Still Can't Get First Gear

[ZeroVette]

I now have 1200 miles on it, and I am still having trouble getting into first gear... and yes, I am pressing the clutch to the floor.

It is a bit intermittant, seems more prevelant when cold, but happens at running temp too. Dealer has checked it out, claims it operates as designed, say they have heard of no simlilar complaints. Also stated that they do not have the tools required to work on the trans, so even if they found a problem they couldn't fix it. (Dealers suck!).

It will slip into first without any resistance when you are slowing to a stop at 1-2mph. But once stationary it will often not go into first until you have released the clutch pedal, depressed the pedal again, rifled through a few other gears, and cussed loudly, before trying first again.

This is obviously a ridiculous situation when you are sitting at a redlight that has just turned green.

When attempting to get first gear, it is not a rock-solid resistance, it is somewhat rubbery, but definitely a very hard rubbery resistance.

It sucks having to always keep it in first when stationary. Any input would be appreciated.

 

[nota4re]

I only have 300 miles but I've noticed that occasionally first gear sometimes seems "blocked" when the signal turns green. when this occurs, I usually will grab second (which sometimes is a little harder than it should be, but once second is selected, it will usually click right up to first.

In summary, I'm typically idling in neutral with clutch out when waiting for a light. When light turns green, clutch-in, quick try to slide up to first (30% of the time it does not want to go), if no-go, go for second gear gate and then quickly up to first. This tends to work nearly all of the time. Also, the shifting seems to be continually improving with more mileage.

 

[glord]

I now have 1200 miles on it, and I am still having trouble getting into first gear... and yes, I am pressing the clutch to the floor.

It is a bit intermittant, seems more prevelant when cold, but happens at running temp too. Dealer has checked it out, claims it operates as designed, say they have heard of no simlilar complaints. Also stated that they do not have the tools required to work on the trans, so even if they found a problem they couldn't fix it. (Dealers suck!).

It will slip into first without any resistance when you are slowing to a stop at 1-2mph. But once stationary it will often not go into first until you have released the clutch pedal, depressed the pedal again, rifled through a few other gears, and cussed loudly, before trying first again.

This is obviously a ridiculous situation when you are sitting at a redlight that has just turned green.

When attempting to get first gear, it is not a rock-solid resistance, it is somewhat rubbery, but definitely a very hard rubbery resistance.

It sucks having to always keep it in first when stationary. Any input would be appreciated.

I have exactly the same problem. An intermittant "mushy" feel when shifting into first. The dealer has not been able to recreate it. However, it does seem to be getting better with mileage. I currently have about 700 miles.

Are you finding your clutch engages right off the floor, or further up in its throw? Mine engages quite high. I'm wondering if the mushy feel is related.

 

[dbtgt]

I agree with Nota4re, I let mine idle in neutral with clutch out while waiting at a stop light (it's a throw-out bearing, not a hold-out bearing as my dad used to say :eek ) and usually out of habit from the early days of driving British cars (sorry Neilda) I first shift into second and then first after pushing the clutch in. Works like a charm for me. Also, after 850 miles on my car, the shifting keeps improving. Hope this helps.

 

[Neilda]

No problem! :biggrin

One of my Astons needs a curious juggle of cogs to find reverse.... neutral, first, reverse. It's somewhat of a lottery....

 

[kosupply]

try blipping the throttle with the clutch in...should ease in

 

[piko6]

i have had same problem and have replaced master cylinder slave cilinder , flywheel etc etc and i think it is a design flaw...

i have 5500 miles and no improvement yet...

go second first then put in the 1st gear .. is how i do it when i cant go straight in..

In one instance it simply would not go in 1st gear and that is when i started swapping parts.. one at a time to get it to its nornal , once in a while mushy 1st gear fforced feeleing

PIKO6

ford must get a good amount of these complaints for the same stuff

 

[ZeroVette]

Now at 1300 miles, problem has worsened, cannot get 1st gear unless the car is rolling to a stop. Once stationary I am locked out of 1st. Dealer says "Don't bring it in yet, we will get back to you next week after we make some calls".

Are there any dealers in So Cal that have experience with these cars? Seems like my car is the first GT that my local dealer has worked on.

Any input would be appreciated.

 

[lthlvpr]

Blipping the throttle will help when going into first as well as dealing with the 1-2 slight grind most people complain about when the tranny is cold...

Keep us posted on what you find out. If it is a design flaw, it will be interesting to see how Ford deals with it...

 

[nota4re]

ZeroVette,

I feel for you, my friend. Obviously there is something wrong. I'm hoping that it is simply the shift linkage. I suppose it is a pretty easy thing to check as the GT linkage is cable driven and I believe all of the adjustment is at the transaxle right next to the muffler. Very easily accessible. It would be interesting to compare "throws" and "lengths" of this linkage with a normal car to see if something is amiss. Like I say, it is very easy to access - look at the pass side transaxle with the clamshell open. Worst case is that the airbox must be removed but that takes about a minute.

Circumstantially, I will be in Orange tomorrow a.m. to meet with friends for a short canyon drive and brunch. I'll PM you details and if you'd like to get together briefly before we take off, we can take a quick look at the linkage compared to mine. Mine, incidentally, with about 550 miles is now just about perfect. Any notchiness I once had early on is pretty much gone.

Look for a PM.

 

[dbtgt]

There is a trouble shooting guide in the shop manual. Clutch master cylinder bleed and shifter cable adjustments are at the top of the list. Hopefully your issues can be resolved with these adjustments.

 

[ZeroVette]

Thanks for the info, is there any way for me to obtain a copy of that troubleshooting guide, so I can pin it on the dealer's nose?

 

[MAD IN NC]

ZeroVette - Check your E-mail. I have sent the section that you are looking for in PDF format... 308-00-1 in the manual.

Mike

 

[ZeroVette]

Thanks for the great info, I will throw it at the dealer next week, as they apparently don't have a copy of the service manual.

When I picked up the car from the dealer yesterday, I was specifically told that "all GTs are hard to shift, and hard to get into first" and that my car was performing as it was designed to.

I explained that my car was not hard to shift, the shifts are actually very smooth, easy and precise. My problem is that it is intermitantly impossible to get into first, and sometimes the car will surge forward slightly when it does go into first, as if the clutch had not fully disengaged.

This was the "assistant service manager" that I was talking to, and he again insisted that he had talked to his manager about it, and that the manager had driven several GTs, and that they are all hard to shift.

I said "That's great, but it doesn't help me much when I am stuck at a green light, unable to get first gear, with cars honking their horn behind me".

Shaking his head, he responded with "You are not supposed to be sitting in neutral at a red light, you should be in first gear. This is a race car, it is supposed to be driven, and driven hard. You should be shifting into first before you come to a stop, and sit at the red light with the car in first."

What a freaking joke. I don't think this Forum allows me to state the name of the offending dealer, but they are located in Irvine CA if anyone is interested in adding them to their "dealers to avoid" list.

 

[BlackICE]

"You are not supposed to be sitting in neutral at a red light, you should be in first gear. This is a race car, it is supposed to be driven, and driven hard. You should be shifting into first before you come to a stop, and sit at the red light with the car in first."

That is a good way to wear out your throwout bearing pre-maturely. Some lights in my area are red for 3+ mins. I doubt if any race car drivers would hold the clutch in that long. Call the hot line and have them refer you to another dealer. Tell them these guys don't have a clue!

BlackICE

 

[ZeroVette]

It is hard to believe. I realize that these guys don't give a shit about me, and don't give a shit about my car. But you would think they care about the fact that they sound like complete idiots when they make a statement like ...

"You are not supposed to be sitting in neutral at a red light, you should be in first gear. This is a race car, it is supposed to be driven, and driven hard. You should be shifting into first before you come to a stop, and sit at the red light with the car in first."

I mean would anybody with half a brain make such a statement, even as a last ditch effort to get rid of an unwelcome customer?

I guess some folks just don't care how stupid they sound. :confused

 

[GTMD]

Hey all,

I know this is an ancient thread but I was just wondering if anyone else has experienced this issue and what the fix might be. ZeroVette described it perfectly although his seemed a bit worse.

I've noticed my '06 with 6,100 miles doing it over the past year, getting slightly worse over time and is most pronounced when cold. The gears most affected are 1st and reverse. The car does move a little when either gear does engage with the engine running and the clutch fully depressed. Warming the car up does make it slightly easier but it still seems harder than it should be. To be clear, this is distinct and different from the 1-2 shift resistance when cold. This is when the car is stationary that it is an issue. If the car is moving or slightly rolling, it is a piece of cake to get it into gear.

Of note, I noticed that it might have gotten worse since I bled my clutch fluid. It's possible that there is some air in the line because the top 1-1.5 inches of travel on the clutch pedal feels very soft. I can't imaging that the clutch isn't fully disengaging but maybe this is the issue?

Any thoughts or recommendations would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

 

[2112]

I like to get into 2nd gear first, then slip into first gear (or reverse).

 

[ultrasportracing]

Sounds like the clutch is not fully disengaging. Get someone to check the throw out bearing. You will need a small camera to feed in for a look.

 

[soroush]

change the fluid and bleed the clutch master cylinder.. I cant fully remember now but I think there are two spots on the line that require bleeding one is behind the access panel which you can get to from inside the car. I suspect most often that doesnt get done properly hence issues with clutch.

and dont ride the throw out bearing while sitting around it just decreases the life of the bearing and changing it is a big job.