I have been having issues getting into first gear from a stop... Sometimes it works very smoothly while others it takes finesse or even letting the clutch out and reengaging it.

Any ideas?

 

same here

 

Mine does it occasionally. Sometimes new tranny fluid or a different type of fluid will help. I'm going to try amsoil this year and see how i like it. I have royal purple now and it is better then it was but still notchy. Could also be shifter alignment if you have messed with it or changed shifters. Nature of the beast, these cars aren't smooth like butter.

 

I reguarly check the clutch fluid to keep it clean. The car only has 24k on it. Do you think the tranny fluid change will help?

 

If it is original fluid, yes.

 

This is normal... If you read the owners manual, here is exactly what it says word for word in section 2-30
Manual Transmission operation
If you have come to a complete stop and its hard to shift into FIRST (1) put the shift lever in NEUTRAL and let up on the clutch. Push the clutch pedal back down. Then shift into FIRST (1)

It seems worse in winter time. Sometimes its really annoying.. I used to just put it second if I had problems getting into first.. I usually will engage 1st right before I come to a complete stop, or I will do as instructed by the owners manual.. Its a matter of reprogramming your brain for this transmission.. I've never had an issue like this on any other manual transmisiion I have driven. I have fresh RED Line Trans fluid and always keep my clutch fluid clean as a whistle

 

makes me feel much better... Thanks
Do you know what causes this?

 

I haven't looked inside a Tremec Tranny, but assuming it is the same as other manual trannies I've seen the inside of, there are dog rings between the gears that engage each gear. These rings have bumps on them that engage the bumps on the side of the gear. When you push in the clutch and are stopped, theoretically, both the gear and the dog ring are also stopped. So if the bumps on the gear and dog ring are in line you can push the gear into 1st all day long and all you are doing is pushing the bumps together. By slightly releasing the clutch you rotate the bumps on the gear so hopefully they aren't in line with the bumps on the dog ring. But, there are several other potential causes that are worse including a slipping clutch (in this case you are trying to take the rotating bumps of one of the faces and insert them in the gaps of the non-rotating face of the other - normally the synchros allow some difference in rotation though), bad synchros (which could contribute to the first problem), old fluid which has sheared down preventing proper synchro performance, bent shift linkage preventing proper movement of the gear into 1st. Of these, the fluid is the easiest and least expensive to change, so it is normally the first method most people try as a fix.

As a data point on this, in my recently sold 06 CTS-V, I had the stock tranny fluid tested at about 10k miles when I swapped it out with AMSOIL and it had already sheared down low out of grade.
2006 Cadillac CTS-V Used Oil Analysis Dexron III vs AMSOIL ATF Transmission Fluid

 

Interesting thread, gentlemen.

I sometimes have this issue as well.

It kind of makes me not like driving the car. It's even grinded a few times because of this.

 

I have a similar problem where the trans doesn't really like going into 2nd/3rd when I first start driving it. It does shift, but feels like it needs a little extra effort to get into gear. 17k miles on mine.

 

I do the 2nd to 1st thing all the time. but never force it in. you can bend & break stuff and then your looking at $$$

 

this happens occasionally. I either, keep the clutch pedal down and shift into second and back into first (works like a charm). Or, go to N, release clutch pedal, and then press the pedal down and go into first. I just make sure if I'm pole position that I'm paying attention to the traffic signals so I can shift into gear "on time" or before it's time to give me enough time to get it in gear if it should happen now. Holy run on sentence batman.

 

agreed.

 

Hi I have a c5 convertible 6 speed also have this shifting problem. shifting into first and then going to second . sometimes grinds the gears . Replaced Shifter with short throw hurst shifter. also by passed the 1to fourth. switch on the tranny. I bought it with 45000. miles on it its a 1998, . could it be the tranny fluid??? I tried everything else. HELP thanks

 

Haven't really had the 1st gear problem but i have had an occasional reverse problem.

 

Some think that a adjustable clutch master cylinder pushes more fluid to the throw out bearing, which makes it easier to shift.