my car sometimes makes a clunk noise when i put it in first gear or even sumtimes when i am shifting from first to second anyone know what this would be or is it common dont seem to affect the driving at all.

 

This has been posted many, many times already and it's normal. The clunk from putting it into 1st is from slamming the spinning tranny to a sudden stop. Avoid this by either delaying the shift to first for 2-3 seconds after you put the clutch to the floor or putting it into a higher gear momentarily before going into 1st (clutch is on the floor the whole time).
The clunk shifting from 1st to 2nd is due to poor rev matching. You are not shifting at a time when the engine speed matches the rear wheel speed very well. This takes practice. You either need to let the rpm drop a bit more before shifting or your are letting it drop too much. I take it you are new to a 6 speed manual tranny?

 

yea i am very new to the 6spd tranny its very different thats for sure but i do love it. Do u mean say i am at a light and i stop so just throw it in 2nd then put it in first and should be ok? Also can you explain a lil in detail as to how to match the revs was a lil werry about u sayin let the revs come down a bit and how is a 5 spd tranny different then the 6 in changing gears. i really appriciate your help.

 

Anytime the tranny is in neutral, clutch out, engine running, it is spinning. When you put in the clutch to go into 1st, if you do this too quickly, the tranny won't have time to stop on its own. If you wait just a few seconds after you put the clutch in, the tranny will slow down and stop. Or, if you push the clutch in, immediately select 2nd (4th is easy because it's a straight down motion), them immediately go into 1st, it won't clunk. The reason you can immediately go into a higher gear without clunking is because the ratio is "low" enough that the syncros don't have to work as hard to stop the tranny spinning.

Many new manual drivers (especially a 6sp) will have problems matching revs when shifting. Although it's more important to rev matching when down shifting, doing so on upshifts is also necessary when a smooth "clunkless" shift is desired. This means "trial and error" to know how long to stay off the gas and when to shift and get back on the gas when going up through the gears. The 1 - 2 shift is particularly easy to clunk because of the wide gap in the gear ratios between those two gears. You might have better luck if you rev the rpms a bit higher in 1st before changing to 2nd. Try 5000 rpm. If you are driving "sedately", like shifting at 3000 rpm, it is harder to be smooth. You are more likely to clunk. In time, you'll do it instinctively.

A 6sp tranny is different simply because the separatio(ratio wise and also physical spacing) of one gear from another is not as far as in a 5sp or a 4sp. This, in itself, makes things a bit more complicated to learn.

 

Thanks xviper. This cleared alot of questions to my clunking noise. I too am new to a 6spd tranny. I notice smooth shift sometimes, but once in a while, I do get that clunk due to the driver matching rev. Thanks!!

 

xviper i really am greatful for the time u have taken to explain this to me and probably others. I learned alot of things out of that. and ur right its so much easier to shift when in higher rpms.

 

19, I am confident that things will only get better and better and you will become a pro at driving this car. How do I know? I made very good friends with another S2000 owner locally. We are still very good friends. He too, was new to manuals and to 6 speeds. I watched him in his early days of ownership and conferred with him many, many times and saw the things that he went through. He was also concerned that certain things were not quite right. He even reached a point when he thought he might get rid of the car because it just didn't seem like it was working properly. His car is 2 years newer than mine and this year, he has surpassed my mileage. He drives his S2000 everywhere, all 4 seasons.
Keep driving and keep practicing the finer techniques. You'll have a blast.

 

Once again, xviper comes through with a thoughtful and useful reply for a new S owner. Major kudos.

 

Man, xviper rules, he has helped a new owner like me so much.

 

Try living in the same area as him! He's a huge help. I've learned a lot from him (I'm even doing my own differential fluid changes now, after watching Dave do them for me a couple of times)