can anyone tell me y when i first start and drive my car (warmed up to temp) its tough to get in gear, especially when im stopping at a junction and going down the gears back to 1st gear? after driving about for say 10 mins it changes perfectly smooth no probs at all, any ideas? cheers

 

mine wont go into first until the car is stopped like most cars ive had. i think that is normal mate

 

I've never noticed before but mine won't go in to 1st gear either unless I'm almost at a complete stop!
Even more of a pain when it's first thing in the morning lol.

 

the gears feel tight throughout the range, almost lumpy for want of a better word, its as if the gearbox warms up after bout 10 mins of driving then the gears are as smooth as u like?

 

Aye, exactly how mine behave's. Mind you, although the car is warmed up, it's still hard getting in to 1st gear over say 10mph

 

thinks thats the way its ment to be as mine is the same. my box gives off a whine when going into first too.

its just normal to me

 

I was 'taught' by my instructor that, on manual road cars at least, 1st isn't designed/supposed to go into gear at anything other than stationary. Indeed, in practice, this is pretty much true isn't it?

You can prob 'force' it in from about a max of 5mph, but the 'box baulks and doesn't really like it.

But race cars, rally cars et al, have gears designed to select 1st for very tight corners/hairpins, whilst the car is obviously still moving.

 

mines the same chaps a right bugger unless near enough stopped then drops in. also the same until reaches temp

 

try a different type of gearbox oil

 

Mine can be a pain to get reverse. Other gears are fine but sometimes I have to go back into neutral then try again or into 1st then into backwards. Bloody annoying.

 

Glad i read this thread, but if every1 else is the same guess it's normal

Only just changed Clutch & Flywheel as well


What happens when changing down gear and you get a whine noise when your either slowing down for traffic or coming to a stop at a junction?

 

Is that showing your age or what I thought the practice of not fitting syncro to first gear was a 60's thing.....now someones gonna shoot me down in flames I can feel it

 

Not being able to select 1st until almost stationary is pretty normal, but if you have selection problems on other gears until it's warm, then try changing your gearbox oil & fill it with Castrol Syntrax 75w90.

Phil

 

Napalm comin' at you at a rate of knots, Badbird

 

I always assumed it was because the gearbox oil hadn't warmed up yet. That may be (and probally is) completely wrong but thats how I saw it.

 

For sure, cold gearbox oil is gonna hinder the change more, but I still feel that 1st isn't 'supposed' to be changed down to until pretty much stationary. As I said, in my experience - synchro'd 1st gear or not - it baulks anyway, unless almost at a standstill.

It just don't feel 'right'.

It might just be my 'prejudice' to it because of what I was led to believe all of those 21yrs 2mths ago! lol

 

Same, although i find I can sometimes get it in 1st easier at a couple of miles an hour - the speed at which it would move at idle in 1st. Basically I often have to skip it and go for second when the box is cold or you look like a moron who can't drive their shiny scoob. Then you look like a moron for slipping the clutch. Ah well.

Its been made worse by the colder weather...

 

so did you learn in an Anglia then???
maybe your driving instructor liked oldies but goodies

 

1st and reverse are the worst gears to get as they are straight cut gears. second is almost straight cut, then 3rd is more bevelled and so on.

your problem will be cold gearbox oil and a mixture of straight cut gears.

common problem with any car not just impreza.

 

 

what you laughing at?

 

I think Phil found it amusing that you think the gear set is straight-cut!

 

The gear helix angle makes no difference as they run in constant mesh.
If you've slection problems, try changing the gearbox oil.
It could also be a dragging crank spigot bush on the gearbox input shaft.
Of course, you could always double de-clutch on your gearchanges. Mine goes into fist quite easily when I want it to.

20 years driving? Ha, you youngsters!

John

 

Yup, got to admit, I had a real ****e day at wk today and that made me chuckle, so couldn't help laugh out loud as such.. sorry.

As has been said, the gearbox has helical gears, as does nearly every road car.. If you have ever driven a car with a straight cut box you would understand why.. It's bloody noisy!! Sounds great in a race or rally car though as is compliments all the other wonderful noises that these things make, but you wouldn't want to drive one on a daily basis. (well, most people wouldn't)

Also, as has John has already stated, the gears run in constant mesh. which means that as you select the next gear you are not moving one cog into mesh with another, they are already meshed, with one half freewheeling on a shaft (which is why it makes no difference if the gear is a straight cut/semi or fully helical) , to select this gear you lock it to the shaft with a mechanism that either slows it, or speeds it up to the shaft speed before it engages it. This is why (amongst other things) the gearbox oil is so important, as it has a direct effect on how quickly or slowly the gear can be synchronized with the shaft speed.

Reverse however IS straight cut & you do move one cog into mesh with another, which is why it can be a right pain to select sometimes.