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Manual Owners..... Lurching and chugging at low speeds....

17K views 20 replies 14 participants last post by  JB86 
#1 ·
This morning I got caught in traffic for 1.5 hours..... usuall its 1/2 an hour mostly highway and non-stop driving. Well today it was in and out of 1st gear for almost 30 kms, maybe getting into 2nd at some exciting moments.

What I am noticing is that when my car slow down, it starts to chug and lurch like its being kicked in the butt and pulled back and forth. I could also see the RPMS jumping up and down when it was doing this. Obviously when I step on the clutch, it brings the rpm up,l and everything is fine.

What I am finding weird is that it only does it sometimes, and it feels like the engine is kicking back and forth on its mounts when it does...... other times I can creep along without this happening.

I am sure I am not the only manual owner experiencing this.... what do you guys think? Throttle body cleaner..... injector clean......bad plugs or something...... engine mounts fried....

:(

Thanx if you have any input....
 
#3 ·
Yea i have the dame problem all the time in first gear as soon as i left go of the gas. Second gear always whenever the rpm goes under 2K, but never when over. I looked at all the engine mounts and they look good. Not bad plugs b/c I recently changed them. Throttle body is clean, and it can't be the injector since it's fine at idle(neutral) and in other gears but first and second. Hmmmz...this is the only manual car I've driven so I didn't know that this is a problem. It is a pain to hit the clutch when you release the gas whenever in first or second. Third, Fourth and, Fifth are all fine when u slow down.
 
#4 ·
ILOVELEGEND said:
When you are crawling in the traffic, wouldn;t it be better to leave the car in 2nd gear?

I used to drive a 4 speed manual Fiat (long time ago) and I always started with 2nd gear. I don;t think I ever used 1st gear.

Just a thought...
No..... I dont think the legends are geared like that. I have tried to start out in second and it bogs pretty good. I drove a ford 1 ton work truck and we started in 2nd all the time... 1st was for extreme loads, and it did lurch pretty bad.
 
#7 ·
That's just how manual transmissions are for any car .. when you're going 5 mph and let off the gas in 1st gear, the car will shake everywhere .. When you're in the start and stop traffic, you can start in 1st gear, and when you slow down, you immediately push in the clutch and coast to a stop, no slowing down while in 1st gear. I hope that helps.
 
#8 ·
jmckell said:
I hope that nothing is wrong with my car Mckenzie93. I am still waiting for you to bring it down to me :D
Dont wory Joel..... I am just working out all the bugs so its primed and ready to go when I bring it down......

Dmenn..... Is it supposed to be so jerky though? Like it is fine sometimes, then it is not other times.... :confused:
 
#9 ·
Mine is the exact same way in 1st gear. I'm pretty sure all manuals are like that, it's kinda like the car is reminding you to press in the clutch. Just slow down, and when u feel the car is about to start shaking press in the clutch, shift to neutral and come to a stop in neutral.
 
#10 ·
my 6speed is just like that. when i'm in traffic or less than 5 miles an hour, it gets really jerky. feels like there isn't enough gas, but when i hold down the clutch it's smooth.
 
G
#12 ·
yeah my cousin does it all the time to bother the passengers:p

he would go 5mph and let off the gas fast and then get back on causing it to be very uncomfortable in a beater:giggle:

same thing in every manual car that i have been in
 
#13 ·
Can someone explain why I can't get back into first unless I conme to a complete stop, 0mph. Even when i am at like 5mph or 3mph, I get get into first. I've been using second to start out whenever I am going slow and need to get into a gear. Seems like the first gear is almost pointless in this car. J/K
 
#14 ·
5speedLegend said:
Can someone explain why I can't get back into first unless I conme to a complete stop, 0mph. Even when i am at like 5mph or 3mph, I get get into first. I've been using second to start out whenever I am going slow and need to get into a gear. Seems like the first gear is almost pointless in this car. J/K
There's a "lockout" in Legends so you dont mistakenly go from 1, 2 to 1st again (you have to basically slowed down to a complete stop for you to be able to put the car into first)...

I was confused as well with my 6speed.

I was like.. "hey man, why cant I put this fool into first!?!?!?!?!?!, but it was a small hint from the car that, "hey man, you can still put me in second while going 5 miles an hour and I'll take ya where u wanna go"..

My car talks to me. :) We communicate. hehehe
 
#17 ·
Mckenzie93 said:


It should do it in 3rd and reverse..... I also have trouble somtimes getting into first... but i you really want to get it in, rev it up to 5K and drop the clutch.... you will be into 1st with tires smokin.... ;)
Yup ... you pretty much NEED this at a track ... some of those hairpins slow you right down to about 10kph, so you need 1st to slingshot out again :D

Mckenzie: I start in 2nd all the time without problems. Maybe just give it a bit more gas?
 
#18 ·
ScotcH said:


Yup ... you pretty much NEED this at a track ... some of those hairpins slow you right down to about 10kph, so you need 1st to slingshot out again :D

Mckenzie: I start in 2nd all the time without problems. Maybe just give it a bit more gas?
Yeah I did that for a while to.... but I figured that it was hard on the engine maybe... who knows. I can live with this lurching crap, but I would just hate to keep pushing the clutch in and out and causing pre-mature wear on it for dumb traffic...
 
#19 ·
So it's called bucking! I had never known what it was and created my own term - "rubber-banding". I agree with Dmenn and others who say that all you have to do is push in the clutch, unless you enjoy being lurched back and forth.
 
#20 ·
dmenn said:
That's just how manual transmissions are for any car .. when you're going 5 mph and let off the gas in 1st gear, the car will shake everywhere .. When you're in the start and stop traffic, you can start in 1st gear, and when you slow down, you immediately push in the clutch and coast to a stop, no slowing down while in 1st gear. I hope that helps.
It's normal. It was like that too for my previous nissan.
 
#21 ·
Starting in second

I have tried to start out in second and it bogs pretty good.
I've actually accidentally left it in second more than once when stopped at a light and started again in 2nd from complete stop with no problem at all, not even realizing it until I went to shift!

Can't say the same for our stickshift saab 9-5, which stalled out completely the time I did that :rolleyes: .
 
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