I have a 2003 Touring 6MT with a little over 2k miles on it. Three times now I have been pulling out in 1st gear and the car has a jumpy acceleration. It is almost like I am pumping the gas pedal. This lasts until I shift into 2nd gear. The first time it happened I was doing a fast start and it really freaked me out. The whole car was bucking and the VDC light came on. Anyone have any ideas or comments???

 

I think it happen to me once. Are you going to first on a full stop or rolling stop? If the RPM or MPH is too high, the car gonna jump and then quick stop (bucking) if thats the case. I had this happen once in traffic. was on a rolling stop and shifted to 1st while in neutral and car just bucked forward (heard the engine whine up quick).

 

Were you going over bumps in the road at the time? I've found that the gas pedal is sooooo sensitive that if you are going over bumps while in first gear or sometimes even second gear, your foot will bounce up and down enough to make you depress the gas pedal. This results in a surging start.

 

I know exactly what you are talking about. This is a first gear start from a dead stop. It starts to buck. This is my first manual car so this happened to me a lot in the beginning. Doesn't really happen that often now but every once in a while it will do it. Basically, if you don't give it enough gas it will do it. Sometimes it does it to me for no reason, though. A bit embarrassing at times. Couple that with the shifter being hard to get into gear sometimes and people probably look at me like I am crazy.

 

There are a bunch of posts on this problem. It happens to me too in my 2004 TRACK. 1st and 2nd are jumpy in the morning before the car is really warmed up. If you release the clutch extra easy it's smoother. The problem dissapears after a few. Lot's of owners deal with this issue so your not alone.

 

Ahh, in the morning. You seem to be right. Although, this does happen to me sometimes when I park my car at the mall or something and come back in a few hours. Yes, so you just have to tailor the clutch release to this situation. Something else I noticed, the higher the engine revs in any gear, the easier it is to shift and to get the shifter to go into gear. Why is this?

 

this is a 287 hp 6 cylander. It doesn't like to be driven like a civic! Theres your answer. Drive it like it likes it!

 

Yes, vincenzobar, it is true that the car does indeed have this engine. It is also true that if you want good gas mileage from the car you can't go around revving the **** out of the engine every time you drive. Sometimes you just want to drive it easy and this is when the bucking happens. I am just trying to get a good perspective of the situation.

 

1st and 2nd gear are the worst when the engine is cold. Last week it wouldnt let me make my first shift into 3rd without a fight. Once it warms up though, all problems seem to disappear.

 

Does anyone know exactly why this happens out of curiosity? I have no idea but I can take guesses. Something to do with the clutch when it is cold? Something to do with the tranny when it is cold?

 

Yes, there have been a lot of posts on this and other "jumpy, jerky" problems that this car is allegedly has.

There is nothing wrong with the car. Learn to drive it. I'm not being sarcastic. The Z is very tractable for a reasonably powerful sports car. When you learn to drive the car, you will be able to shift smoothly at low or high revs, light or hard acceleration (even in the morning ).

 

Amen! not trying to be mean or anything like that but this car was not designed for gas milage at all. the only time it gets over an average of 18 mpg is in 6th gear. I know i have tested this Many time on my commute to work. I drive 32 miles in an hour and a half every day.my Average is any where from 12 mpg to 19 mpg on a good day. Unless you want to burn out the clutch your going to have to live with it, again, not trying to be mean. My girlfriend hates it too. plus the stiff suspension, she wants to kill me when dhe does her make-up in the car!!! Woman!

Ive been driving stick for 9 years straight and can't get past this unless i drive it like its suppose to be driven! I had the same problem with my jeep some times, i think it has to do with the torque.

 

Should of bought a Honda Insight/ Civic Hybred, if you want good MPG.. IMHO

 

People! I am not talking about getting 35 mpg. Don't assume the extreme because it is ridiculous. I am talking about getting better gas mileage than you would if you floored it and revved it to redline every shift and every time you drive the car. I get about 20.2 mpg right now. Anyways, this is completely off topic.

 

i get 30 to 35 mpgs ALL the time am i the only one?

 

I'm not talking about gas mileage. I'm talking about learning to drive the car. High revs, low revs, drive the hell out of it, take it easy. Why can't you shift gears smoothly in all of these situations? You haven't learned to drive the car. Not to single you out, PropaGanda; apparently it's a common problem. Hang in there; you'll get it. It's a great car.

 

I don't know if you're lying or joking, but if you're telling the truth, you're not driving this car the way it was intended to be driven...and you're not having any fun in it.

 

sorry didn't mean to **** everyone off! Im out of this conversation!

 

Dude, seriously. I can drive the car. I can drive a manual. I don't need lessons. I am inquiring as to why the tranny seems more jerky when it is first started cold. I would rather you not "single" me out nor give your opinion to this question if at all possible. Thanks.

 

First, I don't care whether you want me to give my opinion or not. Second, I understand your defensive response to my assessment of your driving skills, but I don't see a reason for you to be so venomous about it. It's just inexperience; not that big a deal. Third, the reason the tranny seems more jerky when it is first started cold is because you don't know how to drive it.