Notchy shifts

[ScottsGT]

I heard from a friend who owns a 2013 mustang and has a lot of experience modding mustangs that the notchyness of the mt182 is not the actual gearbox but the gear shifter actually locking the stick into gear. It's designed that way...

I don't buy it. Sometimes I can actually feel the teeth of the gears hitting as it goes into gear. It's not just a "one clunk notch", but shifting slowly I get about three or four bumps where you can feel it through the shifter. It's only been this bad once, and it was 14 degrees outside.

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[gsxr1300]

It's notchy specially when cold then it's once it's warmed up its nice.

 

[BmacIL]

My current DD is a 5 spd m/t and I can just click through the gears with a very mild, but smooth friction going from gear to neutral to the next gear. The mt82 wants to pause and hold the stick going into neutral and then a good deal of effort into the next gear, even when warm.

 

[Mountain376]

I heard from a friend who owns a 2013 mustang and has a lot of experience modding mustangs that the notchyness of the mt182 is not the actual gearbox but the gear shifter actually locking the stick into gear. It's designed that way...

I don't agree. FWIW. :shrug:

 

[Nemesys]

For what its worth, my dealer replaced my flywheel, trans, clutch, and pressure plate, and the nibbling I would get going from second to third and the notchiness is almost non existent. It didnt fix my ongoing noise problem, but the other stuff is better lol

 

[NVulture]

I don't agree. FWIW. :shrug:

Well like everything "your hear from a friend" it should be taken with a grain of salt.

 

[REDHRSE]

this is my first experience with anything other than the T-5. yeah its a little rough. I feel like I must drive like my grandmother or like im running a quarter mile. im getting adjusted to the gear box but I love the combination of my 3.73's and the trans. I will get back to you when I decide its time to change the shifter.
BTW who ever posted their "economy shifting pattern" of 2nd, 4th, 6th... its a great idea. much smoother when your trying not to go balls to the wall around town.

 

[ScottsGT]

Amsoil MTF + XL18 pretty much cures this.

I'm digging this old post up for a quick question. Looking at the cost of Amsoil, is there absolute proof that this will fix it? I don't want to spend $60+ to experiment.
Can you elaborate on personal experience?

 

[dwaleke]

I'm digging this old post up for a quick question. Looking at the cost of Amsoil, is there absolute proof that this will fix it? I don't want to spend $60+ to experiment.
Can you elaborate on personal experience?

I use Amsoil MTL. I do not run the additive. That is used to quiet down the trans when using a very light fluid like the OEM DCT fluid. I wouldn't bother when using Amsoil unless you hear a lot of noise from the trans.

Amsoil MTL is great stuff, but is only one thing that you can do. Get an MGW shifter. That addresses more issues with the stock shifter.

 

[ScottsGT]

Noise isn't my issue, it's the notchy shifting on 1st -3rd. I really don't want to drop $500 on a shifter, and I don't like the MGW reverse method. I prefer the stock reverse lockout.
I've got an MGW on my '66 with a T5 and it is one hell of a product. I just cannot stomach the thoughts of a $500 shifter for a daily driver I'm not slammin' gears on for the best ET's.

 

[Grimace427]

I'm digging this old post up for a quick question. Looking at the cost of Amsoil, is there absolute proof that this will fix it? I don't want to spend $60+ to experiment.
Can you elaborate on personal experience?

For proof of a fix you would need to know what the cause of your issue is, so nobody over the internet can actually give you proof. Swapping trans fluid is definitely a good idea to make its operation smoother especially in cold weather. If $60 is too much for you I'm not sure what can really help.

 

[ScottsGT]

$60 isn't too much if it helps. But I've thrown enough money away chasing problems on all my other cars in the fleet (two teenage drivers) that I tend to be cautious.
\
Budwise made a statement like it was the Gospel. But then again it was on the internet so it must be true and I shouldn't question it.

 

[MattNC]

Thought I would offer my experience as a 3-year MT-82 owner with about 42,000 miles on my transmission. In the first 5K miles it was pretty notchy when cold. I switched to Redline MTL and a Barton bracket and it made a big difference. The redline for smoothness when cold and the bracket to help prevent problems with being locked out during turns. The old bracket and linkage were much worse than the new 2015 one from what I can see and what I felt in my test drive of a '15.

The only problem with redline was it seemed to have a short life. It felt like the fluid broke down after 10K miles or so and was a different type of notchy, including when warm. I put in a new batch of redline around 15K miles and it lasted about 8-10K again. I then switched to BG synchroshift II based off great reviews and it felt much better than MTL and has lasted all the way up through the current 42K miles. It also is a lot cheaper and I think feels much better than redline on cold mornings. The only downside is I had to buy it online as nobody local carried it.

Hope this helps

 

[Grimace427]

$60 isn't too much if it helps. But I've thrown enough money away chasing problems on all my other cars in the fleet (two teenage drivers) that I tend to be cautious.
\
Budwise made a statement like it was the Gospel. But then again it was on the internet so it must be true and I shouldn't question it.

Swapping the trans fluid is a very good bet that it will improve shift smoothness especially in cold weather. If it is a big enough issue for you and one that your dealer isn't helping you with then I definitely recommend going forward with new trans fluid.

Thought I would offer my experience as a 3-year MT-82 owner with about 42,000 miles on my transmission. In the first 5K miles it was pretty notchy when cold. I switched to Redline MTL and a Barton bracket and it made a big difference. The redline for smoothness when cold and the bracket to help prevent problems with being locked out during turns. The old bracket and linkage were much worse than the new 2015 one from what I can see and what I felt in my test drive of a '15.

The only problem with redline was it seemed to have a short life. It felt like the fluid broke down after 10K miles or so and was a different type of notchy, including when warm. I put in a new batch of redline around 15K miles and it lasted about 8-10K again. I then switched to BG synchroshift II based off great reviews and it felt much better than MTL and has lasted all the way up through the current 42K miles. It also is a lot cheaper and I think feels much better than redline on cold mornings. The only downside is I had to buy it online as nobody local carried it.

Hope this helps

Not the first time I've heard of Redline MTL 'wearing out' but generally those who've used it were happy with their choice. BG Synchroshift II is my favorite and what I use in my car. 33,000 miles total over two transmissions and it has been perfect.

Anyone interested in purchasing the BG fluid can PM me as my dealer keeps it in stock and I get employee discounts.

 

[ScottsGT]

Doing some 'net reading, the BG keeps coming up as a better alternative than the Amsoil. Grimace, would you recommend using it with the XL-18 additive, or stand alone?

FWIW, My notchy shifts are really not that bad. I'm just anal about it being a new car and if I can improve it, I'm going to do my best.

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