So...when I engage first or second gear I get a high pitched grinding sound

[beer]

I have a 2006 Mazda3 S GT with 35,000 miles on it. A significant chunk of those miles are on san francisco hills. It's a manual.

For the past 300 or so miles, I've noticed that when I go into first or second, as the gear is catching I get a high-pitched grinding sound. There is no reduction in performance of how it catches, though (feels same as brand new) and once it's engaged it feels fine. 3rd and 4th gear don't have the sound.

Is this my clutch that's making the sound? What needs to be done?

 

[PricklyPete]

Possibly the synchros are going for those gears. Worth getting it checked out by a transmission expert or if still under warranty..your dealer.

 

[BlahBlahYouToo]

synchros worn.
kind of odd it's happening on such low miles. do you not rev match when shifting?
is this your first manual car?

 

[beer]

Originally posted by: BlahBlahYouToo
synchros worn.
kind of odd it's happening on such low miles. do you not rev match when shifting?
is this your first manual car?

Yes it is.

Man, I sort of knew this might happen. The hills that I go up and down on all day just completely wear on my car like you wouldn't believe. I pull out of my garage and have to go up a 12% hill from a dead stop....

 

[BlahBlahYouToo]

Originally posted by: beer

Originally posted by: BlahBlahYouToo
synchros worn.
kind of odd it's happening on such low miles. do you not rev match when shifting?
is this your first manual car?

Yes it is.

Man, I sort of knew this might happen. The hills that I go up and down on all day just completely wear on my car like you wouldn't believe. I pull out of my garage and have to go up a 12% hill from a dead stop....

i believe it but the hills are not the cause of your synchro wear. hills will do a number on your clutch, which sounds fine from what you describe.
it's the fact that you don't match revs that is wearing your synchros. and to have them go with 35k miles, that's pretty drastic.

first manual car in SF? you are a brave man.

 

[overst33r]

Originally posted by: BlahBlahYouToo

Originally posted by: beer

Originally posted by: BlahBlahYouToo
synchros worn.
kind of odd it's happening on such low miles. do you not rev match when shifting?
is this your first manual car?

Yes it is.

Man, I sort of knew this might happen. The hills that I go up and down on all day just completely wear on my car like you wouldn't believe. I pull out of my garage and have to go up a 12% hill from a dead stop....

i believe it but the hills are not the cause of your synchro wear. hills will do a number on your clutch, which sounds fine from what you describe.
it's the fact that you don't match revs that is wearing your synchros. and to have them go with 35k miles, that's pretty drastic.

first manual car in SF? you are a brave man.

Synchros are made to rev match for you, he shouldn't have to rev match. I don't see why they would fail so soon especially the 1st 2nd, unless he down shifts from high rpm into first frequently...

OP, check any TSBs that might relate to this issue at your dealer or a mazda3 specific forum.

 

[Zenmervolt]

Agreed. Sounds like worn synchros, but there's no way on earth that even a terrible driver should be seeing synchro wear at only 35,000 miles. That's just ridiculous. As long as you haven't been speed-shifting or going into 1st or 2nd from high speeds there shouldn't be a problem.

One other thing to check is to make sure that the clutch is properly adjusted. If it has come out of adjustment and is dragging slightly, it can cause the same symptoms as worn synchros in the lower gears. Have a mechanic check to make cure that the clutch is fully disengaging when the pedal is pressed. Also, make sure that when you press the clutch pedal, you press it all the way down.

ZV

 

[beer]

Originally posted by: Zenmervolt
Agreed. Sounds like worn synchros, but there's no way on earth that even a terrible driver should be seeing synchro wear at only 35,000 miles. That's just ridiculous. As long as you haven't been speed-shifting or going into 1st or 2nd from high speeds there shouldn't be a problem.

One other thing to check is to make sure that the clutch is properly adjusted. If it has come out of adjustment and is dragging slightly, it can cause the same symptoms as worn synchros in the lower gears. Have a mechanic check to make cure that the clutch is fully disengaging when the pedal is pressed. Also, make sure that when you press the clutch pedal, you press it all the way down.

ZV

Most of my driving in SF doesn't even put me past third gear. I am lucky if I can average 20 mph.

 

[BlahBlahYouToo]

Originally posted by: mariok2006

Synchros are made to rev match for you, he shouldn't have to rev match. I don't see why they would fail so soon especially the 1st 2nd, unless he down shifts from high rpm into first frequently...

OP, check any TSBs that might relate to this issue at your dealer or a mazda3 specific forum.

that is right, they're there to rev match for you, but that doesn't meant they can't be worn.
like he said, he barely gets out of 1st and 2nd so he could be downshifting into those gears a lot.

i always double clutch if i drop down into first, or if i have to drop a couple of gears.

OP do you rev match?

 

[theeedude]

Try using the left pedal when shifting

 

[beer]

Originally posted by: BlahBlahYouToo

Originally posted by: mariok2006

Synchros are made to rev match for you, he shouldn't have to rev match. I don't see why they would fail so soon especially the 1st 2nd, unless he down shifts from high rpm into first frequently...

OP, check any TSBs that might relate to this issue at your dealer or a mazda3 specific forum.

that is right, they're there to rev match for you, but that doesn't meant they can't be worn.
like he said, he barely gets out of 1st and 2nd so he could be downshifting into those gears a lot.

i always double clutch if i drop down into first, or if i have to drop a couple of gears.

OP do you rev match?

I don't double-clutch and I don't rev match. I wasn't aware that I had to.

 

[beer]

So, just to be clear, this should definitely be powertrain warranty work, correct?

 

[BlahBlahYouToo]

Originally posted by: beer
So, just to be clear, this should definitely be powertrain warranty work, correct?

bring it to the dealer, tell them the problems, don't mention the fact that you don't rev match, see what happens.
they'll investigate whether or not it's eligible for warranty repair, and if determine that it is user error, they will deny you. your call to fight it at that point.
if it's the clutch, that's a wear item so it won't be covered under warranty unless it's premature failure due to defect. not sure about synchromeshes.

oh, and learn to rev match and double clutch when downshifting to 1st.
it will increase your clutch life dramatically

 

[yelo333]

Originally posted by: BlahBlahYouToo

oh, and learn to rev match and double clutch when downshifting to 1st.
it will increase your clutch life dramatically

That or just try not to shift to first except from a very slow roll or stop. Any faster than that is probably 2nd gear time. But I don't drive in a super hilly area, so maybe you need 1st at higher speeds to keep from lugging the engine. Plus, you need to be really good at the double-clutch rev match to 1st at moderate speeds to do it properly, since such a small change in speed is such a drastic change in engine speed.

But yeah, rev matching is addictive. Once you start, you'll never go back.

 

[alpineranger]

My dad grew up in SF. He learned to drive (and parallel park) with a new at the time chevy corvair. 3 speeds, no synchronizer, wimpy engine. He tells stories about how for the driving test, the instructor took him to a steep hill and had him parallel park, and then docked him for riding the clutch.

 

[Zenmervolt]

Originally posted by: BlahBlahYouToo

Originally posted by: beer
So, just to be clear, this should definitely be powertrain warranty work, correct?

bring it to the dealer, tell them the problems, don't mention the fact that you don't rev match, see what happens.
they'll investigate whether or not it's eligible for warranty repair, and if determine that it is user error, they will deny you. your call to fight it at that point.
if it's the clutch, that's a wear item so it won't be covered under warranty unless it's premature failure due to defect. not sure about synchromeshes.

oh, and learn to rev match and double clutch when downshifting to 1st.
it will increase your clutch life dramatically

Double-clutching will reduce clutch life very slightly (because you are cycling the clutch twice instead of once per shift). Rev-matching with increase it very slightly. What wears the clutch is riding it to smooth things out between shifts. If you get off the clutch pedal quickly, you will not wear the clutch much, even if you do not rev-match.

For normal driving, double-clutching and rev-matching is absolutely un-necessary. It's fun, and I do it myself, but it's not necessary. Of course, I also almost never go into 1st when I'm moving since it's rare that 2nd is too tall if the car is already rolling. Still, even if he's typically only using 1-3, there's no way on earth that the synchros should be worn in only 35,000 miles even if he never double-clutches or rev-matches.

ZV

 

[Bignate603]

Originally posted by: BlahBlahYouToo

Originally posted by: beer
So, just to be clear, this should definitely be powertrain warranty work, correct?

bring it to the dealer, tell them the problems, don't mention the fact that you don't rev match, see what happens.
they'll investigate whether or not it's eligible for warranty repair, and if determine that it is user error, they will deny you. your call to fight it at that point.
if it's the clutch, that's a wear item so it won't be covered under warranty unless it's premature failure due to defect. not sure about synchromeshes.

oh, and learn to rev match and double clutch when downshifting to 1st.
it will increase your clutch life dramatically

The dealer won't expect him to rev match. He doesn't need to even bring it up.

 

[zoiks]

My Mazda6 has the same problem. There is a well known TSB out for mine. I have to take it to the dealer but haven't had the time.

 

[beer]

Originally posted by: zoiks
My Mazda6 has the same problem. There is a well known TSB out for mine. I have to take it to the dealer but haven't had the time.

This is useful information. Can you provide me with how I can determine which TSBs apply for me?

Sorry, I'm not much of a car buff. I just expect my stuff to work, at least with 35k miles.

 

[zoiks]

Originally posted by: beer

Originally posted by: zoiks
My Mazda6 has the same problem. There is a well known TSB out for mine. I have to take it to the dealer but haven't had the time.

This is useful information. Can you provide me with how I can determine which TSBs apply for me?

Sorry, I'm not much of a car buff. I just expect my stuff to work, at least with 35k miles.

I don't see it in the list for Mazda3. But you might want to register at the mazda3 forums and ask around. If not you should also still be covered by the manufacturers warranty being that its only 2 years old.
Here are the forums.
http://www.mazda3forums.com/in...e0309e5161&board=46.40