Gear Changing

[TripleS]

Hello Mike,

A 2006 Fiesta? Good grief, I call that a new car!

Anyhow, if you're doing slowish gearchanges and still getting the crunching noises, I would suspect the clutch pedal is not being depressed sufficiently; unless the car has developed some kind of clutch or gearbox problem.

Can you let somebody else drive the car and see how they get on with it?

Best wishes all,
Dave.

[Mr Cholmondeley-Warner]

The comment about "being able to start bringing the clutch up before the gear is engaged" may be to blame here. Yes, by a fraction of a second. No, not as a matter of course. Where is the biting point of your clutch? Near the top, or the bottom of the travel?

As someone said, you need to be conscious of your right foot also. Revs need to match, both up and down the box, and that means almost never removing the right foot completely from the accelerator. Having the speeds of the engine and gearbox matched will help avoid crunches too.

@Ivor, a modern Ford gearbox is entirely remote, operated by a long lever. The selectors are entirely hidden in the gearbox.

[jcochrane]

If you've not already tried this push and keep the clutch fully pressed to the floor before and all the time when actually moving the gearstick, only lifting the foot from the floor after the new gear has been selected. Adjust the seat, if necessary, to ensure this can be done easily every time.

If that does not cure it then the problem is not down to you the driver but probably something mechanical.

[IVORTHE DRIVER]

@Ivor, a modern Ford gearbox is entirely remote, operated by a long lever. The selectors are entirely hidden in the gearbox.

Yes I realise that (bring back proper cars) but you can still grease the linkage, anything below the car is prone to dirt and debris and even a small amount of crap can affect the gearchange. Sealed bearings/joints do not always stay that way, worth a quick check

[foxtrot_mike]

Using the phased gear change, instead of the 3 second gear change has improved things quite well

Im still getting some issues with changing but usually these havent caused a crunch but inconvenience where i have to clutch a second time to get it in, i am however getting problems like fungus with it jumping out of 1st and sometimes incredible difficulty in getting into reverse, definately a hand brake dont rush it job.

I drive a 4 tonne Transit sometimes and I find it difficult to imagine gear shifts are much easier in this than my fiesta when this is dash mount shift with cable linkage