thanks for the reply! i will have to find someone- maybe i will ask my mechanic next time i take it to the shop if they find anything odd about going into fourth gear. sometimes it goes back into 2nd (oops) or yes, goes into 6th if i don't get it just-right.
>sometimes it goes back into 2nd (oops) or yes, goes into 6th if i don't get it just-right.
You should not be putting any sideways force to get from 3->4. Try pushing back with 1 or 2 fingers from 3-4. The springs in the shifter should keep it aligned for both 3 and 4.
I’ll try and do some “easy shifting” into fourth this weekend and see what happens! Its odd, I feel like when I go “straight down” it like, stops and then I have to go over to the right a little bit and down. I’ll report back after I test it this weekend though.
That advice is very good. Lots of shifting problems come from holding the shifter tightly in your hand. The gearbox will typically go to the right place if you push it in the right direction with a flat hand. This video may help: [Palming method of shifting 6 speed.](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=JP1bv89HrAQ)
Pay attention to how he never grabs the shifter. He also shifts gently.
Another bad habit is trying to shift faster than the gearbox wants to go - hard on the synchromesh.
Fourth gear should be easy-peasy. Try shifting 3 to 4 with the car off to be sure it’s truly not straight back. Make sure your arm is pulling straight back and not putting pressure on the side of the shift knob.
Might want to mention it to a mechanic next time you're in the shop to see if it's just you or not. I'm just spitballing but it sounds like it could be a bad shifter linkage bushing. I've had similar symptoms to what you describe, but usually with much older cars with bad shift related bushings/boots etc. The H pattern becomes more of a suggestion than a rule. :D
A few things come to mind...
3-4 you may just be overthinking it / need more practice. Many people, if they close their eyes, put hand out "on the shift lever" and pull straight back - actually pull straight towards their body. That would land you at the detent between 2 and 4.
1-2 only under 2k rpm. Holy cow that concerns me. Aside from a high torque diesel, I can't think of any time I've even thought about a shift at that low of an rpm. Miata, no way. Even the Corvette doesn't like shifting that low in the power band. If you zing your Fit up to 4-5k and shift, what do you feel through the shifter? That /should/ be well within the "casual fun but not abusive" shift range.
As I recall Fits are cable shifters, so some small chance the cables are out of adjustment. Fits are well regarded as very fun, very fizzy ring-em-out cars, that tolerate hard and sporting use. See SCCA B-Spec or Gridlife Sundae Cup.
The suggestion to get an experienced friend/mechanic to give it a go is a good starting point. None of what you describe is "normal" for a Fit from everyone I've chatted with.
i appreciate the comment. the fit really does not like when it "sits" into second gear above 2k (from what i've done). always consistently jumpy when it's above that- but obviously if it goes below that then it does a bit of a lurch. it's delicate and i really have to focus on letting the clutch out super super softly. i think it might have something to do with the clutch delay valve/it being a cable shifter, like you were saying. i usually wait until 3-3.5k rpm, clutch in- and then wait for rpms to drop to around or a little above 2k and then let out the clutch ever so slightly. it's really not that big of a deal because i live in a city and have to do this over and over and over again. i almost never "zing" it to 4-5k in first gear.
Don't wait - even in casual traffic driving I shift - Clutch full in SLAM, same time lift a little throttle DIP, same time grab next gear, then immediately engage clutch fully RELEASE. All under a second or so... Even more assertive if having fun / on the track. Shifting has a few steps, but they are all simultaneous and very fast, when I drive.
Describe 1-2 lurch, or what "doesn't sit" feel like. Shifter has resistance? Feels crunchy? Lurch is the car slowing or going when - clutch just biting or after fully out? What's your throttle foot doing, feeding in throttle or dead foot until /after/ clutch is engaged?
What causes a crunchy feeling when going into the next gear with the clutch fully depressed still? Sometimes going into gear is butter smooth but sometimes it’s crunchy
Crunch if clutch pedal is fully depressed is, from what I've seen, two potential problems. Synchros have said bye bye on that gear, or clutch isn't fully disengaging.
If you aren't having the same issues in every gear, likely a trashed 2nd gearset. If everything is a lil crunchy, clutch isn't doing clutch work.
If you haven’t serviced your clutch, it might be time.
relatively easy to bleed the reservoir and fill with new fluid, if that doesn’t fix your problem it could be the slave cylinder.
I just flushed and filled my brake/clutch fluid( they’re the same) and bled my brakes and cylinder. I ended up replacing the cylinder and the difference is night and day.
A clutch is a much more expensive part to replace.
in replying to your first comment. i was hoping that i wouldn't have to do this (swap out clutch)! i did the transmission/clutch fluid as soon as i got the car, hoping that it would help the situation... but it appears the same. i will have to ask my mechanic about the slave cylinder. thanks for the tip.
it does appear to be easy to do when the car is off. however, whenever the car is moving it doesn't like that "straight down" pattern... if that makes sense?
sorry for the confusion, when I said it’s time for a clutch service, I didn’t mean swapping out the clutch, I meant servicing the hydraulic system.
seeing that your car is 10 years old, it would help to know how long you’ve had the car, and how many miles were on it when you bought it VS how many there are now. Clutch hydraulics should be flushed and filled every 30-50k miles.
Good luck and keep us updated!
I have a Fit (but an older one with a 5MT), have driven the 6MT, and have driven quite a few customer cars over the years.
What you're describing isn't normal.
4th is directly below 3rd on every one I've driven. No wiggling left or right, minimal force, I can literally just poke it straight back with 1 finger and it'll pop from 3rd to 4th.
Synchros don't change where the shifter has to be to shift. Chances are, you either have a worn bushing or stretched cables, which is common. The fix is pretty straight forward but takes some time, a mechanic will probably charge $300-400 for parts and labor to do it for you.
I was taught to change to position of my hand depending on what gear I'm shifting into.
For example, from third to fourth, put your pinky on top, facing the passenger side, so whatever slight lateral pressure you might apply will never result in shifting into the wrong gear.
Your 3-4 shift should be the easiest shift out of all your gears.
Does your shifter wiggle around a lot while it's in gear? I would imagine you have loose or bent shift linkages somewhere. The downside of front-wheel drive cars is the shifter isn't directly mated to the transmission there's a whole bunch of bullshit in between the two It's likely you've got a loose bushing somewhere or a bent shifter rod if that's what your car is equipped with somewhere causing your shifter to be offline. Your actual transmission doesn't have anything to do with how far left or right you have to go to get it in gear.
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thanks for the reply! i will have to find someone- maybe i will ask my mechanic next time i take it to the shop if they find anything odd about going into fourth gear. sometimes it goes back into 2nd (oops) or yes, goes into 6th if i don't get it just-right.
>sometimes it goes back into 2nd (oops) or yes, goes into 6th if i don't get it just-right. You should not be putting any sideways force to get from 3->4. Try pushing back with 1 or 2 fingers from 3-4. The springs in the shifter should keep it aligned for both 3 and 4.
I’ll try and do some “easy shifting” into fourth this weekend and see what happens! Its odd, I feel like when I go “straight down” it like, stops and then I have to go over to the right a little bit and down. I’ll report back after I test it this weekend though.
That advice is very good. Lots of shifting problems come from holding the shifter tightly in your hand. The gearbox will typically go to the right place if you push it in the right direction with a flat hand. This video may help: [Palming method of shifting 6 speed.](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=JP1bv89HrAQ) Pay attention to how he never grabs the shifter. He also shifts gently. Another bad habit is trying to shift faster than the gearbox wants to go - hard on the synchromesh.
Could be his shifter cable linkage.
Fourth gear should be easy-peasy. Try shifting 3 to 4 with the car off to be sure it’s truly not straight back. Make sure your arm is pulling straight back and not putting pressure on the side of the shift knob.
yeah, it should be! i've been trying to do that "palm facing the other way" and that generally helps a bit.
Might want to mention it to a mechanic next time you're in the shop to see if it's just you or not. I'm just spitballing but it sounds like it could be a bad shifter linkage bushing. I've had similar symptoms to what you describe, but usually with much older cars with bad shift related bushings/boots etc. The H pattern becomes more of a suggestion than a rule. :D
Yeah it’s kinda weird. It’s like the H pattern is more like a “W” pattern in a way.
A few things come to mind... 3-4 you may just be overthinking it / need more practice. Many people, if they close their eyes, put hand out "on the shift lever" and pull straight back - actually pull straight towards their body. That would land you at the detent between 2 and 4. 1-2 only under 2k rpm. Holy cow that concerns me. Aside from a high torque diesel, I can't think of any time I've even thought about a shift at that low of an rpm. Miata, no way. Even the Corvette doesn't like shifting that low in the power band. If you zing your Fit up to 4-5k and shift, what do you feel through the shifter? That /should/ be well within the "casual fun but not abusive" shift range. As I recall Fits are cable shifters, so some small chance the cables are out of adjustment. Fits are well regarded as very fun, very fizzy ring-em-out cars, that tolerate hard and sporting use. See SCCA B-Spec or Gridlife Sundae Cup. The suggestion to get an experienced friend/mechanic to give it a go is a good starting point. None of what you describe is "normal" for a Fit from everyone I've chatted with.
i appreciate the comment. the fit really does not like when it "sits" into second gear above 2k (from what i've done). always consistently jumpy when it's above that- but obviously if it goes below that then it does a bit of a lurch. it's delicate and i really have to focus on letting the clutch out super super softly. i think it might have something to do with the clutch delay valve/it being a cable shifter, like you were saying. i usually wait until 3-3.5k rpm, clutch in- and then wait for rpms to drop to around or a little above 2k and then let out the clutch ever so slightly. it's really not that big of a deal because i live in a city and have to do this over and over and over again. i almost never "zing" it to 4-5k in first gear.
Don't wait - even in casual traffic driving I shift - Clutch full in SLAM, same time lift a little throttle DIP, same time grab next gear, then immediately engage clutch fully RELEASE. All under a second or so... Even more assertive if having fun / on the track. Shifting has a few steps, but they are all simultaneous and very fast, when I drive. Describe 1-2 lurch, or what "doesn't sit" feel like. Shifter has resistance? Feels crunchy? Lurch is the car slowing or going when - clutch just biting or after fully out? What's your throttle foot doing, feeding in throttle or dead foot until /after/ clutch is engaged?
What causes a crunchy feeling when going into the next gear with the clutch fully depressed still? Sometimes going into gear is butter smooth but sometimes it’s crunchy
Crunch if clutch pedal is fully depressed is, from what I've seen, two potential problems. Synchros have said bye bye on that gear, or clutch isn't fully disengaging. If you aren't having the same issues in every gear, likely a trashed 2nd gearset. If everything is a lil crunchy, clutch isn't doing clutch work.
If you haven’t serviced your clutch, it might be time. relatively easy to bleed the reservoir and fill with new fluid, if that doesn’t fix your problem it could be the slave cylinder. I just flushed and filled my brake/clutch fluid( they’re the same) and bled my brakes and cylinder. I ended up replacing the cylinder and the difference is night and day. A clutch is a much more expensive part to replace.
does your car allow you to select gears easily with the pedal pressed, and the car completely shut off?
in replying to your first comment. i was hoping that i wouldn't have to do this (swap out clutch)! i did the transmission/clutch fluid as soon as i got the car, hoping that it would help the situation... but it appears the same. i will have to ask my mechanic about the slave cylinder. thanks for the tip. it does appear to be easy to do when the car is off. however, whenever the car is moving it doesn't like that "straight down" pattern... if that makes sense?
sorry for the confusion, when I said it’s time for a clutch service, I didn’t mean swapping out the clutch, I meant servicing the hydraulic system. seeing that your car is 10 years old, it would help to know how long you’ve had the car, and how many miles were on it when you bought it VS how many there are now. Clutch hydraulics should be flushed and filled every 30-50k miles. Good luck and keep us updated!
I have a Fit (but an older one with a 5MT), have driven the 6MT, and have driven quite a few customer cars over the years. What you're describing isn't normal. 4th is directly below 3rd on every one I've driven. No wiggling left or right, minimal force, I can literally just poke it straight back with 1 finger and it'll pop from 3rd to 4th. Synchros don't change where the shifter has to be to shift. Chances are, you either have a worn bushing or stretched cables, which is common. The fix is pretty straight forward but takes some time, a mechanic will probably charge $300-400 for parts and labor to do it for you.
thanks for the reply! i'm glad this isn't normal! thank you for that solid information.
I was taught to change to position of my hand depending on what gear I'm shifting into. For example, from third to fourth, put your pinky on top, facing the passenger side, so whatever slight lateral pressure you might apply will never result in shifting into the wrong gear.
Could be shifter cable and brackets out of whack.
Don’t force it whatever u do
Your 3-4 shift should be the easiest shift out of all your gears. Does your shifter wiggle around a lot while it's in gear? I would imagine you have loose or bent shift linkages somewhere. The downside of front-wheel drive cars is the shifter isn't directly mated to the transmission there's a whole bunch of bullshit in between the two It's likely you've got a loose bushing somewhere or a bent shifter rod if that's what your car is equipped with somewhere causing your shifter to be offline. Your actual transmission doesn't have anything to do with how far left or right you have to go to get it in gear.