Originally Posted by ez12a

2nd is also a little hard for me if the transmission's cold (the engine warms up faster than the trans. After the engine completes warm up, after a few more minutes the trans becomes a lot smoother for 2nd and 6th. I cant really get into 6th at all when it's cold unless i double clutch it.

it's "crunchy" or i feel some kind of gear resistance. It's not an outright grind. I usually shift way early though (below 2k) in the morning rather than do a higher rpm shift.

running GM FM fluid.

edit: it seems to be an ongoing "problem" with cold transmissions (4G TL): https://acurazine.com/forums/4g-tl-problems-fixes-297/hard-shift-1st-2nd-841992/. Just drive slow and shift early while the trans is cold. I usually cruise in 5th going 45-50 to speed the process.

Originally Posted by 94eg!

As for the comments on temperature....You can bet that it plays a part in the performance of the fluid and synchro material. Same way a clutch starts slipping if it gets too hot. I'm wondering if anthracite_ftw has had a chance to try the GM/AC Delco FM fluid. It's thought to give the syncrhos a bit better bite and allow them to do a better job even if they're slightly worn.

It eliminated an awful 3rd gear grind we had in our 03 Element AWD. A poorly executed dealer synchro replacment left our truck with questionable shifting quality. Never had a single crunch-shift or pop-out again after I put in the GM fluid.