Won't go into first when hot and in traffic

[T-dub]

Originally Posted by OrbitalEllipses

How soon after stopping? Could be the input shaft is still spinning (that's the clunk you hear when you put it 1st at a stop).

THATS what that noise is! I've been wondering if it will go away when I change the fluid.

[radroach]

@mrha

Stopped at a light, shift to neutral. Light turns green, won't shift into 1st, usually getting stuck halfway through.

Solution is to go back to neutral, clutch in, and try again.

[BRZfan]

Suggestion (for those who still have the problem): Clutch pedal in, hold for count of two, shift into second, then immediately up into first. One may not have the need for the two-count.

Originally Posted by radroach

@mrha

I have the same problem. Stopped at a light, shift to neutral. Light turns green, won't shift into 1st, usually getting stuck halfway through.

Solution is to go back to neutral, clutch in, and try again.

[Pneub]

Everybody in here has recommendations on a routine to get into first: to depress the clutch, when to rev, shift into another gear first, etc. Fact is if I have to do a whole series of things every single time I want to shift into first then there's a problem that needs to be addressed. I don't want a routine to get into first gear in stop and go traffic everyday. Does anybody know why I can't get into first? In my case I can't get into first, second, third, or any gear. It doesn't matter if I rev, hold in the clutch, or pump the clutch. Eventually the only way for me to get into gear is to shove it in with serious force.

[Pneub]

So I had the same issues as the OP: When I came to a stop and left it in neutral I could not get back into gear. I wouldn't be able to get into any gear unless I jammed it in with hard force, usually into third gear, and then I could shift into first. The only way I could get into first gear reliably was by shifting into first gear as I came to a stop at about 2mph.

Because I couldn't get into any gear it didn't make sense that it was the 1st gear syncro. I assumed it was a failed clutch. I have an aftermarket ACT clutch and flywheel. I had them taken out and there was uneven wear on the flywheel which makes me think it was a bad clutch. ACT covered the clutch under warranty and replaced it. After installing a new clutch and flywheel the problem is gone. Not sure if this applies to stock cars but if the symptoms are the same I'd look into it being a bad clutch.

[mrha]

[ame="http://youtu.be/UW94DINwTGU"]http://youtu.be/UW94DINwTGU[/ame]

Here's a video of the sounds coming from my bell housing when I depress the clutch pedal in my car. I'm going to take it next Thursday to have it looked it. It helps to send a video to the service advisor of any problems you have with the car before coming in.

[Ganthrithor]

Originally Posted by mrha

Here's a video of the sounds coming from my bell housing when I depress the clutch pedal in my car. I'm going to take it next Thursday to have it looked it. It helps to send a video to the service advisor of any problems you have with the car before coming in.

Well, that sounds fucked up.

[jamesw1301]

Has anyone pin pointed a solution that didnt involve replacing the clutch and flywheel? or is a whole clutch replacement the only solution?

My BRZ is having the same problem. I do have an aftermarket 6 puck clutch with light flywheel, and its got to a point where this happens every day.

[Sapphireho]

This is funny...

[qqzj]

Originally Posted by kthxbai

Agree with this except not sure on the actual speed. If your car is rolling in traffic, there is no need to go to first. It places unnecessary stress on the transmission and engine, don't do it unless after you come to a complete stop

s3 Tapatalk

This post and the previous one are so dumb that they should be deleted so others won't be confused. There are numerous reasons you want to go to 1st w/o stopping. If you have to go first after complete stops, you will drive like idiots or grandma in heavy traffic. Just need to make sure to rev match and gently push the shifter into 1st. That is all.

[qqzj]

Originally Posted by SeanBlader

There's definitely a synchronizer for first gear, otherwise from a dead stop you'd have a hard time getting it into first and you'd need to double clutch it every time, once to spin up the intermediate shaft and once to get it into gear.

http://auto.howstuffworks.com/transmission.htm

The problem the OP had was the extreme difference between engine speed and wheel speed when trying to go from second into first gear. The easy solution is to rev match between gears getting the engine to a more comparable speed to the intermediate shaft, or you can also double clutch, thereby bringing down the speed of the intermediate shaft closer to the speed of the motor. The latter would mean a heavier jerk as the motor had to spin up to wheel speed very quickly when you release the clutch a second time, so with decent transmissions in performance driving situations, it's better to rev match when down shifting. There is a certain "touch" required there, so that you know how much to rev match, as too much gas or too little will also upset the suspension, potentially sending you into a spin. In a nutshell, all that is why race car drivers are far more under appreciated than they really deserve by your average driver.

This comment is strictly speaking wrong. Rev matching means that you can put shifter in gear first, then you rev UP the engine to match speed of transmission. The purpose is to have a smooth transition. Here, OP cannot put in 1st gear at all. So the correct term should be double clutch. The 1st blip is to match transmission and drive shaft. The 2nd blip is to match engine and transmission. With syncros, the 1st blip can be skipped for most gears, but not the 1st.

[qqzj]

Originally Posted by Pneub

Everybody in here has recommendations on a routine to get into first: to depress the clutch, when to rev, shift into another gear first, etc. Fact is if I have to do a whole series of things every single time I want to shift into first then there's a problem that needs to be addressed. I don't want a routine to get into first gear in stop and go traffic everyday. Does anybody know why I can't get into first? In my case I can't get into first, second, third, or any gear. It doesn't matter if I rev, hold in the clutch, or pump the clutch. Eventually the only way for me to get into gear is to shove it in with serious force.

The correct way to get into ANY gear when you are moving is to:
1. Go neutral gear
2. DON'T touch clutch pedal.
3. REV
4. Clutch in and push the shifter into the appropriate gear.
5. Still clutch in and REV
6. Clutch out

With syncros, 1-3 can be skipped if you want for most gears.