Won't let me put it in gear...

[jeremydgreat]

So, last month I was at Laguna Seca and a couple of times I felt something very odd when I trued to shift. Here's basically what happened:

1. Punch to redline
2. Pop the clutch in and either shift up or down.
3. Blip the throttle to rev-match
4. Let up on the clutch (engaged it)
5. For about 2 or 3 seconds, I can not put the car in gear. It almost feels as though some safety feature kicks in if I stray into the red on the RPM, and makes me wait while the RPM comes back down before I can clutch and put it into gear.

Has anyone ever experienced this? Is this some engine protection feature or something? I had it happen again tonight; I was in in 3rd, came through a turn, blipped the throttle kinda hard, downshifted to 2nd, and then had to wait a couple seconds before I could "catch" 2nd and throttle up again.

[TrojanBMW]

I had something happen during a track weekend at Buttonwillow, trying to downshift from 3rd to 2nd.

It definitely felt like a engine/transmission safety feature, and it took care of itself with a bit more throttle "blip".

It seems very odd that it would happen during upshifts though.

[Dackelone]

Does it ever happen while stopped? Next time try turning the engine off while you are trying to grab that gear. Does the trans snick into gear as the engine stops spinning? IF so its your clutch.

I suspect its your clutch disc not fully disengaging. Time for a frash one (hopefully under warranty!).

[jeremydgreat]

No, never while stopped. The sequence of events I described above has mainly happened at the track and always while blipping and then trying to shift into gear.

[aisthetes]

Originally Posted by jeremydgreat

5. For about 2 or 3 seconds, I can not put the car in gear. It almost feels as though some safety feature kicks in if I stray into the red on the RPM, and makes me wait while the RPM comes back down before I can clutch and put it into gear.

It sounds like the tranny is keeping you from a potentially harmful over rev situation - that your rpm is too high to downshift. The delay lets the rpms drop to an acceptable range to engage the lower gear.

Perhaps you're trying to brake and downshift in a rush at the same time? This is easy to do in a track environment and requires mentally slowing things down into a step-by-step procedure. Try braking, then downshifting in sequence to avoid rushing both. If you can heel-and-toe, it's a sequenced thing of braking, downshifting, finish braking, off brakes and throttle.

My suggestion would be to find a safe, open area, and try recreating the situation and watch your feet and hands to see what you're doing. I've been guilty of the similar things in the past and didn't believe what I was doing until I watched myself do it!

[BrokenVert]

Originally Posted by jeremydgreat

1. Punch to redline
2. Pop the clutch in and either shift up or down.
.

If youre taking it to redline and then Downshifting I think I found your problem

[jeremydgreat]

Originally Posted by BrokenVert

If youre taking it to redline and then Downshifting I think I found your problem

It's more of what aisthetes said: "Perhaps you're trying to brake and downshift in a rush at the same time?"

[Twenty7Delta]

wow, that's exactly what happened to me today! Shifting from third to second heel and toe, bringing the RPMs up pretty high. I was way too deep and the corner was all messed up but it would not go into second. The transmission seemed fine after and still does. I did lots of hot laps after...

perhaps my blip was too high?? I don't know but clearly there was something blocking the lever from going into second gear.

[BrokenVert]

Originally Posted by jeremydgreat

It's more of what aisthetes said: "Perhaps you're trying to brake and downshift in a rush at the same time?"

It's a joke man lol. You bring it to redline and then downside at redline is how I read it. Hence the lol