Can't Shift to into First gear while moving

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Hi.
i have always belived that in my car, it is not possible to shift first gear if you are moving. It is impossible to shift even at 5- 10Km/Hour speed. Since i am generally in traffic jams, i have to shift to first gear very frequently.
But today i tested 2 different cars of the same model, and i was able to shift to first gear even when i was driving at 50Km/hour.
In my car, it is even difficult (but possible) to shift to second gear when going at 40Km/H speed.
In this case, the first thing that comes to a mind is the synchronizers. But they are not sold as a spare part in my country. so instead, it would be cheaper to buy an used transmission. (transmission and labor work would cost about 150$ which is ok for me)
But some mechanics told that it can also be due to bad pressure plate.
Can you please tell me if any thing else cause hard shifting on move other than synchronisers ?

We tried to adjust pedal-transmission connection. both from under the padal and by lengthening slave cylinder rod,
But none helped.
Regards
 
What is the max speed you should be in for 1st gear? Are you asking if you can shift from 4th gear to 1st gear while moving?
 
Your not supposed to be able to access first gear when moving.
It's a safety feature that has been implemented into the design. Older cars generally don't have this feature
 
I do not want to shift from 4 to 1 or 3 to 1, But i need to shift from 2 to 1 when i am driving at 15-20km/h.
Why need this is because i am driving generally at traffic jams and hills. My cars engine is only 1.5l So sometime i have to drive it at high rpm at lower speeds. Especially when the car is full.
I tried other cars with the same transmissions. i was able to shift to 1 while the speed is 50km/h. (I didn't released the clutch pedal after shifting to 1 in order not to cause any damage to engine and/or to the transmission.)
So it means there is a problem with my transmission. Just trying to find out what it is
smile.gif

REgards
 
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Sounds like your driving style needs improving. Learn to double-clutch, that is, lift the clutch in neutral, blip the throttle, then hit the clutch and go for the lower gear simultaneously.

If you put in a used transmission you'll wear it out, too, driving like you do.

However, a trans with worn-out synchros provides excellent feedback to the driver learning how to double-clutch. Find some videos on youtube and train yourself. Once you get good, you won't wear your replacement transmission.
 
Is there any pedal free play? Is the clutch linkage adjustable? If hydraulic, bleed the slave cylinder. Is the lube level in the transmission full? These are things I would check before I touched a wrench
 
Do you know the year, make and model of the car you're talking about?

I had a 94 Honda Civic that did the same thing when trying to go into first. Bought the car new and did it from day one. Getting into reverse could be a chore at times also.
 
Start by changing gear oil... couldn’t do that in my [censored] when I bought it at almost 200K, changed the probably original oil, and all suddently it’s way easier/possible to pass the first gear from low speed, like just before stopping.

But first, what car, and when was the transmission oil changed last. Also,what kind of clutch control, cable or hydraulic actuated?
 
Originally Posted By: Kamele0N
1st & reverse are often without sychros...thats normal...
Originally Posted By: SatinSilver
Do you know the year, make and model of the car you're talking about?

I had a 94 Honda Civic that did the same thing when trying to go into first. Bought the car new and did it from day one. Getting into reverse could be a chore at times also.


As they said, some transmissions do this « by design ». I only had MT cars, so I can tell that at least 1 out of 2 was impossible to downshift from 2 to 1st gear while moving
 
My old Focus ZX5 went into 1st gear while moving no problem, I rev matched for a smoother transition, but I didn't have to double clutch. That means the first gear was synchronized. As far as I;m aware, I never heard of any safety feature that would prevent shifting into first. That would be a liability not a feature.

From the sounds of it, the first gear in this car may not be synchronized, which was common on older cars. I would try double clutching and rev matching technique. It should work, if it doesn't then there is something wrong with the transmission.
 
Originally Posted By: eljefino
Sounds like your driving style needs improving. Learn to double-clutch, that is, lift the clutch in neutral, blip the throttle, then hit the clutch and go for the lower gear simultaneously.

If you put in a used transmission you'll wear it out, too, driving like you do.

However, a trans with worn-out synchros provides excellent feedback to the driver learning how to double-clutch. Find some videos on youtube and train yourself. Once you get good, you won't wear your replacement transmission.
thumbsup2.gif
Would rather learn this than swap a transmission.
 
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Thanks for replies and good advices.
Well, as stated above, i have already tested same model cars with the same transmissions. And they are quute easy to shift.
So the design is not the culprit.
Several other people drived the car, and they also noted that how uncomfortable the gear shifting is.
My car anyway has 1M km on it. The transmission should be worn a lot. And replacement transmission +labour work cost as 150$, which is quite reasonable price.
I will try to learn double clutching, let me see if it helps.
smile.gif

Regards
 
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Make sure you're using the proper transmission fluid. Heavy gear oil that is used in trucks is not appropriate for many cars.

If with the car stopped, you can get into reverse without it grinding, the clutch is OK.
 
Originally Posted By: mk378
Make sure you're using the proper transmission fluid. Heavy gear oil that is used in trucks is not appropriate for many cars.

If with the car stopped, you can get into reverse without it grinding, the clutch is OK.


Good point.
sometime i can't shift to reverse. So i push the knob hard, but doesn't help. then i slightly release the clutch pedal while pushing the knob. and just then i am able to shift to reverse.
 
That is OK. Sometimes the transmission stops midway on a gear tooth and you have to do that. I was saying to notice if the gears keep grinding even though the clutch is pushed in. That means that the clutch is not stopping the input shaft.
 
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Meanwhile, we still don’t know what kind of car it is, nor if the gearbox/transaxle oil was changed recently. That’s the cheapest and fastest thing to try...
 
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