Sometimes when I put in in first it's difficult. Also it seems like if I'm moving at all, if I try to downshift to 1st, it grinds like hell, sounds like I'm not even using the clutch? WTF? anyone else have this problem, or heard of it?

Thanks
xBRIANx

 

if your going to fast of a speed you wont be able to put it into first dunno why but thats just how it is......it will go into first onlee if your going a slow enough speed which is prolly under 20mph or so

 

15 must be slower than I think, cause it feels like I'm crawling and it won't go in. It's a safty feature, so you can't drop your tranny in the middle of an intersection.

 

I got it in at 10mph today, but...I don't know, it's wierd sometimes it will go in and other times it won't.

 

Getting into first in most cars is difficult if you aren't stopped or going VERY slow. It's normal but I don't know the exact reason why.

 

it's gotten harder since I got the car tho. I've never driven a new car before, so I don't know what is normal.

 

Brian--I have never downshifted to first in any car I have had. I go to second a lot, but only to first from a complete stop. I think first is geared too low for anything but a stop.

 

thanks Dave.

 

ive heard that you cna dubble clutch it into first ive seen guys at 20 mpg dubble clutch it and bring the engine rpm's up to 5 or 5.5k and it falls into first than you slam the gas and fast shift to second. wouldent reccomend it since our trany is on par with the wrx except their gears blow our syncros are ____. same idea they are fragil... when my syncros fail ill buy something top notch than ill turbo it

 

In my opinion, I would never downshift into first. The synchros are crap! The more you downshift the more you wear on them. I've had a complete tranny rebuild and a new tranny put in due to the synchros. Thank goodness for the warranty!

 

I might be very wrong on this, but I heard somewhere that first gear isn't equipped with synchros, which would explain the difficulty downshifting, grinding, etc. Anyway as others have said, downshifting into first isn't wise behavior for optimimum transmission health.

Mike

 

i just hate the fact i have to come to a complete stop at stop signs now....

 

i know this is an old a$$ post, but i'll fill in on it a bit.

it's a well known fact with the C50 that syncros for gears 1-4 are all really sh!tty. apparently you can take the syncros for gears 1 and 2 from a C52 and drop them right in and fix that problem REAL quick with good strong syncros. 3rd and 4th gear syncros from the C52 will fit aswell but require some extra parts and or work to get in there but ultimately solve alot of the slow syncro response and gets rid of the crappy weak stock paper syncros of the C50. or you could just as easily get the C59 gear box and use that being that thing takes well over 500hp with no problem on some VERY heavily built 1ZZ engines from MWR.

PS - i also have had the grinding problem. i knew about the 1st gear before i even bought my xB, but i never downshift into it. i see no point in downshifting at such slow speeds on such a weak gear. my second gear has had grinding issues even when the clutch is to the floor and i'm within gear speed *between 10mph and 50mph, generally try to downshift into it around 25-35mph and rev match at the same time.* and i also have had grind problem with accelerating and shifting into 2nd from 1st and sometime from 2nd to 3rd. i went and did an early transmission oil change and noticed my transmission from factory only had about 1.1 quarts of oil when it's supose to have 1.9-2.0 quarts. since then i've gone from having grinding problems rather often to having them rarely BUT the damage has already been done and the weak syncros now have some problems. i can shift into 2nd from 1st without grinding rather quickly, but i can't do it from 2nd to 3rd without a pause to prevent grind and let the slightly damaged syncro do it's job correctly. 3rd's syncro is faintly crunchy and 2nd more then likely has damage of it's own and it's all due to the transmission not getting the right amount of oil that it should have straight from factory. now i'm in a circling world with the dealership and my 36k/3yr warranty to try and get my syncros fixed.

 

I also suggest you don't downshift into first, ever.

That, and check clutch fluid. If it's low, it can cause all sorts of wacky problems. The 4Runner I used to have had a leak in it's clutch master cylinder, and when it got low, I couldn't get into first, ever.

 

If the rpms match it will slide into any gear without use of the clutch. Blip the throttle and it should slip right into first at a roll, just be ready to take it to 4 grand before shifting out or it can give you whiplash.

Nice info, not sure I want to tear it down when I finally got use to driving it without grinding.

 

Seems like everyone thinks I'm talking about downshifting at speed...agressive downshifts into first, That's not what I want to do tho, I want to be able to drive into a gas station without sounding like I don't know how to drive.


But thanks a lot for the info..I dindn't know any of that.

 

oh ya, i know what you mean now. have a look at your fluid level in the trans.

go get some royal purple 75W90 i do believe, 2 quarts and get a oil drain thing too if you don't have one and see how much comes out of the trans. i only got about 1.1 quarts when i changed my trans oil and our C50 is supose to have 1.9-2.0 quarts. having low oil from factory is very possible and it WILL cause grinding and pre-mature wear of the syncros. if your trans had enough oil after the change and all, well thats one thing out the window and is a 25 dollar event well spent cause the royal purple frees up some of the power lost within your drivetrain from the engine and actually helps increase fuel economy slightly because it's a thinner based synthetic.

 

I thought our cars didn't have a clutch fluid reservoir. Isn't it tied into the brake system? Correct me if I'm wrong.

 

yep, ours shares the reservoir used for the brake fluid. hydraulic fluid is hydraulic fluid...