1st Test Drive: clutch/shifting feel normal?

[Wayne Cox]

At 11:24 PM 7/11/2003 -0500, you wrote:
>I test drove a classic for the first time today. The clutch felt EXTREMELY
>light in comparison to cars I've driven before, and almost felt as though
>it changed in pedal feel the further i pushed it down.

I own 4 of 'em, and have driven a handful of others.  If everything is in
good working order with a stock clutch, then yes, the pedal is very
light.  Not a bad thing, really.  Most of them develop a very stiff pedal
or a "gritchy" feel, which is usually a worn clutch cable --  a cheap &
easy fix -- but it could also be a sign of clutch problems.  Light & smooth
is a good thing in a used SE-R.

>Shifter was extremely notchy in feel and a bit difficult to get into 1st
>and 5th gear.

I think it feels pretty durn' nice.  Car & Driver commented years ago
"finds gears as if by divine guidance" :)   Stock, it's a fairly long
throw, but very precise without being what I consider "notchy".   Regular
wear can leave them feeling vague or sloppy, but a $5 Energy Suspension
bushing fixes that.  It's also possible the previous owner put a short
shifter in it.  I had one, and while the short throw seems cool, I thought
it became excessively notchy and tougher to determine which gear you're in.

The only real design problem is the fantastic 2nd gear synchros -- it's
possible to downshift to 2nd when you intended 4th  :(  If you're wound out
in 3rd, this spins the engine to about 11,000 rpm!  They usually only
suffer relatively inexpensive valve train damage.  The bottom end is *very*
stout.

>Everything else seemed good about the car. Really appreciate the lightness
>in comparison to my MR2.

Your keeping the MR2, no?  Always wanted one of 'dem things.  Back in 1991
the Turbo MR2 was my first choice, but they were all excessively optioned
out, $10K more, and through the rood insurance.  Ended up with new SE-R.

Check www.se-r.net for other common problems, but the only major unfixable
thing is rust, which can be bad on northern cars.

    -Wayne    '91 NX2k - '93 NK2k - '93 SE-R - '92 SE-R parts car