SWIFT - Shifting to 2nd gear problem

benbsb29 · 28th May 2007, 11:44

Quote:

Originally Posted by RX135

For 1 -> 2, your palm should press the lever to extreme left without gripping gear knob in hand. The palm should be open and roughly be facing towards the passenger side door while keeping the gear knob pressed to the left. And then slide the hand backwards to shift to second, with gear knob in contact with middle of your palm all the while.............

Not quoting the entire write-up, but this is how shifting needs to be done. Well-written RX135. I find the practice of holding/gripping the knob and shifting quite crude, and unstylish.

oss · 10th July 2007, 14:34

I too am facing problem while down-shifting from 3rd to 2nd. I don't get any krrrrrr noise, but the gear stick simply wouldn't go to the left extreme.
It gets so worse sometimes that i have to engage it back in 3rd momentarily and come back to 2nd to engage the gear properly.
Any tips to get over this problem??
This is a brand new Swift. Any chance it will go away as i run more milege??

DieselFan · 10th July 2007, 15:22

OSS: You try out Doubleclutching - first bring to Neutral and than to gear 2. This should solve your problem for now. As your vehical runs in the gear smoothen out. You would definetely feel the smoothness after 5000 KM of Run.

kkdelhi · 10th July 2007, 23:43

Okay, while reversing, never be in a hurry (unless you want to grab that parking spot before somebody else zooms in ;-))

Just stop the car momentarily, press the clutch, let the gearshift go to neutral, let the RPM come down to less than 1K (it takes less than two seconds), and then engage the reverse gear. You'll be fine.

This is from personal experience!

- KK.

oss · 11th July 2007, 19:29

Quote:

Originally Posted by DieselFan

OSS: You try out Doubleclutching - first bring to Neutral and than to gear 2. This should solve your problem for now. As your vehical runs in the gear smoothen out. You would definetely feel the smoothness after 5000 KM of Run.

OK; when i bring to neutral and before moving to 2nd, are you suggesting that i release the clutch and then re-engage again to move to 2nd, or it just a single clutching operation, with a momentary pause at neutral?

DieselFan · 11th July 2007, 20:43

OSS-Yes you need to release the clutch as you get to neutral and then reengage and push the gear to 2. After some run in you can also momentarily pause in Neutral and then gradually go on to change the gear in a single stroke. Just my experience on my car, might help you too not guaranteed though.

pjbiju · 11th July 2007, 21:25

I have no issues shifting from 1st to 2nd in my Swift. To engage the Reverse Gear, sometimes I do have to clutch twice. Shifting from 1st to 2nd will not be as smooth as 2nd to 3rd or 3rd to 4th or 5th to 4th since the gear lever will automatically try to move to the middle position in neutral. So one has to exert a little extra force to push it to the extreme left. I guess this should be true for all other cars too. You have to just get the right technique that RX135 has already explained.

Thad E Ginathom · 11th July 2007, 22:42

I have found this with reverse on almost every car I've driven. It is not syncromesh; there is no need for it to be as it should not be engaged while the car is moving.

A quick engage/disengage of the clutch spins those cogs, and the gear slips in nicely.

I drove a VW golf about twenty years ago that was hard to get into 3rd from 4th. Just hard work. I raised it as a warranty issue, just before the warranty expired, and they said it was a known issue and all they had to do was to replace the mineral oil in the box with synthetic! I found this very hard to believe --- but it worked!

DieselFan · 12th July 2007, 09:03

For most problems in this world - do nothing time solves it. This is one among them.

oss · 16th July 2007, 19:09

Hi DieselFan, thanks for the tip; it works like a charm.

DieselFan · 17th July 2007, 09:51

OSS - You are welcome.Do not forget to change your gear oil at 20K KMS.

harsha.cs1 · 11th June 2008, 15:32

Hi Guys,
See my thread with a very similar or rather identical issue albeit on a different car. But it has been suggested that it could be a syncromesh issue. Do let me know your thoughts.
The link is below:
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/techni...tml#post862544
Regards,
Harsha

kuttapan · 12th June 2008, 07:45

Quote:

Originally Posted by abhaybakshi

If I am not wrong, Swift uses cable based gear shifts. As per my ample experience with Esteem, Santro and 118 NE, 118 NE's gearbox was super smooth like a stick in butter !!! (May be Nissan gearbox)

Swift's gear has long throw which is little irritating sometimes. Particularly when signal goes green and you are in a mood to give competiton to that honda vtec which has been chasing you since long !!!

I dont face any problem while shifting from first to second at all. Just a long throw thats it.

118NE had no linkages, hence the best shift.

I am surprised that you consider Swift as long throw - OK, I don't know what you are comparing to, but Esteem, Wagon R, Santro etc should have longer throws, I guess.

In fact, I loved the meaty shifts of the Swift and it could give you precise, fast shifts if you chose to do it. It was all in the technique, as outlined in the previous posts.

aerohit · 23rd January 2009, 18:56

Mandovi could neither understand the uncomfortable Shifter experience, nor could UM Motors. For Mandovi, and the Suzuki Company associate, (mr Singh) the simple fact the shifter being able to move up-down was grounds for NO PROBLEM, but the uneasy shifter feeling is something they did not understand. Considering Mandovis, reputation, i was not satisfied at all by the way they serviced my car - for example, their mechanics were "rash" driving client cars within their premisis. There was a leak from the valve cover gasket, after they claimed to have done valve settings - which made the engine only rough. They couldnt even fix the front window glass rattle ( i have solved his issue myself, will post another thread) Simply being polite to customer, is not enough. What about the results?

So i decided to investigate myself as i could not bear this uncomfortable shifter experience causing unnecessary stress to my arm and my attention always diverted towards this specific issue while driving.

Here is the solution regarding the shifter issue-

I would like to state that the problem has nothing to do with the transmission.

The problem is with the shifter cable.

There are 2 cables under the shifter. In my case the cable on right side is slightly stretched. (may be by Half cm)
Due to this, there is a slight play in the shifter lever, that creates loose and uncomfortable shifting experience. (plasticy feeling)

This reasoning is also proven correct due to the fact that - since the right side cable controls up-down motion (left cable control right-left motion of shifter) the shifting feels uncomfortable only when the left cable is stretched - ie, only when moving from 1 to 2, or 2 to 3.

When moving from 4 to 3, it feels somewhat fine, as the left cable does not strech at this time, the shifter simply pushes the Right side cable to 3rd gear. (as the cable is being pushed, not pulled)

The loose feeling also disaapeard when i tried to pull tight the cable with my hand - hence reduced play - the shifting was butter smooth. But obviously the solution is to fix or replace the cable. (not sure how to fix the the cable short by half Centimetre though)
The shifter cable comes in a set of one (left and right) around Rs 2000

I have not replaced it but i am 100% confident about the problem I have diagnosed.
I will definately update once i get the cable replaced.

Limpid · 30th January 2009, 15:58

I just did a trip from Bangalore to Pune and back in my swift Vxi. After the trip I am finding one strange issue in the gear shift. While moving from third to fourth gear, when I press the clutch, the gear column actually moves forward by few centimeters! I can feel it if I keep my hand on the column while pressing clutch. The actual gear shift from third to fourth gear is smooth.
Is this a common phenomenon? Any solution for this?

10th July 2007, 14:34	#32
oss BHPian Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Chennai Posts: 683 Thanked: 6 Times	Trouble while downshifting from 3rd to 2nd..... I too am facing problem while down-shifting from 3rd to 2nd. I don't get any krrrrrr noise, but the gear stick simply wouldn't go to the left extreme. It gets so worse sometimes that i have to engage it back in 3rd momentarily and come back to 2nd to engage the gear properly. Any tips to get over this problem?? This is a brand new Swift. Any chance it will go away as i run more milege??
	() Thanks

10th July 2007, 15:22	#33
DieselFan Senior - BHPian Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Bangalore Posts: 1,584 Thanked: 259 Times	OSS: You try out Doubleclutching - first bring to Neutral and than to gear 2. This should solve your problem for now. As your vehical runs in the gear smoothen out. You would definetely feel the smoothness after 5000 KM of Run.
	() Thanks

10th July 2007, 23:43	#34
kkdelhi BHPian Join Date: May 2007 Location: Delhi Posts: 234 Thanked: 19 Times View My Garage	Okay, while reversing, never be in a hurry (unless you want to grab that parking spot before somebody else zooms in ;-)) Just stop the car momentarily, press the clutch, let the gearshift go to neutral, let the RPM come down to less than 1K (it takes less than two seconds), and then engage the reverse gear. You'll be fine. This is from personal experience! - KK.
	() Thanks

11th July 2007, 20:43	#36
DieselFan Senior - BHPian Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Bangalore Posts: 1,584 Thanked: 259 Times	OSS-Yes you need to release the clutch as you get to neutral and then reengage and push the gear to 2. After some run in you can also momentarily pause in Neutral and then gradually go on to change the gear in a single stroke. Just my experience on my car, might help you too not guaranteed though.
	() Thanks

11th July 2007, 21:25	#37
pjbiju Senior - BHPian Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Pune Posts: 1,357 Thanked: 1,091 Times	I have no issues shifting from 1st to 2nd in my Swift. To engage the Reverse Gear, sometimes I do have to clutch twice. Shifting from 1st to 2nd will not be as smooth as 2nd to 3rd or 3rd to 4th or 5th to 4th since the gear lever will automatically try to move to the middle position in neutral. So one has to exert a little extra force to push it to the extreme left. I guess this should be true for all other cars too. You have to just get the right technique that RX135 has already explained.
	() Thanks

11th July 2007, 22:42	#38
Thad E Ginathom Distinguished - BHPian Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Chennai Posts: 10,999 Thanked: 26,417 Times	I have found this with reverse on almost every car I've driven. It is not syncromesh; there is no need for it to be as it should not be engaged while the car is moving. A quick engage/disengage of the clutch spins those cogs, and the gear slips in nicely. I drove a VW golf about twenty years ago that was hard to get into 3rd from 4th. Just hard work. I raised it as a warranty issue, just before the warranty expired, and they said it was a known issue and all they had to do was to replace the mineral oil in the box with synthetic! I found this very hard to believe --- but it worked!
	() Thanks

12th July 2007, 09:03	#39
DieselFan Senior - BHPian Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Bangalore Posts: 1,584 Thanked: 259 Times	For most problems in this world - do nothing time solves it. This is one among them.
	() Thanks

16th July 2007, 19:09	#40
oss BHPian Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Chennai Posts: 683 Thanked: 6 Times	Hi DieselFan, thanks for the tip; it works like a charm.
	() Thanks

17th July 2007, 09:51	#41
DieselFan Senior - BHPian Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Bangalore Posts: 1,584 Thanked: 259 Times	OSS - You are welcome.Do not forget to change your gear oil at 20K KMS.
	() Thanks

11th June 2008, 15:32	#42
harsha.cs1 BHPian Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Bangalore Posts: 224 Thanked: 2 Times	Hi Guys, See my thread with a very similar or rather identical issue albeit on a different car. But it has been suggested that it could be a syncromesh issue. Do let me know your thoughts. The link is below: http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/techni...tml#post862544 Regards, Harsha
	() Thanks

23rd January 2009, 18:56	#44
aerohit BHPian Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: India Posts: 978 Thanked: 981 Times	Mandovi could neither understand the uncomfortable Shifter experience, nor could UM Motors. For Mandovi, and the Suzuki Company associate, (mr Singh) the simple fact the shifter being able to move up-down was grounds for NO PROBLEM, but the uneasy shifter feeling is something they did not understand. Considering Mandovis, reputation, i was not satisfied at all by the way they serviced my car - for example, their mechanics were "rash" driving client cars within their premisis. There was a leak from the valve cover gasket, after they claimed to have done valve settings - which made the engine only rough. They couldnt even fix the front window glass rattle ( i have solved his issue myself, will post another thread) Simply being polite to customer, is not enough. What about the results? So i decided to investigate myself as i could not bear this uncomfortable shifter experience causing unnecessary stress to my arm and my attention always diverted towards this specific issue while driving. Here is the solution regarding the shifter issue- I would like to state that the problem has nothing to do with the transmission. The problem is with the shifter cable. There are 2 cables under the shifter. In my case the cable on right side is slightly stretched. (may be by Half cm) Due to this, there is a slight play in the shifter lever, that creates loose and uncomfortable shifting experience. (plasticy feeling) This reasoning is also proven correct due to the fact that - since the right side cable controls up-down motion (left cable control right-left motion of shifter) the shifting feels uncomfortable only when the left cable is stretched - ie, only when moving from 1 to 2, or 2 to 3. When moving from 4 to 3, it feels somewhat fine, as the left cable does not strech at this time, the shifter simply pushes the Right side cable to 3rd gear. (as the cable is being pushed, not pulled) The loose feeling also disaapeard when i tried to pull tight the cable with my hand - hence reduced play - the shifting was butter smooth. But obviously the solution is to fix or replace the cable. (not sure how to fix the the cable short by half Centimetre though) The shifter cable comes in a set of one (left and right) around Rs 2000 I have not replaced it but i am 100% confident about the problem I have diagnosed. I will definately update once i get the cable replaced. Last edited by aerohit : 23rd January 2009 at 19:12.
	() Thanks

30th January 2009, 15:58	#45
Limpid BHPian Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Bangalore Posts: 83 Thanked: 5 Times	I just did a trip from Bangalore to Pune and back in my swift Vxi. After the trip I am finding one strange issue in the gear shift. While moving from third to fourth gear, when I press the clutch, the gear column actually moves forward by few centimeters! I can feel it if I keep my hand on the column while pressing clutch. The actual gear shift from third to fourth gear is smooth. Is this a common phenomenon? Any solution for this?
	() Thanks