I’ve had my MX-5 (3.5) for almost two months now, so pretty used to the car at this stage. One ongoing is an occasional tendency to stall the car going from neutral to first. This doesn’t happen every day, but often enough to be a mold concern.
At first I thought it was just getting used to the clutch having a different biting point but it’s now past the stage where inexperience of the car an issue. I’ve driven dozens of different types of cars and this is the only one where this sort of thing has been a problem
It’s shows no other signs of gear or clutch problems. Any ideas, anyone?
You need to bury your foot to the carpet to get a smooth change. Assuming you are doing this then you can tweek the adjustment slightly at the pedal, it just makes that bite point a little higher, maybe a half to a full turn on the adjuster. You need to get down and under the dash and view the clutch pedal, with my old aching bones it wasn’t an easy task but makes the shifting much better.
Failing that how many miles has the car done, worn clutch? but try the above first.
Small point - but worth a look. Make sure your footwell mat hasn’t slid further up the footwell, so that i’s preventing full travel of the clutch pedal.
Steve, thanks. I noticed that the mat did tend to move not long after I I got the car, but anchored it to the fixing point a few weeks ago, so don’t think that the issue in this particular case.
My NC tended to want to stall or kangaroo starting off in first when I tried it at the dealer. I put it down to my not being used to the clutch operating so close to the floor, and also to it having been very little used over the previous few years (900 miles). But it didn’t get better over the next 300 miles on that tankful of possibly old Regular.
However while running it on V-Power since it is a lot more flexible and willing at low revs, and I have to be quite a lot more distracted than usual to stall it now.
It only helps with the making the bite point higher and must be only a slight tweek as I said above. I tried a little at a time, maybe under the dash around three times making the adjustment (hence the aching bones) if you overdo the adjustment the bite point gets too high on the pedal, just half to a full turn is enough to make the difference. Had the car 5 yrs now and happy with how it performs, did the adjustment 2 yrs in.
Now shifting gears, especially 1st to 2nd can be notchy as quite a few have found. Apart from changing the oil which helps and greasing the ball on the shifter also helps, adding turret oil (jury out on that one) for the 6 speed. I’ve found changing my style of changing gear helps, don’t rush the change, make it a two step process out of gear then in to the next, I find it’s better rather than ramming straight from 1st to 2nd in one operation. All other gears seem to be ok, just the notchyness between 1st and 2nd, it’s better of course when the gear box oil has warmed up.
My other car a SEAT has a perfect gear change just the push of the finger on the gear knob is all that’s required going forward but it’s a pig to get it into reverse.but I get used to it.
With so many people having this notcy 1st to 2nd are we saying these where like this from new, just can’t see how anyone would buy a brand new one years ago with such a notchy gearbox.Mines notchy but can live with it for the age and what I paid, but 20K+ you would stay well clear
^^^ A member came to my place (he’s since sold the car) with a 5 speed NC, it was on 11k miles so had an easy life. No gear change problems apart from when cold, he just wanted his oils changing (well help with them) the stuff that came out of the gearbox was horrible, looked like it had been in for 111k miles not 11k. I stuck some Castrol Syntrans in for him, he seemed happy with it afterwards.
Thanks Mick started a thread on it’s own always puzzled me when people say it’s the trait of the car.Just can’t see why you would buy a brand new car if the guy said the gears will be fine when warmer i’d walk away.
It’s too cold outside to do anything on the car today, but I had a quick look at the clutch pedal, and can see that some stretching exercises will be needed before I attempted the adjustment!
Managed to get a drive in the car today and made a conscious effort to make sure that the clutch pedal was pressed firmly to the floor before changing into first - and this did seem to make a noticeable difference. So, thanks for the various bits of advice on that.
I’ve also decided to get the garage to change the gearbox and differential oils. Castrol Syntrans Multivehicle seems 5o be recommend from the gearbox. Any suggestions on the best oil for the differential? Handbook says GL5, but wondered if any brands are particularly good.
I’ve had my 3.5 for about 9 months now and still find that I almost, but not quite, stall it from cold. I’m not sure if it’s the oil viscosity or just me being tender but I do have to step on the throttle to overcome things. 200 yards up the road and everything is fine and dandy.
Thanks for the info on the oil. Will order that and see if it helps
Rob,
That’s interesting re your car. I’ve not had a car with manual choke for many years, but my MX-5 does feel exactly like those times that I’d applied too much choke in those old cars. As you say, it does calm down quickly.