Evenexchange

For probably over a year now... my car has had a lot of trouble going into second gear for the first shift of the car. ESPECIALLY in cold weather. I will start up the car, put it in first, then drive, go to shift into second and it feels like I am grinding a rod through a rocky, edgy narrow passageway, it's bad. Actually, today, it was the worst I've ever seen. I put it into second and the transmission made noise at me like the clutch wasnt all the way down, which it was. What is funny is... I can put it into second if i'm not moving effortlessly, it slides right in, with the car idling! After that FIRST SHIFT, i'm good usually the rest of my trip! So odd... Some people have told me that the linkage might be messed up, I have a short throw shifter and the guy before me installed it when he had the car. Everything that guy modifed to the car was pretty questionably installed... so I'm wondering... what do you guys think?

Eagle2000GT

Interesting. It sounds like your synchronizer is out but I would think that would cause it to grind all the time. Why don't you try skipping second gear until the transmission warms up. I sometime skip gears for no other reason than I'm lazy and don't feel like shifting.

witch doctor

You could learn to double clutch. ;-) Sounds like a bad synchronizer compounded by perhaps a thicker oil in the transmission which would be even thicker in the winter. I'd try changing the fluid and based on what that looks like, plan on getting the transmission rebuilt soon.

shwert

i've heard people talk about double clutching, but never had it explained well. could someone please help? and OP, my car is having a slight grind in second also, mostly when its cold, or on the first few shifts when the tranny isn't really warmed up yet, so it must be a common problem as i've heard people talk about the 2nd gear synchs going out.

witch doctor

Double clutching is done by pushing the clutch in, shifting into neutral, letting the clutch out then clutch in, shift to next gear, clutch out. Sometimes you have to rev a little when you're in the neutral step to get the transmission to the proper RPM range for the road speed and gear you are going to. (You are manually synchronizing the transmission shafts and the output shaft.)

99BlackPonyGT

first time hitting second when its cold is normal for it to grind...welcome to the world of mustang transmissions...dont worry about it

Eagle2000GT

My T-45 doesn't grind when it cold. I'm pretty sure grinding is a sign the sychronizer is going out.

Instead of double clutching (a technique for non-sychronized transmissions) you could shift without a clutch by matching rpms. Gently pull from first to neutral. Wait for the rpms to drop down to the right engine speed and ease it into second. All without ever touching the clutch.

I had to do that once a long time ago when my pressure plate went out in Illinois on a Sunday in my '66 Dodge. If I had to stop I put it in neutral and shut off the motor. I then would start the motor in first (clutch engaged) and continued down the road. I tested shifting without a clutch on my Mustang. It worked without a single bump.

99BlackPonyGT

to the OP: i would not go out and practice shifting without the clutch if youre already having trans problems...who knows how much you will grind and destroy practicing.... its a cool party trick best learned on a rental car or borrowed car...dont tear your own car up...it wont hurt it if done correctly, but goodluck mastering it your first try...most likely wont happen....theres no real benefit to it anyways, aside from being able to drive home if the clutch kicks the bucket


to eagle: i understand they dont do it from the factory, but the fact is, the majority of these cars DO infact grind the first time going into second if the car is cold....it is not a sign of any immediate failure, and is not anything that is going to harm the transmission...if the synchro was dead, it would be grinding every time....trust me, this SAME exact topic comes up alllllllll the time....to which most people will chime in saying the same thing i just posted.

99BlackPonyGT

https://mustangforums.com/forum/4-6-...-2nd-gear.html
https://mustangforums.com/forum/4-6l...thing-out.html (post 9)
http://www.moddedmustangs.com/forums...when-cold.html
http://allfordmustangs.com/forums/20...ear-grind.html
http://allfordmustangs.com/forums/5-...ifts-fine.html (post 2)


must i go on?

Eagle2000GT

Actually I should have put a smiley or something on that comment. I was saying it in jest. I really don't recommend the practice either.