Q: Hard shifting.

asked by on September 16, 2016

I seem to have a hard shift going into 3rd gear from 2nd. I have no idea what would cause this, and or if I can fix it. I've had the car for maybe 6 hours so I haven't driven it much except around the block when I experience the issue. Any idea what it could be?

My car has 147000 miles.
My car has an automatic transmission.

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This can be many possibilities as transmissions are very complex, however often times difficulty shifting into gears has to do with what are called synchros. These are fork like components inside a transmission, otherwise known as a synchronizer mechanism or synchromesh, which consists of a cone clutch and blocking ring. Before the teeth on the gears can engage, the cone clutch engages first, which brings the selector and gear to the same speed using friction. When the synchronizer mechanism is not working correctly, this will often times not allow shifting into certain gears. I would recommend having an expert from YourMechanic come to your home to diagnose this shifting issue and make necessary repairs.

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