kewe

iTrader: (4)

Looking for a bit of advice on this annoying problem I seem to have on my Standard Blobeye 5-speed WRX. Will give as much detail as possible, so here goes:-

Its just done 91K and still on original clutch/gearbox etc.
Car has no mods.
FSH and all Fluids inc gear oil replaced June last year.

The problem happens when trying to engage 1st gear from standstill. It happens when the car is fully warmed up, so not a cold issue either.

When I go to select 1st gear, occasionally it will not go in. The gear lever gets about half way up the selector but not fully in and will go no further.
If I force it it may go in but gives a small crunch. Seems worse the quicker you try to select gear too. So putting it into gear very deliberate slowly helps but not 100%

I have to select neutral, release clutch and then get 1st gear at 2nd attempt. It seems to go in fine when selecting 1st from a rolling speed of 5-10mph so I don't think it a synchromesh problem.

I'm finding I'm now tending to sit with the car in gear at lights etc which I know isn't good for the clutch.

All other gears are fine.

Anyone know if this sounds like just wear and tear on gearbox / clutch or is there something that can be done/looked at that might fix the problem?

Thanks for any advice!

MrNoisy

iTrader: (28)

Just from previous experience on other cars I'd probably start with having the clutch replaced if it's done 91k and still on the original from the factory.

kewe

iTrader: (4)

Thanks for the reply buddy.

So from your experience you'd suspect the clutch rather than gearbox. I guess the clutch life depends on how the car has been driven but 91K seems about the time they give up? The biting point is pretty high but it doesn't slip at all and no strange noises. Is it possible the master cylinder can cause this type of problem?

I don't use the car on a daily basis and will be lucky if I do 4K in a year. So might just decide to live with it as I'm sure the expense of new clutch or gearbox is going to be pretty hefty.

jaymaxy

iTrader: (4)

hi , i seem to have something similar on my blobeye wrx ,when trying to get in to first and reverse it crunchs abit ,so i had a new clutch fitted in december and it`s still doing it now, it`s worse when cold seems to go off when it is warmed up though and have decided to live with it for now

MrNoisy

iTrader: (28)

I believe it's a common problem that the clutch is often heavier when cold.
Mine suffers from that problem, and 1st and reverse is sometimes a little harder to get until the car's warmed up, even though I have the gearbox oil changed fairly regularly.
My car has done 86000 miles though, and I'm about to wind the power up to around 320 by fitting a VF35 and other accompaniments so wouldn't be surprised if I end up needing another 5 speed gearbox as a result!

DonNedly

iTrader: (10)

My blobeye is a bit like that. Sometimes it doesn't want to go into 1st but i just blip the throttle and it pops in. I've heard other scooby drivers describe this so maybe its a scooby gearbox feature to make you rev it up at the lights.

MrNoisy

iTrader: (28)

if you rev your scooby off the lights and do full bore launches then look forward to a new clutch very soon mind

DonNedly

iTrader: (10)

i didn't say anything about about launching it or clutch dumps i just meant it goes into 1st easier sometimes with a slight dabble of throttle, only a few hundred revs.

kewe

iTrader: (4)

Hmm I'll certainly give the throttle blip a try never thought of that.

I think the common problem does exist when cold but mines also does it, and is probably more prone to doing it when warm.

-shane-

iTrader: (40)

Mine does the same, 1st gear and reverse sometimes have to dip the clutch a 2nd time, My car did it before the New Clutch was fitted, my Wrx has covered 76k, I have another friends who's also does the same

kewe

iTrader: (4)

Oh well nice to know I'm not alone and sounds like changing the clutch may not be a solution either.

HUSNAIN

iTrader: (1)

My old Bugeye used to do that, it would be difficult to engage into first, changed the gearbox oil and clutch fluid but was still the case. So I tried another trick, from standstill, shift to 2nd gear and then go into 1st, worked everytime and so much so I became used to it.

kewe

iTrader: (4)

Yeah I have found that works for me too - wonder why that is though and what clue does it give to the problem

scoobywrxwagon

iTrader: (2)

Mine does it once every blue moon, try taking it out of gear and pumping the clutch peddle a few times that works for me. Since I was advised to do that by someone on here ive never had an issue. I tend to pump the clutch peddle while its warming up in the morn too and while shes cooling down I dont know why but since I have I dont get the prob very offen at all or should I say ever really tbh.

MrNoisy

iTrader: (28)

Yeah I know mate, but even if you're doing it at low revs it still wouldn't be something I'd advise doing for any prolonged period due to the extra wear on the components...think the advice about getting second then first or double clutching is better for the life of the car's transmission.
Just a thought.

scoobymark97

hi m8 sounds like clutch problem usually have problems with 1st and revers gear when clutch is worn . start with replacing the clutch .

L2PB

I have had this problem with numerous other cars, its not just subaru related....

I have the same issue on my01 Bugeye wrx, it is annoying..! also when down changing from 2nd to first it grinds..

I have no idea what it is but im sure it aint the clutch as had this replaced on other cars and still the problem was there.. It may be something to do with the Gear linkage as first is the one most used. Just a hunch..!

2ndgear

when changing down if it grinds its because the gear isnt slowing down enough there for the sycro ring is prob knackered as that is what slows the gear down. See this link

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LqJdrYTmHF0

kewe

iTrader: (4)

Yeah just to be clear this isn't a Synchromesh problem.

Goes into 1st no problem when moving and changing from 2nd to 1st.

Scoobymark97 - Agreed it seems the obvious place to start, but already a few folks with the same problem have said when they replaced the clutch it doesn't seem to cure this particular problem.

Update - Had an Engine oil change at weekend and also decided to add some stp additive into the gearbox oil. (ooh controversial?)


The gears do seem to go in a lot slicker now and I haven't had it jam on me once yet. Too early to say it's a fix but initial signs are promising.

MrNoisy

iTrader: (28)

Interesting to hear mate - what derivative (are there several types, I haven't used these additives before) did you put in and how much was it?

kewe

iTrader: (4)

No it was the guy who serviced my car that put it in buddy. It was called Prolong Gearbox treatment. I'm still not convinced it will cure the problem but will let you know over the next week or so how it goes.
I'm sure it just goes in via a funnel on the gearbox dipstick. For £15 I was willing to give it a try.

kewe

iTrader: (4)

Well just to update as promised - The Prolong Gearbox oil has made a difference and although I still get the odd stick going into 1st it's nowhere near as bad as it was to the point where I'm not thinking about it anymore - so worth a try if you have this problem.

http://www.prolong.com/A_TransTreat.html