Second gear crunch

[Nardo GT]

This is what I originally posted in August
"My car has 1500 miles on it and has always been a bit sensitive shifting into second gear. All the other shifts are fine, just the one-two. You have to take extra care and shift really thinking about it into second. If you don't take a bit of extra care it will crunch SLIGHTLY going into second. This feels/sounds like a synchro problem to me. No popping out of gear....no whines..no other problems with the trans. other than this. Anybody else experience this? I am 50 years old and very familiar with manual transmissions. I have had Porsches, Ferraris, Corvettes etc....even Mustang GTs and never noticed such.. It is slight, but still noticeable. Thanks."

I was told by other forum members that the second gear "crunch" was normal and would get better with time. Well, I am at 4800 miles now and it is EXACTLY the same. How long do I need to wait? I know all about shifting 1-3 instead of 1-2 but do I really need to be doing that? I think that is just getting around the real issue. It NEVER does this on a downshift from 3 to 2 but only on upshift and only sometimes....does seem better after FULLY warmed up....and I do mean FULLY....It is very annoying and I really want to keep a "numbers matching" transaxle....not a replacement. And btw, I think the number of axle bolt failures is more in the 60 car area. Mine failed a couple of months ago about a mile from the Ford dealership. I pushed it back in and limped to the dealer. If I had been far from a dealer or out of town I would have really been upset. Luckily I had the use of reading about it prior to it happening and knew exactly what it was. Please let me know FranKTheTank what you find out. I really don't want the dealer tearing into or replacing my trans.....Maybe I will wait til the warranty is almost out and send to Saleen. I have heard many good things about them, but still concernred about "matching number" trans. Also......I guess I would be out the shipment expense which doesn't seem right.

 

[Gimbal]

Mine is "crunching" from 1-2 and sometimes into 1. #89 Tungsen Nov 5 build date. Sometimes even just plain hard to get into first gear especially when cold. Temps here are 30's these days but also noticed in Aug and Sep too but not as bad. It gets better after well warmed. I'm also getting the new halfshaft washer and bolts. I hope to not be another statistic. If others have smooth shifts cold or warm, seems to be something wrong or not adjusted correctly. I don't know enough about how it all connects together or works but looks like another task. I recieved the CD manual, it's pretty weak on details at best.

 

[Neilda]

I can't add much to this other than saying mine is notchy into second when cold and smooth when warmed....

 

[Bart Carter]

Bart, do you have the short throw shifter?

No, mine is 100 percent stock. I have the trans cooler, but have not installed it yet. I want to fix the crunch into 2nd 1st.

Again, even when warm, it crunches. If I shift very slow and feel it into gear, no crunch. I think the revs just fall enough that the RPMs match the trans gear and the syncro is not really needed. I can also shift into neutral, let out the clutch, and then in on the clutch and into 2nd without crunching. Again, rev matching. I do not think the syncro for 2nd is right.

I have been driving stick shift for over 40 years, on and off the track. It is not the driver.

 

[Nardo GT]

I agree......Definitely not the driver.

I am in Texas and it has been in the twenties and thirties here at night lately. The trans. is a bit stiffer shifting when cold, either in cold weather or warm. I am not concernred about "stiff" at all and feel that is normal. I DO NOT feel that any crunching is normal in any scenario....cold weather or hot weather......cold trans. or warm trans. During this recent cold weather snap it seems that now when I first attempt the 1-2 shift that it is stiff with no crunch at first, then attempts are less stiff but DO crunch, then when fully warmed up no stiffness and no crunch. Racing trans. or not......just doesn't feel right to me and I sure as heck don't want it to get worse and me be out of warranty.

 

[Black GT]

I have the crunch as well! Oh well I guess it is the nature of the beast.:bored

 

[GT 1547]

Mine crunches on the 1-2 shift and until warmed up is very hard to downshift into 1st, like when you roll up to a stop sign. When warmed up everything works fine. 2200 miles, has been the same since new.

 

[FLASH]

I live in Atlanta and have had the car since Sept. and have about 2500 miles on the clock. From day one it has been a struggle to get into 2nd on the first shift. I always have to double clutch the first couple of 1st to 2nd shifts when it's cold. I have to pull very hard to get second and of coarse it will grind so I just do the usual routine and once it gets warmed up it's fine. I do not have the cooler or short shift kit yet.
Flash

 

[red gt 1442]

Some of you guys have owned ferraris......maybe most...and if you did.. you would remember that when the car was cold..shifting from 1st to 2nd was almost impossible to say the least. The car needed to get fully warmed and then the shifting was perfect. Well..i find the same exact situation here.....cold .....hard shift to 2nd warm.. no problem. If the problem persists, as some say they do.. then a linkage adjustment might be in order. I did notice that when i got on it hard...the next time i shifted to 2nd (after a stop) i did hear a slight grind.. I have not heard it again.

 

[Speed Thrills]

Some of you guys have owned ferraris......maybe most...and if you did.. you would remember that when the car was cold..shifting from 1st to 2nd was almost impossible to say the least. The car needed to get fully warmed and then the shifting was perfect. Well..i find the same exact situation here.....cold .....hard shift to 2nd warm.. no problem. If the problem persists, as some say they do.. then a linkage adjustment might be in order. I did notice that when i got on it hard...the next time i shifted to 2nd (after a stop) i did hear a slight grind.. I have not heard it again.

Should a thread be started to get a better count of how many of us are having this "crunch" problem and what has fixed it if anything.