Did anybody else out there have intermittent problem with switching into 1st gear?

I bought CL-S 6sp ‘03 less than a month ago, and it's a wonderful car. From time to time, though, as often as a couple times a day, I have a problem switching into first gear, at traffic lights for example. Here is what happens: I depress the clutch to the floor, but when I try to put stick into 1st, there is a resistance; the stick only goes half-in, even if I apply considerable pressure. When I release the clutch, the car does not move. If I depress the clutch again immediately, (without letting stick go) and try to continue pressing stick in, I hear gears grinding--a scary sound So the only recourse is to let both clutch and stick go, and then try again, that works.

I took a car to dealer for examination, they checked it out and said everything is fine. Told me the sync mechanism is "very precise" and also said if I slow down after 4th and need to switch into 1st, I should first go into the 2nd. But my problem manifests after complete stop, and, since it only happens sometimes, I cannot reproduce it for them to see.

Any advice is appreciated. Cannot race cars on traffic lights if I cannot get moving on the first try Hope CLs did not develop problems with 6sp this year, enough horror stories about auto transmission problems on this forum…

 

Sounds strange indeed.

The car isn’t MOVING at all when you’re pushing into first, is it ???
Even if the clutch is fully depressed it won’t let you grab first if the car is rolling.

Shawn S

 

sometimes the gears dont line up precisely. happens to my 5spd CL sometimes. just start depressing the clutch and it goes right in.

if it keeps up or gets worse i.e. it pops out of gear, then that is a sign that you have bad synchro's.

 

I too have a "Stock '03 CL-S Navi Anthracite" (at least it will remain stock for a few more months). Really like the car and especially the color. So much easier to maintain over the nighthawk black '01 CL-S I traded in.

Anyway, I've had mine for several weeks now and haven't noticed the problem you discribed. However, after years of driving stick, I developed a habbit where I always shift into 2nd and then into 1st with clutch depressed whenever I'm at a stop and ready to roll again. I started doing this when I used to drive a 1960 VW bug that didn't have any syncros in 1st gear. Stuck with me ever since.

-g

 

i bought mine back in august and haven' thad any problems with the tranny. i'd take it back to them to have a check up if you think it's acting weird

 

I have had that with my 94 Accord periodically, What you need to do is let go of the clustch completly and then press it back down and you should be able to get into first, or just start in second which I have done a few times when the people behind me are getting restless.

 

I know what you mean...I talked to a few Acura techs. and I found that if your gently try to engage it just before your car is stopped..like 1-2 mph and a light...itll go in easier...give it a try and see if it make a difference...I had my dealer look at the same problem when i got the car too....Theyll notice it more if they took the car on an actual drive vs around their lot where they dont shift past second

 

In general, the gears with the highest ratios (1st and Reverse) can be harder to get into than any other.

As Shawn said, any rolling of the car, powered or not, and 1st gear can be almost unattainable. This is by design.

There have been times, in all manual transmissions I've driven, where I am fully stopped (parking break engaged) and I cannot get into reverse until I let the car roll a bit, then stop and try again. Gear meshing seems to need more precision in the lowest gears than in the higher ones.

I'm not sure about the "sequence" question, where you should hit 2nd before first. I generally do that anyway, and I haven't noticed any problems getting into first unless the car is rolling.

 

Thanks for the replies guys, I am obviously not alone with this issue.

Looks like one solution may be to always swich into 2nd before 1st. Seems like work, but people are doing it.

I had Integra 5sp for past 6 years, and, while noticing the problem with reverse on occasions, as Stock03CLS mentioned, I never had any issue with 1st-5th. And was shocked to discover the problem on brand new CL.

I am most interested to hear from other owners of CL '03 6sp: Do you have the same problem? Simple yes or no will do if you do not have time for details. I am trying to figure out if only some cars have this "feature", or the whole line. Thank you!

 

This happens on all manual transmissions sometimes. It just means the syncros are not fully lined up. Just throw the shifter into 2nd gear and then into 1st, it will work. Takes 1 second of effort to go down then up on the shifter.

 

Have to agree with Sbirger and say that I also had the '97 integra for 5 years and it was smooth as silk...beautiful shifting...now with this new '03 CL-S it sometimes feels like somethings in the way or the parts arent really lined up correctly. I'm still waiting for it to smooth out now at 1,500 miles. **important point here*****with the car at standstill the gears change very nicely....(at all RPM's too) now, when it's moving there is the issue everyone has mentioned

 

Some of Honda's shifters are better than others. The Civic and Integra have always had slick gearboxes.

Sometimes this happens to me on ANY car that I drive, and this can be solved by running it through some other gears. If 1st locks up (sometimes happens on my Accord), I run it through 2nd and then 3rd, then it slips fine into 1st. This, in essence, is normal.

 

I've had this happen when driving my dad's 00 C5(albiet very rarely). Same deal, hit 2nd, then 1st and it should be fine

 

C5's are nice.

 

I agree here with Atlcl. When you're stopped and ready to go, just move the stick into second, then into first. Sometimes the sycros are mis-aligned. This method resets them. It's a common problem on sticks. Actually, sometimes reverse has the same problem as well.

 

 

Thanks for your replies guys. I'll re-classify this in my head from "problem" to "nuisance" and try to live with it.

 

Mine too sometimes balks when putting it into 1st. This was much more when first purchased. Now it hardly ever happens. I've never been concerned about it because I experienced this "feature" with other manual trannies, back in the day. The cure is as stated: slip it into second first, then first second. Doing this, was said to me, helps line up the gears so the synchros have an easier time.

 

i've "grinded" it a few times in both first and second but not a whole lot....every so often. but i don't think mine is a problem.

 

wiat 'till you try some really quick "look at me I'm driving a cool car" shifting on these bery narrow shift gates....hhmmmm...is that third or fifth...second or fourth?....not a gripe but it was kinda funny when it happens for the first time

 

Yep... used to do that and always worked...

 

I got mine two days ago... so far I have no problem with any gears...