Transmission 1-2 Shift Grind


Bill Briley

Bill Briley

GT Owner
Aug 9, 2005
212
Valley Forge PA.
After 700 miles:
- When the GT is first started and cool , the transmission grinds (lightly) into 2nd (low RPM 1500-2000). It will do this only into 2nd out of 1st and only once or twice. After some warm up ( 4 min.) it will not grind.
- After a "Good Pull" (To 6000 rpm) and strong boost thrugh 2nd gear the idle hangs at 2000rpm for a period of 15-30 seconds and returns to normal.
My SC Viper does the same at times.
- I have a 1/2" difference in non-weighted ride height from side to side driver side being lower, with out me in it.

But damn....I love this car!


Comments?
 
I have the same issue with the first to second shift when cold. After warm up then everything is smooth.

I have not observed your other two issues.
 
The tranny does feel a little rough when the car is cold for me as well.
But having driven it 200+ miles in the past 3 days, I've fallen even more in love with it!
The engine is so muted, with the whine of the supercharger it feels I've got a jet engine in the back.
In the winding roads of the mountains of the California coast I was easily able to outdistance a 996 on the turns (of course straightaways are obvious...).
This being my first mid-engine car, I understand why some of my friends swear by them.
 
Cold Shift Grind

I've definitely noticed this one as well, but as others have stated I also found it only lasted about five minutes after start up (if that), so I stopped thinking about it.
 
As long as the one-two cold shift issue is a "characteristic" of most GTs I am not too worried about it. I can live with my transmission fluid being thick and thus taking some time to warm up if it indeed protects the transmission better.

Hope your ride height issue gets resolved.

Thanks for the report.

-Chris
 
1-2

It's not an issue, but a characteristic. It's the same for the manual shift Ferraris, if you are in the know a cold engine you always shift 1 3 first. I find that quite cute, it's like a beautiful female, needs some time to get ready for going out.... :biggrin
 
SLF360 said:
It's not an issue, but a characteristic. It's the same for the manual shift Ferraris, if you are in the know a cold engine you always shift 1 3 first. I find that quite cute, it's like a beautiful female, needs some time to get ready for going out.... :biggrin
Click to expand...

Great analogy! :thumbsup
 
My GT is hard to get into Reverse too, still need two hands after 700 miles, but I don't really mind this. As wonka said, I'll never accidentally go into reverse.

My blinkers also have a squell that changes pitch with the engine RPM. Used to it now, but the dealer is checking it out.

They are checking out my 1-2 shift grind as well. It's not a major grind, just a couple cogs, and only when it's cold. I'll let everyone know if they are able to make an adjustment or not.
 
Any further info on the 1-2 grind issue? I just got my car and noticed this characteristic on mine, as well. If anyone has some guidance I can give my dealer, that would be great.
 
COLD shift

You should drive a Ferrari! They're legendary for being unshiftable until they're warm.

This problem is not really a problem - it is a characteristic of the gearbox. The transaxle is a very robust unit intended for use on high-horspower cars. You are probably aware that Riccardo units very similar to our gearbox is used on IRL racers and some Le Mans racers (although theirs are non-synchro straight-cut gear versions). The grinding you are getting is not actually the gears grinding, so don't worry - it is the 'dogs' inside the box that are having trouble meshing. The solution is simple - shift very slowly from 1st to 2nd until the car is up to temperature.
 
I think everyone experiences the cold tranny characteristic...I just shift from 1 to 3 until it warms up, usually within 5 minutes or less. As far reverse, with the gear in neutral, I give it a mild slap (nothing harsh) toward the driver (eg. me), and it goes right into reverse gear everytime. No need to pull or grind it. Actually, the dealer that I bought the car from showed me this trick when I initially test drove one of their Ford GTs.
 
Second Gear

I've noticed that my GT catches a bit when going into 2nd gear from 1st.

Someone told me that this was "normal" on these cars.

Fact or fiction?

Many Thanks
 
Normal when cold. After about 2 miles it should shift fine. Many just skip 2nd when the tranny is cold.
 
BlackICE said:
Normal when cold. After about 2 miles it should shift fine. Many just skip 2nd when the tranny is cold.
Click to expand...

Like the ferraris, we had a different thread on this. if you are in cold conditions, you might consider a more fluid at cold conditions tranny oil, but I'd be careful
 
2nd gear crunch

black ice is absolutely correct about cold transmissions. according to Ricardo, the manufacturer, the gear oil mostly drips off the 2nd gear when the car has sat awhile and the slight crunch will be heard when shifting the first time from 1st. to 2nd. After the first shift or warm up, you will not hear the noise again until the car is cold again. also you will hear some slight rattle in neutral as well until the trans is warmed up. many a transaxle was replaced under warranty even though it's an inherent design issue that couldn't be changed.
 
I generally shift from 1st to 3rd until the engine is totally warmed up, otherwise it does grind a bit.
 
When developing the 3.9 gear ratio with Ricardo we asked them about this second gear crunch and they said that it is perfectly normal and acceptable. They told us that the transmission can easily handle a smooth but firm gear shift. Don't manhandle it like a gorilla, but a "firm" (their words) shift is what the gearbox wants. They are not concerned with the second gear crunch that we all have grown acustomed to.
 
Which we have all discussed before, this is EASILY eliminated with a smooth "blip" when upshifting to 2nd SLOWLY, when the box is cold.

With careful use of the throttle to properly mesh the gears, this car is really easy to shift with out the clutch. Disclaimer: don't try this unless you fully practice the concept while using the clutch.......

kmillen said:
When developing the 3.9 gear ratio with Ricardo we asked them about this second gear crunch and they said that it is perfectly normal and acceptable. They told us that the transmission can easily handle a smooth but firm gear shift. Don't manhandle it like a gorilla, but a "firm" (their words) shift is what the gearbox wants. They are not concerned with the second gear crunch that we all have grown acustomed to.
Click to expand...
 
Viper, I've got just over 12K miles on my car, almost all highway, and it still catches just a bit when cold. The tranny cooler doesn't help. There are many, many old posts about this. You may have to look in the archives.
 
Had the exact same problem. I unfortunately started out in 3rd instead of 1st putting my car up my driveway into te garage. It smoked the clutch a little and after a while the slight grinding from 1st to second disappeared. Probably completely unrelated. However, I did also find that double clutching when the car was cold also reduced or eliminated the problem. It also goes away over time and miles. 2000-3000 miles on the car and it should disappear.
 
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