Hard shifting into 2nd gear when cold

[BMWDavid]

Anyone notice hard/notchy shifting into 2nd gear when driving off in the morning?

I can start car and move shift lever through all gears effortlessly in the garage first thing before moving off. But when its time to shift into 2nd going down the street it is rather balky.

After gearbox warms up a few miles it shifts great.

[F1point4]

On my FR-S it does this. Very notchy, audible gear change. Does go away after driving it a bit. I think the reason cause the transmission fluid isn't warm yet.

[Indestruct]

I have this problem too, very notchy. I like to shift w/out pressure, but when second is giving me problems i'll just force it in lol.

[Lighting Red]

I haven't noticed it... But that's mainly due to me not having the car yet.

[Asphaltfrs1]

Usually 1st is the one that gives me trouble. Sometimes it feels like it doesn't want to go in. So I move it to 2nd and back to 1st. That seems to work.

[speedracer38]

2nd is extremely tough to shift into while the car is cold....it takes about 5-10 seconds to shift because I don't want to force it into gear and I am very gentle on it until the car is warmed up. I usually put it in neutral after i get up to speed in 1st then release the clutch, then clutch in and gently put the car into 2nd when it's cold and the car seems to like that more then going straight from 1 - 2 quickly. Try it out I hope it helps you as well!

[cwik]

I'm definitely noticing this too. I called up my dealership, and they said I could schedule a ride with one of their service people so explain the problem, but I was worried the car would warm up by the time I got to the dealership. The fact that others are seeing this too makes me feel a bit better.

The main reason I started to panic immediately is because my brother owned a '93 Eclipse, and getting into 2nd gear (from 1st or 3rd) was awful (it was actually the opposite of the BRZ, where it was perfect when the car was cold, but acted up once warmed... far worse :P). It would always resist, it would crunch and grind, etc. The only thing that seemed to help was to double clutch, and that didn't even work all of the time.

As long as it doesn't get worse than what it is, I'm fine with how my BRZ acts.

[dietz]

Originally Posted by speedracer38

2nd is extremely tough to shift into while the car is cold....it takes about 5-10 seconds to shift because I don't want to force it into gear and I am very gentle on it until the car is warmed up. I usually put it in neutral after i get up to speed in 1st then release the clutch, then clutch in and gently put the car into 2nd when it's cold and the car seems to like that more then going straight from 1 - 2 quickly. Try it out I hope it helps you as well!

AKA double clutching. I'm not good at it, but I noticed today that it makes the 1-2 shift butter smooth when cold.

[BMWDavid]

Originally Posted by dietz

AKA double clutching. I'm not good at it, but I noticed today that it makes the 1-2 shift butter smooth when cold.

+1, I'll try this as well.

[Enemies]

I thought I just sucked but 1st and 2nd gear can sometimes be a bit rough. 3rd and above always seems great. 2nd definitely by far is the worst though.

[#87]

hmm I always thought if you can't find it, grind it ^_^

[blalor]

I'm noticing the exact same thing. It's difficult to do the 1-2 shift most of the time when cold. It seems to get better after driving for a bit. First is also finicky. I'm considering changing the fluid when I finally get to 1,000 miles.

[Lighting Red]

Originally Posted by #87

hmm I always thought if you can't find it, grind it ^_^

That technique is reserved for women, you have to treat your car better than that.

[BMWDavid]

As I replied a bit earlier I will try the double clutch method. Was wondering if a trans lube change would help? Perhaps a different brand than OEM? I see a thread on the lube, oils section that deals with this but no one has actually tried a different fluid yet.