Hello! I have this problem where sometimes when I am at neutral or downshifting, there seems to be something blocking my shifter from getting into 1st gear. I would shift into 1st gear, but it would stop like halfway into the gear and wouldn't work. I asked one of my friends who has a different car, and he said that it happens to him too. He said that you're suppose to just let out the clutch and press it back in, then try to put it into 1st again. Have any of you ever had this problem? If you know what the problem is, could you please tell me how to fix it? Thank you :]

 

Have you checked your tranny fluid???

 

straight up. dont use first unless your at a stop. use all the others all you want.

first gear to short. yes, i am in you and your friends shifter blocking you from being retarded.

 

may need to exchange your fluids

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by lumnite &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Hello! I have this problem where sometimes when I am at neutral or downshifting, there seems to be something blocking my shifter from getting into 1st gear. I would shift into 1st gear, but it would stop like halfway into the gear and wouldn't work. I asked one of my friends who has a different car, and he said that it happens to him too. He said that you're suppose to just let out the clutch and press it back in, then try to put it into 1st again. Have any of you ever had this problem? If you know what the problem is, could you please tell me how to fix it? Thank you :]</TD></TR></TABLE>

If you're moving, rev matching is always a good thing and seriously helps getting into 1st gear. If not not regularly rev matching, you're wasting clutch and synchros needlessly.

If you're at a stop, and have trouble getting it into 1st, thats fairly normal. Changing your tranny fluid can help too. On the rare occasion that it happens to me, shifting into 2nd or 3rd, then first (all with the clutch depressed) can shift the internals of the tranny enough to make getting into 1st easier.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by TunerN00b &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

If you're moving, rev matching is always a good thing and seriously helps getting into 1st gear. If not not regularly rev matching, you're wasting clutch and synchros needlessly.

If you're at a stop, and have trouble getting it into 1st, thats fairly normal. Changing your tranny fluid can help too. On the rare occasion that it happens to me, shifting into 2nd or 3rd, then first (all with the clutch depressed) can shift the internals of the tranny enough to make getting into 1st easier.</TD></TR></TABLE>

You do not need to rev match to shift if the clutch is pushed in. You only need to do this to let the clutch out.

Your tranny is always spinning at the same speed as your tires whether or not your engine is.

 

hmm I know that if I'm going pretty slow like 5 mph or less (too slow for 2nd) and it's hard to get into 1st gear, if I blip the throttle a bit it's easier to get into 1st.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by PatrickGSR94 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">hmm I know that if I'm going pretty slow like 5 mph or less (too slow for 2nd) and it's hard to get into 1st gear, if I blip the throttle a bit it's easier to get into 1st.</TD></TR></TABLE>

Why? With your clutch in, there is a gap between your engine and your tranny. Reving the engine will not do anything to help the syncros get up to speed.

 

man I dunno why... doesn't make sense I guess. I just know that when the shifter seems to be "locked out" of first when rolling about 5 mph, and then I blip the throttle, the shifter slides right in.

 

if ur going above 5-10 mph dont put it in first, if u are in 2nd or N... if you are at a stop and first doesnt go in. Start off by pushing the clutch down and with the clutch still being pressed, put the shifter into second and then first. it should go into gear!!!!!!!!!!!! for sure!

 

It's just the blocker ring doing its job. It will speed up or slow down a gear, and will not let the hub slide past it and onto the gear itself until the two have little to no speed difference. This feeling is accentuated when trying to go into first gear because of the extreme difference in gear ratio.

 

same thing happens to me. when im stopped ill try to go into first and it will get like halfway and wont go anymore, ill let the clutch out a little and give it sum gas and it usually pops back in or grinds lol &gt;

 

I still don't understand why it happens. I am usually at a complete stop waiting for the light to turn green. When it does, I sit there and hold up the line like an idiot trying to shift into 1st gear while trying different ways for it to work. There has not been one way where it always works. It just works whenever it feels like it. I guess it could be my transmission fluid. It's just that I don't understand whether the transmission fluid is good or not

 

I just verified last night when coming to a corner to turn.

I was going along in 3rd gear. Start slowing down. When I get down to about 10 mph I pressed the clutch pedal, and moved the shifter over towards first. It would not go in easily, but then I blipped the throttle (clutch still disengaged) and it immediately slipped right into 1st gear while still going at least 5 mph, and I was able to go.

 

this seems like a problem for alot of integras. My car does it, and my two cousins both drive integras with the same problem. I also have trouble putting it into reverse at times. To fix this problem, i just throw it into a different gear quickly while pushing down on the clutch and then putting it into the gear i wanted and it works fine.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by lumnite &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I still don't understand why it happens. I am usually at a complete stop waiting for the light to turn green. When it does, I sit there and hold up the line like an idiot trying to shift into 1st gear while trying different ways for it to work. There has not been one way where it always works. It just works whenever it feels like it. I guess it could be my transmission fluid. It's just that I don't understand whether the transmission fluid is good or not </TD></TR></TABLE>

dude put it in 2nd then first. try it man!!!!!!!!! it will work for sure!!!!!!!!!!!

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by b20quang &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">this seems like a problem for alot of integras. My car does it, and my two cousins both drive integras with the same problem. I also have trouble putting it into reverse at times. To fix this problem, i just throw it into a different gear quickly while pushing down on the clutch and then putting it into the gear i wanted and it works fine.</TD></TR></TABLE>

lol...thats what i do and it seems to work fine. doesnt work so well when its really cold outside though

 

To those who don't get it, think of your synchros as zipper teeth. They're supposed to interlock. If the hub and gear teeth aren't lined up it won't go into gear. This gives you that "half way" feeling. What you feel is the blocker ring pushing against the gear. When it finally goes the rest of the way into gear, that's when the hub and gear synchronizer teeth actually mesh like a zipper.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by 650teg &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">To those who don't get it, think of your synchros as zipper teeth. They're supposed to interlock. If the hub and gear teeth aren't lined up it won't go into gear. This gives you that "half way" feeling. What you feel is the blocker ring pushing against the gear. When it finally goes the rest of the way into gear, that's when the hub and gear synchronizer teeth actually mesh like a zipper.</TD></TR></TABLE>

i always thought that 1st and reverse don't have synchros, which would be why they're hard to get into when the car is moving. on the 2 civics and 2 integas i've had 1st and reverse were always harder to get into than the other gears. seems pretty normal.

 

First gear is hard to get into simply because of the ratio. Factor in the gear ratio and the differential ratios. The difficulty is just because of the blocker ring preventing gear clash (grinding) by holding the synchro hub away until the speeds are negligible. I've seen one transmission with a non-synchronized first gear, and that belonged to a three speed Chevelle.

Reverse is difficult because (number one) it's not synchronized on most cars, and (number two) you're trying to get three different gears to align correctly, so there's a high likelihood that some of the teeth may be incorrectly aligned, and they will stop against each other instead of mesh.

 

I know this thread is old as **** but it seems like your'e having the same trouble I am... did you ever figure out the problem?

My 93 Prelude straight up locks me out of 1st gear SOMETIMES (whenever it wants to)

I need to do a tranny flush and swap the slave cylinder I know that for sure... thats the cheaper fix... any other suggestions?

I'm concerned it could be the 1st gear syncro.

 

ok first you have to understand what synchro's do. the synchronize the speed of the input shaft which is turned by the engine to the same speed of what the transmission is turning. when you just push the clutch in and downshift from 2nd to 1st the synchro has a lot of work to do matching the two speeds together. so when you blip the throttle and go to put it into gear the engine is already turning the input shaft to the speed that it needs to be at for the gears in engage into each other. you are taking away the work that the sychro needs to do. check out howstuffworks.com

 

i have the same problem somtimes, even with reverse too in the mornings. I just hold the clutch down, and shift into 2nd or third and shift back down to 1st. if it still doesnt work i just try again. it works eventually. I thought i was the only one too haha.

 

1. Get Amsoil MTF fluid, 2. Try and rev match/ heel toe on your downshifts.
-Tj

 

1st and reverse are just harder to get into. I replaced my tranny fluid with Redline manual tranny fluid and that helps a bunch. If you had never replace your transmission fluid before you should replace it now. Not much harder than replacing engine oil. You should not shift into first when the car is moving use 2nd instead. My tip for you when you are at a red light is to look at the other way's light and when it turn yellow you should be ready and put it into first.