I have driven a manual car since I was 10/11 yrs old, so I am pretty sure I know something isn't right, but this is my first Dakota so it may just be a common issue.

If I start off in 1st gear, and accelerate to higher than 10mph I may get a
slight grind when engaging.

If I start off in 1st gear, and do not immediately go straight from 1st to second I get locked out of second gear.

Due to those two reasons I have given up on 1st gear (unless on a steep incline) and just start in 2nd. My truck is light enough and the engine has enough torque to handle it just fine.

If I am slowing down and approaching a turn, I am locked out of first gear until I slow to around 5mph.

Now when I say locked out I do not mean that literally, because I can force it into 2nd but it take WAY too much force to be normal.

Am I being picky here or is there something I can do about it?

Zac

 

Sounds like bad syncros.

 

Damn I was afraid of tranny issues. It looks like it is time for me to figure out all the mall little issues, then see if i can get my money back for this truck. Thanks for all the help Crazy...You are everywhere on this forum, and i really appreciate your time.

Zac

 

i always start in second. 1st for me is way to low to get anywhere. if i'm not paying attention the syncros kick my shifter out of 3rd and first as soon as i release the clutch. not sure what would cause that but i tend to ignore it for the time being...

 

No Problem!

 

Learn to double-clutch. You should really always double-clutch and rev-match downshifts to prevent wear on the syncro's. Anyway the second gear syncro on my truck is shot, there's no reason for me to fix it when the workaround is so simple.

 

I was double clutching and it still wasn't working. The distance between the brake pedal and gas pedal seem too far for me to heal/toe when i am slowing for a turn so rev matching will be tricky. My old 240sx was perfect for heal/toe, but not the Dak!

Any ideas on technique that could help?

zac

 

Keep working on heel/toe. It isn't the most graceful thing to pull off in out truck's, but once you do it a few times, it becomes second nature. In the Dakota, you really have to swing your heel out to hit the gas.

 

No kidding. I don't know if my legs can move that far

 

It probably helps that I have decent size feet (size 12.) Really though, I though it was impossible when I first got my truck since I had a Civic before which was super-easy. But after a few weeks I got it. Just keep trying.