ksliger

Hello All,

I have a C6 Z51 MN6 and sometimes when I come to a stop and put it in neutral I can't put it back in 1st gear when it is time to take off again. I can get the gears lined up by shifting into another gear first and then into first but this is the only way. This has happened several times and although it has happened to me with other cars the regularity of it on my C6 is concerning me. Is this normal for the C6 or is something wrong with my tranny?

Thanks!

hawaiianswiss

I have the same problem and think it`s normal. I`ll wait until the car has more miles to see if it gets better when fully broken in.

corvettecarl

I have the same problem too, i am hoping once its broke in it will go away.

pitrider

Same problem.hopefully with more miles it will get better..

fair

Happens occasionally on my 2005 with 4300 miles. When it does this just shift to 2nd (which should stop the idler gear) then right back into 1st. Or start off from 2nd - its not like there's a lack of torque.

We seem to have to put up with "little things" with the C6... but at $45K for a 400 hp sports car... well, it is to be expected. C6 owners here also got the dreaded "first year cars", which usually have more bugs.

Remember, a comparable 911 is $80K+ (and still less less hp), and the 911 turbo is $110K+.

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johnnybegood

Same problem here. I have 2600 miles and it has gotten better.
I still think it is B/S that this is an issue.

MitchAlsup

You are waiting at the light with the clutch pedal released, so the clutch and mainshaft are spinning, are you not?

Or, are you waiting at the light with the clutch pedal depressed and the mainshaft not spinning?

The former is correct, the latter is incorrect.

ksliger

Whenever I take it out of gear I always take my foot off the clutch.

Dream C-5

I have had the same problem with my V.R. coupe. I now have 2300 miles on it and it dose not seem to happen all that much now.

Kreuzen

I haven't either....of course I don't put the car in neutral at stop lights, etc. I've never quite understood why people put the car in neutral at lights. Maybe it was the way I was taught to drive a stick many moon ago, but all I do is down shift as I'm stopping...approaching a light, etc., and go. If I'm going to be setting with the motor running for a while, I'll put it in neutral, leaving the clutch out. Again, no problems, but typically I'm not hanging around in neutral too long.

V Vette

Can an old dog be taught? It is best not to down shift while coming to a stop. It is also not good to keep clutch depressed when not driving. Keep off clutch pedal as often as possible..

Kreuzen

Guess not...but then again, I'm not the one having problems getting my car into 1st gear! I'll continue to down-shift, and leave the car in gear...unless its parked. Gee, I've never owned a car that shifted into 1st gear as smooth as this C6...never been so easy. Ride on

smdio

brake pads are a LOT cheaper than a new clutch :/

i also have this problem by the way. sometimes i get pissed off because it seems to happen ALWAYS when i have a lot of traffic behind me. not a big deal, i just shift into any other gear, then back into first. sometimes i just start off in 2nd gear, lots of torque to play with there i just figured this is a common problem because the c6 wasnt broken in yet, so i didnt make too big of a deal about it. good to see im not the only one experiencing it though

Kreuzen

Maybe, but I've owned several corvettes, a couple of 911's, and the list goes on. Can't remember having to replace a clutch (pre-maturely), but have replaced several sets of brake pads. You guys keep the faith...you'll get it figure out.

yellow01

Gents, while annoying, it is not at all unusual for this to occur with any manual transmission.
Teeth align such that they do not easily slide into each other and engage. There's enough difference in another gear that shifting into another gear works and aligns everything.

The other alternative is to let up off the clutch while in neutral again, then engage the clutch and try to select the gear. This will work 9 times out of 10.

ALFA 1

I see this comment so much about brake pads being cheaper than a clutch, it deserves some comment. If you are downshifting, in part you use "engine braking" to slow the car, you do not (should not) be using a slipping clutch to do so. Engine braking is just that; you use the compression of the engine to slow, not the slip of a clutch. If it is also a braking situation, then you use heel and toe to match revs. The clutch's ability to slip (and consequently wear) is only there to make up for the errors you make in matching revs. You don't slip the clutch on routine upshifts do you? (On upshifts, matching revs is much more 'natural' since the engine speed falls on the momentary release of the throttle pedal) If you are wearing out your clutch prematurely, then you are not downshifting correctly. The point of matching revs on a gear change, in addition to smoothness and overall car control, is to have the input and output rotations at a similar speed so that the clutch does not have to slip.
In forty years I've never worn out a clutch, many cars with over 100,000 miles, some even bought used, and I always downshift through all gears while slowing. The reasoning is that you always want to be in the correct gear for whatever speed so that in unexpected situations you are never caught flatfooted in the wrong gear (or worse yet, coasting in neutral). Being in exactly the right gear may not be so important in a car as torquey as the C6, but it is still a good habit. I do double-clutch down, having learned on non-synchro gearboxes, but nowadays I use that old habit as a timing aid; modern gearboxes don't really require it.
As for keeping the clutch depressed at a stop, I never do it for the sake of throw-out bearing life.
Not being able to engage first is not uncommon in any manual; by chance the teeth are just not lined up properly. As others have suggested, temporarily selecting another gear usually solves this, but simply depressing and releasing the clutch without even moving the gearshift often works too.

Hope this instigates a lively discussion and not just flames.

George

BIGGGIE

Same Problem Here...When it happeneds i use 2nd gear...=)

spectra6.0

Same thing..........Z-51 MN6. I double clutch, goes in 1st everytime!

msspain

mine has 1300mi. and I do not have any problems going into 1st. gear. However 1st. to 2nd. sometimes does not shift as smooth as other gears. Thanks

SpinMonster

I have that issue too. This will eventually lead to a recall. I will let rodney fix mine with a level 4 tranny b4 I allow the goobers to touch it. They will repair it with synchros not a new transmission.

Also, one of the guys said they have the Z51 with the MN6. This transmission is not an MN6.