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WRX gears are very rough/grinding like when changing into 2nd gear

13K views 1 reply 2 participants last post by  arcticscythe 
#1 ·
I just put 1,000 miles into my new 2015 Subaru WRX base, with a STI short throw shifter. I recently noticed that when I change into 2nd gear from 1st gear, the gearbox sometimes makes a grinding noise. It is also a bit harder to change into 2nd from the 1st compared to other gear changes.

It's especially the case when the rev is high during gear changes. I sometimes have to put it into neutral first and then 2nd (but don't release the clutch at neutral), which seems to alleviate the issue. I wonder what the problem might be? Thanks.
 
#2 ·
Welcome to our community,

2 things first off I hope the salesperson gave you your break in instructions but if they didn't 1-2 thousand miles without using cruise control keeping the RPMs under 4500. Some drivers suggest engine braking or "Driving like you stole it" but that is specifically against the manufacturers suggestion. If you have 1k on the clock I cant see anything you've done being the culprit unless you have been slamming gears without the clutch.

There are 2 possibilities that I can think of, You might have a faulty syncro, If your swapping up to 2nd and it feel rough when you dont rev match or it could be a defect in your clutch pedal throw ( check for 2 sets of floor mats or a set of all weather on top of the OE mats ) If your not getting a full press on the clutch you might not be fully disengaged before you go to swap gears which could cause grinding depending on your rev matching situation.

To test i would try rev matching from 1st to 2nd then slow down and do the same from 2nd to 1st. If it doesn't make any noise there I would try slowly releasing the clutch from 30-40 MPH and engine brake into 2nd without rev matching. Let the syncros work and see if you get a grinding from the process of speeding up the RPMs while slowly releasing the clutch.

Only way to check clutch throw I can think of is to start the car with the clutch in and first gear engaged on a flat surface with the e brake off. You can usually also smell it if the clutch is touching and you would hear it as well when your at idle stop. I dont think its the latter but worth looking into,

In any case take it by the dealership. Your car is essentially new and if they need to do transmission work your better off doing it early rather than waiting till it causes a bigger issue.
 
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