel like changing the transmission fluid, check for brass particles. Is there a magnetic drain plug used on this car?

Oppie

Shifting feels fine and easy with the engine off and the clutch pressed in. When the engine is on however, the shifter is most hard getting into 2nd gear and sometimes wont allow me if the RPM or engine speed isn't "exactly" where it wants to be, even though the shift light on the dash comes on telling me to shift. No clue if there is a magnetic drain plug.

This is a brand new car, so I wont be doing any work myself, however, the techs at my dealership suck and wont address a problem unless they feel it is obvious to them. (Case in point, my appliqués were rattling techs were clueless, I posted here, got an answer, told the techs what to fix.) It seems like protocol, I have to tell the techs what the problem is to get them to fix it. Only dealership around for 100 mi. :-(

marx404

I would get the shop to change the transmission oil - for starters at least. Since you can shift the transmission easilly with the engine off, seems reasonable that it is a clutch or synchro issue. How about reverse gear? Reverse on most cars does not have a synchro (they assume that you are stopped when shifting into rev). If it is a clutch disengagement issue, you should grind a bit trying to get it into reverse.

You mentioned in a separate thread about a creak in the clutch pedal. May be indicitive of a larger problem.

Don't get me started on lazy techs. You read what happened with my lw300 and the intermittent no start. Dealer had it almost a week and I told them finally to replace the crank angle sensor. Fine ever since. Is it an option to go to an independant mechanic and have them bill for warranty service? Might be worth it in any event if you can find a good tech, to pay for it and avoid the grief.

Oppie

I spoke with the shop supervisor about the creak, now I have to wait for "my tech" to look at it. I expect that he will most likely tell me that he doesn't notice any problem or that he will have to spend extra time trouble shooting it. As I am an employee, I get looked at last, even if it is something serious. Not all dealers and mechanics are alike, I just happened to step in the smelly pile.

I am suspicious of the master cylinder as well as the clutch pedal itself. Let ya know next week when they get around to looking at it. I have a customer who is a Saturn loyalist, he told me about this local mechanic who used to be a GM tech, I'm going to check him out, but I don't know if Orig. Warranty is useable at anywhere else other than Saturn dealerships.

marx404

Who knows, as they treat an employee as a second class citizen, it would be worth having an independant at least diagnose it. Then give the findings to your shop and give them the option of paying for the repair under warranty or moving it back to their shop to do the repair. I suspect that they may find it less expensive to have the other guy do it... I have heard that transmission shops are often covered under most manufacturer's warranties. Could be a similar arrangement.

The shop finally got to looking at it and found the master cylinder faulty, replaced it. Feels like a new shifter again and no more creaky noises. Now I just gotta learn to live awith a "synchronized" shifter. I hate having to wait for the synchchronizer to catch up, I just like to quickly press the clutch down, shift into gear quickly and go. Guess I have been spoiled by driving sports cars that you can basically shift how you want to.

That was the clutch master cylinder (master-slave)? Don't know why the synchros should be a problem still. Should be no different than any other manual shift you've ever driven. Try shifting on one of the similar cars on your lot to see if it is any different. If yours is still harder to shift, get the transmision oil changed and check for metal powder or flakes in the oil. this would be evidence of damage to the transmission.

I used to have a '69 VW beetle. I was out in the boonies when the clutch throw-out bearing failed. I put the car in first gear and started it. Going

20 miles in first gear was a bit tedious so I got nervy and tried to shift without the clutch. Found that if you just match the engine speed, could shift though the gears just fine and without any grinding. I just kept a gentle pressure on the shifter trying to pull in into gear (from neutral while car was moving) and adjusted the throttle until the right speed was achieved and then the shifter just dropped into gear.

The tech said that he bled the master cylinder and saw no metal flakes. Said he had to bleed the system as he had to change the master cylinder. I do notice that it is easier to shift now, much more like a new ION. Its been 2 days now, Ill drive a few more and see.....

Sounds like progress. This is a good thing. When I wrote about checking for metal flakes, I meant in the transmission oil, not the clutch master cylinder. Sorry for the mis-understanding.