MX-3.com

Hey everybody, it's been a while since I made a thread in this section

How long do you typically let your cars(MX-3 naturally) warmup on coldstart conditions in winter?

I typically give about 10 minutes, as before that I can't even TRY to shift smoothly. Every single shift the car acts as if I'm dumping the clutch at 3K and bucks/shudders violently. Upon warmup, this issue goes 100% away.

I also note that the car runs smoothest and feels WAAAY stronger after flying around at 5k+ RPMs for a while. This is also what it takes to get my temp gauge to even budge. I'm almost for getting a non MX-3 to drive in the winter, because it's been beyond inconvenient to warm up the car for 10+ minutes every day.

Plug it in?

Or are you lacking a block heater?

I ussually let mine warm up for about 5mins. Other than that you can always use a different temp thermostat and check the manual as theres notes about using differnet fliud in the transmission in cold weather for exactly that issue. Simple stuff.

I didn't seem to have any cold start issues here in PA. Usually just started her up and went on my way.

No block heater, and it's only a real issue in wintertime. The rest of the year it does it to a much lesser extent, and a 5 minute warmup will take care of it. Currently, even 15 minutes won't get it shifting smoothly, I need to stick with low gears until the temp gauge hits 1/4(max I ever see in winter) to enjoy smooth shifting.

I would put my money on fluid as well, but most people use 75w90 as I do, and I've even gone so far as to change it more frequently. The tranny shifts smooth as silk when warm, it's just a PITA getting it there. I can't help but feel there's something more to it than just fluid temperature.

How cold does it get in your area? We aren't below zero here in PA usually in the wintertime, though we do drop into single digits sometimes.. I just can't remember any shifting issues, other then reverse can be a pain to shift into (but that's normal I think)

It's been dipping below freezing but not by much, and that's part of my confusion; It's worse than my previous 2 winters with the car, and it's not even cold out yet. I'm still running around coatless during the day, and often at night as well. Reverse is a pita for me unless I double clutch another gear first. I typically start up in 3rd, go neutral > clutch in, then out > 3rd > clutch in, then out > Reverse. Zero crunch and smooth engagement every time; 1st, 2nd, and 4th work as well, but 3rd is the quickest, and if you slipped you won't be rear ending any other cars with such low torque.

Honestly, It's got me concerned about other potential issues, but I've been unable to come up with anything besides changing to a lower viscosity gear oil. Seriously though, why would people in colder climates have no issue with this, yet I do? I doubt fluid is the problem, the more I think about it...

Okay, Oregon can't complain bout winter.

If you temp gauge doesn't get to +90% of summer hot, there's something wrong with your car.

I warmed up my ZE until I could see the oil pressure drop at idle, maybe 2 mins. It takes ~5-10 minutes PAST when your water temp reads HOT to get proper oil temp. This is without an oil cooler, they should be approximately the same with an oil cooler.

If your transmission is sludge, take that 70W90 crap out and put ATF in.

If your outer CV joints click or shudder in the cold, replace the grease in them with a low temp grease. Stock grease freezes.

Block heater will lower the warm up time a bit, but its not magic. You don't need it at all until ~-10ºC.

But in my winter beater KLDE, I just get in and drive, keep the RPM under 3k til the gauge gets off the floor... then its free game.

I know, and that's why it's so stupid. Temps here aren't even cold until January... At this point the idea of January warmup times is causing me a bit of worry.

My gauge hits about midline after 6.7k shifting for extended periods of time. I really have to haul to get it up there, and never see over 1/4 in casual driving. The gauge isn't taking any more or less time than usual to budge, from what I can tell.

I may try the ATF route, but how long would you recommend I leave it in for? I've got enough Amsoil synchromesh to be set for a few years of happy shifting.

I won't be going the block heater route, I wouldn't benefit from it enough to make it worth the effort at this point.

Perhaps your thermostat is stuck open.

Thats probably it, there isn't another solution.

The ATF? I leave mine in year round. An ATX is a giant clutch pack. If that lives with ATF as its lube, synchros can too. Not scientific logic, but it works for me


I'd ease up on the high RPM until you get it sorted out. The oil temp and water temp are very much related. Your piston/wall clearances will be up to operating temp, but your rod clearances, and the oil's viscosity will not be, until the water's is up there too.

I run Valvoline SynPower full synthetic 75w90, tranny shifts pretty good

Up here in the cold north it been getting down close to freezing... My car doesn't take long to warm up... I let it idle about 2 min in the drive way... Since I run straight 80w-90 gear oil the trans doesn't like to shift for about the first 3 - 4 blocks... After that its fine... My engine temps get up to normal in about 5min of driving...

A stuck thermostat could cause this? Worth checking into I guess...

MrMazda92 wrote:A stuck thermostat could cause this? Worth checking into I guess...

I haven't heard of a stuck thermostat causing your bucking and shuddering... But it will cause extended warm up times...

The shuddering is only when I first engage any gear, like trying to drive with molasses in place of gear oil. My first gear oil change poured out like molasses, to be honest. My subsequent ones have been normal, but that first one took over 20 minutes to drain completely.

Once in gear it is normal, so basically it's rough as hell when shifting cold.