5 Speed, Hard to shift into 2nd Gear (solved -- with clutch adjustment)

[wellswebdesign]

SO my question is this normal? Is that how everybody else's stick shift version drives?

Sometimes shifting into 2nd is smooth, other times not. So yes, I'm in the same boat. Besides my 84 Ranger that I used to learn to drive a manual, this is the only manual I've had, so I'm not familiar with how it "should" be. I haven't adjusted or oiled anything yet, I too am hoping for a slightly more detailed how-to.

[mitsumi]

Its the two cable ends that go into the top of the tranny. This car has the weirdest shift mech ive seen. Its a crazy compound movement and i can see how it can easily bind. Its right below the battery.

Get a buddy to shift gears for you while you watch you will see what i mean. Spray everything that moves

ill check on this tomorrow see if found anything

is it that the two cables? as seen from the pic the black once from the left of the picture? as i remember those are the only cable i saw before when i checked under the battery.

used this pic from another thread.

[deleted user]

Try shifting a 39 Ford farm truck with straight tooth gears and no synchros. 1-2 is always harder since 3rd gear is direct drive. Mine works perfectly and no worse than cars costing many times more than mine. I'm not sure how you would build a cheap transmission but warrant it for 10-100k.

Most of the reason the Mirage costs less is where it's built, automation lowers the labor content per vehicle as well.

regards
mech

[gunlak]

getting a taller shift knob helped for me.

[Dontee]

i have my buddys weighted short throw shifter on my Mirage. Seems to go in gear a lot better. No short throw, just the weighted knob lol

[JulianK]

I just bought a brand new Mirage yesterday and my tranny shifts hard and inconsistently in 2, 3-rd and 4-th. At the dealership I tested the car that was on display and it felt the same cheap, notchy feel. I have the feeling that this is not caused by the syncros, but the shifting mechanism. But this is hard to say without looking at the mechanism... I have been driving manuals for about 40 years now and I know, a good tranny does not feel like this. My previous cars were Geo Metros (I've had about 5 of them) and they all shifted in a similar bad way. One of them had bad syncros, but that causes a different kind of feeling and can be overcome with double clutching and rev matching. It is too early to say, but my first impressions are that the Mirage has a different kind of problem.

The shifting and the vague steering are my only complaints. Other than that I love this car. All in all it is a huge improvement over the Geo Metro and gives me the same MPG.