[Jeroen]

The easiest test is to find an identical vehicle to yours and drive it. If the problem persist, it is to do with your driving style. If not, it is likely to be something with your car.

Good luck
Jeroen

[R2D2]

Originally Posted by civic-sense

That is the theory I am leaning towards.

But it is not practical in Compass to use the 1st gear sparingly. Any speed below 8kmph, the engine stalls in second gear. So can't shift up without accelerating a bit. Or you will have to work the clutch after shifting up.

You are an experienced driver and would be aware of how to operate a clutch. I understand the hesitation to have the transmission opened up. The simplest way to for you check if there's a fault is to drive another Compass e.g. a test drive vehicle. You could also ask the dealer to verify pedal play and brake actuator operation. The clutch hydraulic circuit may also need to be bled. None of these checks requires disassembly.

A few thoughts - I prefer MTs to slushboxes (DSG and AMTs are different topics) and would rather drop a cog than slip the clutch a practice I have avoided from the time I learned to ride a geared bike or drive an MT car. I believe in using all gears, down or upshifting whenever required.

I'd be interested in knowing how this pans out. Good luck! Do update this thread once the dealer checks the car.

[Zappo]

Originally Posted by R2D2

...would rather drop a cog than slip the clutch...

Off-topic, but you nailed it. This is one of the best practices that can increase the life of the clutch as well as the transmission, engine etc. phenomenally. I too come from the same school of thought. I am ok to crawl in city traffic on the 1st gear with no accelerator input and no clutch rather than on the 2nd with occasional slipping of the clutch. And yet I often see people doing otherwise.

[Tgo]

Originally Posted by civic-sense

To clear up the air about the problem, the jerk happens as soon as the clutch disengages. That is when the clutch pedal has traveled about 2/3 of its full travel, at that place where you usually slip the clutch to gain torque... That is where the jerk happens. Remember, it is not when I release the clutch, but when I press it.

Sometimes it is mild as if it is a gentle vibration. It is very perceptible only a few times. Today I tried to test it on an open road and the violent jerks only happened about 10-20% of the time. So my estimate of 50% earlier was wrong.

I had a similar problem with my Duster AWD. The jerk was felt when the clutch pedal was released in 1st and 2nd gears. The jerk was due to binding in the AWD system. To loosely explain, it felt like the main clutch at its bite point was engaging the drive to the front but the AWD system which engages the secondary clutch in the differential was giving some resistance. Either a problem with the secondary clutch pack (worn out or actuation not being in sync with wheel speed), can't explain it fully. It was happening in both 2WD and AWD auto modes. The differential was changed under warranty after thorough testing.

Didn't face the problem for 15k km. But recently it started exhibiting the same behaviour recently. Switched between drive modes several times and bounced the rpm needle off the rev limiter during an overtake on a long drive and the problem vanished. Still haven't figured out what causes it or makes it go away.

• You can check which drive mode you encounter the problem in. 2WD or AWD.
• Check the speed at which the problem occurs.
• Was your vehicle towed any time with any of the wheels on the ground?

[R2D2]

Originally Posted by Zappo

Off-topic, but you nailed it. This is one of the best practices that can increase the life of the clutch as well as the transmission, engine etc. phenomenally. I too come from the same school of thought. I am ok to crawl in city traffic on the 1st gear with no accelerator input and no clutch rather than on the 2nd with occasional slipping of the clutch. And yet I often see people doing otherwise.

but that's exactly what I do to save the clutch and the tranny, a 'best practice', if I may borrow from oft used Corporate jargon, but akin to a habit that I have settled into over the decades.

If traffic becomes too dense and the car needs to inch forward I just slot her in 1st, let in the clutch, take my foot off the AP letting the engine do the hard work. I save myself the pain of changing gears umpteen times or slipping the clutch.

Most MT cars will happily crawl forward on a level road with AC on in 1st gear. Of course, a heavily loaded vehicle may need slight pressure on the AP to keep the momentum going.

[dhanushs]

Originally Posted by Tgo

Switched between drive modes several times and bounced the rpm needle off the rev limiter during an overtake on a long drive and the problem vanished. Still haven't figured out what causes it or makes it go away

If you are trying to unbind the drivetrain windup, you need to switch between modes and make sure it’s in 2WD and steer the car on either side and reverse and forward with steering locked on either sides. After which move forward around 50 meters and reverse around 50 meters.

[Mortis]

There is a similar problem in my mom's Dzire vxi MT. After accelerating in 1st to get moving if the clutch is depressed at normal or slightly faster speeds, there is a bit of a jerk and some faint rattling noise from the engine bay for a second. The noise is can only be heard when it's quiet around. The jerk doesn't happen when depressed slowly and gently which isn't how it's operated during normal driving. ASS adjusted the clutch play but it didn't make a difference. They say this is normal. Also the gear lever jiggles a bit occasionally in 4th gear. I can't comment on the exact conditions under which the jiggle happens as I rarely drive that car and that too don't often get to reach 4th gear in Mumbai traffic ! Could both these issues be related ?

[autohead]

I have a Jeep Compass Limited 2017 model, it too has a similar problem, I have driven vehicles more powerful than this with manual transmission which didn't have the RPM mismatch issue, I feel technically Jerking is actually RPM failing to come down enough before we start the de-clutching operation, hence the jerk.

I thought the software update offered little while back would take care this issue, but unfortunately it didn't.

Either this is a software issue or
the momentum carried by the flywheel, in case it's the later I guess we will have to live with it or if it's merely a software issue hope Jeep India takes care of it sooner.

Because other than this issue which is quite irritating in stop go traffic where we need to close the gap in a hurry and have to shift real quick from first to second, rest of the ratios and engine response is matched so sweetly.

Jeep India hope you are listening

[theGeekyLad]

Originally Posted by AMG Power

This is not a problem with your clutch.

The problem as you've stated happens when you depress the clutch in 1st and 2nd - not in other gears.

This is a fairly common situation and happens when you are not properly timing the release of accelerator with the pressing of the clutch. The car is going from acceleration to engine braking which is heavier in 1st and 2nd gears and not so in higher gears.

Once you get used to timing the depressing of the clutch and release of the accelerator this problem will not arise.

You can have this confirmed - have it driven by someone used to driving the Compass and you will find the problem does not exist.

I would advise you not to have any repairs done with the clutch.

+1 for my thoughts trail yours, but here are my two cents.

I drive around a similar high torque engine - the one on my Innova. It's the usual scene with such engines mated to taller gears.

Your 1st and 2nd gears churn out the best torque and it is what literally makes your 4x4 a climber. With that said, it's vital to note that diesel engines have the best compression strokes and hence the best engine braking. You can reproduce that by slotting in the 1st gear, accelerate till about 30 kph and dump the throttle - you'd sway.

What you're facing just requires changing your shifting practices on lower gears and some getting used to. I used to upshift to 2 at about 20 kph and have almost always felt the jerk that you're talking about. One workaround is to consider doing a 1-2 shift say at about 15 kph (unless you're flooring it to highway speeds) while another is like so - consider dumping the accelerator after you're clutch is partially disengaged. This ensures that you're friction plate bids adieu to the flywheel right before engine braking kicks in which means - no jerks. Trust me, it works and is quite practical if you're new to such heavy duty engines.

This is again why on such engines, doing a 3-2 and rev-matching to achieve engine braking is far far more effective than riding the brakes (if you get it right, or else you'll end up riding your clutch which is worser and stressing your drivetrain).

[Djay]

Originally Posted by civic-sense

I have been driving a Jeep Compass Diesel Manual 4X4 for the last 10 months, and from the start I have been experiencing jerks in the engine when I press the clutch in first gear. Means, I start the engine, shift to first gear, drive off and after attaining a speed of say 10kmph, I press the clutch in order to shift to second, and during the press there is a jerk. Not a violent one, but enough to annoy you.

Now, this does NOT happen every time, but about half the time. Some times more prominent, some times less, some time totally absent. Similarly there is a fainter jerk when am in the second gear and press the clutch to shift to third. No jerks in all other gears. It is really frustrating to drive in bumper to bumper traffic with this problem as I would be shifting between 1st and 2nd gears all the time.

Firstly thanks for creating a separate thread as this seems to be an issue across multiple cars. I am facing exactly the same issue as you on my 7 month old Alto right from day 1. And I mean absolutely the same symptoms word for word. After 5 visits to the service centers, finally they reproduced the issue multiple times and replaced the clutch plate, pressure plate and release bearing under warranty. Unfortunately even this hasn’t resolved the issue. I’ve driven loads of cars with the same style without any issue before this.

It gets very irritating to drive with this issue as I need to upshift early to 2nd as any level of rpm in first gear causes the jerk/vibration on depressing the clutch pedal. The only time it doesn’t cause a jerk is when I am just cruising in first at super slow speed (max about 5 kms/hr). Anything above that results in a jerk. Higher the rpm higher the jerk. But due to to short gearing and lack of low-end torque on the Alto 800, it always leads to unnecessary slippage in the second gear due to early up shifts necessitated to avoid the jerk/vibration.

I know the Alto doesn’t have the hydraulic clutch, but the problem faced is exactly the same. And same being the case with Mortis’s Dzire, I am at wits end about what the real issue could be and how to resolve it. I have even got the engine mounts checked multiple times and that doesn’t seem to be the cause either.

[Traveler]

This is normal behavior at least in my Pajero SFX. While changing the gear, the trick is to press the clutch before you ease off on the accelerator.

This used to be a fairly common driving technique in older cars like Premier Padmini and Ambassador as well. Then came the Maruti's of the world where this didn't matter due to ultra light engines, transmissions and bodies and we all got used to the new way of driving.

Give your compass to an old school driver ans see the technique while he drives it.

You will be surprised how smooth this technique is once you have mastered it.

[aaggoswami]

Originally Posted by Rshrey22

Get your engine mounts checked, might have broken due to rough driving! A sure shot cause for jerky engine in 1st & 2nd gear.

Originally Posted by AMG Power

This is not a problem with your clutch.

The .....

Originally Posted by DRIV3R

+1

Think of the first gear as more of a crawler gear.

Use ...get the jerk.

Somehow, I faced exactly the same concern in my 2015 Swift Vxi. Never came across any concern with it until recently and neither of any cars I had driven earlier had this jerk. However, I figured out that the issue happens when I am trying to be quick or when I accelerated bit more, and that too aggressively, in1st gear than what usually is done, and then engage second gear. Driven in a relaxed manner, this jerk never reoccurred. Another observation is : whenever this jerk happens, for a day or so all my gearshifts are jerky. All gearshifts being jerky cant be driver error I guess. But the first gear jerk is clearly my error.
There is no drop in efficiency or excessive RPM at cruising speeds. So as of now clutch seems ok.

[Rshrey22]

Originally Posted by aaggoswami

Somehow, I faced exactly the same concern in my 2015 Swift Vxi. Never came across any concern with it until recently and neither of any cars I had driven earlier had this jerk. However, I figured out that the issue happens when I am trying to be quick or when I accelerated bit more, and that too aggressively, in1st gear than what usually is done, and then engage second gear. Driven in a relaxed manner, this jerk never reoccurred. Another observation is : whenever this jerk happens, for a day or so all my gearshifts are jerky. All gearshifts being jerky cant be driver error I guess. But the first gear jerk is clearly my error.
There is no drop in efficiency or excessive RPM at cruising speeds. So as of now clutch seems ok.

This issue is not related to engine mounts as that kind of jerk happens when you drive in a relaxed manner, letting off the clutch slowly.

On the contrary you won't face jerks due to weak engine mounts when you are in a hurry because the engine doesn't get the time to bounce on its mounts when the accelerator is pressed hard.

[TheGearBox]

I'm facing the exact problem with my 1 month old Taigun 1.0!
I feel a jerk when depressing the clutch in 1st and 2nd gear.

I had posted a query on the Taigun review thread a few days back but I just came across this thread now. Now that I think about it, the jerk does come while shifting at around 2000 RPM. So, it could just be a matter of tweaking my driving style. Still, I have scheduled a visit to the SC to let them take a look anyway.

[TheGearBox]

Originally Posted by TheGearBox

I'm facing the exact problem with my 1 month old Taigun 1.0!

Still, I have scheduled a visit to the SC to let them take a look anyway.

Update: The SC tells me that this is normal, it is because of the power of the 1.0 TSI engine. So now, as recommended by DRIV3R, I'm using 1st as a crawler gear and shifting to 2nd as soon as I get moving. In 2nd, I try to keep it under 1800 RPM while shifting to 3rd. This seems to be the practical way to avoid these jerks.