evilmonkey

Occasionally when stopped I put it in 1st with the clutch in, display says 1, when I start letting the clutch out it pops out of 1st and if my hand is holding the shifter it starts to grind since it's not fully in 1st. Also notice sometimes it doesn't seem to want to go into first and is very notchy especially when the car is cold. I initially thought I just wasn't pushing it into 1st hard enough, but a few times I intentionally pushed hard and it still popped out on me.

Anyone else having this issue or is this normal with this tranny and I just need to be more intentional about making sure it's fully in 1st?

smdio

That's happened to me a few times as well. I assumed it was driver error but I'm interested to see responses

mjw930

Not really normal but also not uncommon with the Tremec. Ask the dealer to check the shifter adjustments, it may be slightly off causing you to not be able to fully engage 1st without interference from the linkage.

redline_c7

From my experience here are some possible explanations:

1) The clutch needs to be pressed to the floor when slotting into first. A partially depressed clutch may allow you to shift into first partially (even with your hand is on the shifter and thinking first is fully engaged). When you release the clutch, first will pop right out.

2) The shifter is connected to the transaxle in the rear of the car via cables /rods (not sure which or both?). If it regularly pops out of first I suspect it may be an adjustment of these cables/rods is what's needed.

SASprof

My C7 M7 has only 87 miles, all local. It's typically notchy going into 1st, like going around a little bump before sliding in. I've also popped out 2 or 3 times. It sometimes happened on my C6 as well.

TEXHAWK0

Never had the C7 pop out of gear, but have noticed it is a lot better about going into gear than my C5. Sometimes the C5 would not go into 1st unless I shifted into 2nd and then back into 1st.
The C7 has gone into gear everytime and with less effort.

If it was because of shifter adjustment, then it should also be hard to get into all the gears with shift lever forward.

I also installed a Core Shifters, modified Hurst shifter, and it is a lot more positive about clicking into 1st and all the other gears. No question about if it is fully engaged.

Al Engel

Either shifter linkage needs adjustment or bad 1-2 synchro in trans. This is NOT NORMAL behaviour for any manual transmission. 3K miles on my C7 and tens of thousands on C4s, C5s and C6s - - never has this problem.

13brv3

Almost 4k on mine now, and it's never popped out of 1st. My C6 used to do that occasionally when it was cold, but I usually assumed I didn't fully engage it into gear.

I'd definitely mentioned it to the dealer the next time you're in for something else. Hopefully it's just an adjustment.

Cheers,
Rusty

KenHorse

6700 miles on mine and hasn't done that, even once

Stinger1

I have almost 7000 miles on my M7 C7--Going into 1st gear is always notchy, crunchy, or ribbed are the best words to describe it. 3 times I have had this same experience. Car is in first at a stop light slowly let the clutch out and it grinds. I always thought it was driver error (and still do). Now when I am at stop light and I put it in first, if it "feels" notchy I take it out and replace until it "feels" better. Is this normal or can it be made smoother?

billiam01

Making sure the clutch is all the way in, try blipping the throttle (gently) while shifting.

C7Joy

Popped out 2 different times, both times with a cold morning start. My C6 probably popped out of first 4 or 5 times in 4 years of ownership. I blame it all on driver error. My car is a little notchy going to 2nd when cold but always engages and holds fine.

Greg00Coupe

I'm with ya.... I get this from time to time. And I start out in second sometimes and it happens there too. Never had this issue in a c6 so I think an adjustment is needed.

Chevy Cust Svc

evilmonkey,

My sincere apologies to read of your transmission concerns. Although you're seeking thoughts and opinions, if you feel an official GM diagnosis is necessary, I'd be happy to communicate your sentiments with the Customer Experience Managers (CEM) at the GM dealer of your choice. Please know that you're welcome to message us privately if you'd like to proceed (with the above), or discuss this situation further.

William R.
Chevrolet Customer Care

Dunga

Good point on the cold start. I've nearly 4,000 miles on mine and this happened 3 times, always on a cold start now that I'm thinking about it. Now I'm a bit more deliberate going into first, and if it feels funny I take it out and put it back in. -giggity !!!-

Not very experienced with manual cars before this so I thought it was operator error, but if you guys are having some issues maybe I'll have the dealer check it out when I service the car.

Jontall

You are probably not fully engaging first gear. These transmissions are very tight especially when new. Try putting it in first when the car is rolling slightly or I sometimes depress and release the clutch pedal once, then depress it again and put it in first gear.

Ross R

Has anyone had this happen with 2nd gear? I had an issue with it popping out twice recently. I've never seen anything like this any other manual cars.

relative velocity

Z51 manual with 1600 miles, June 22 delivery, has popped out 4or 5 times with the car warmed up. The last time it happened was a traffic light standing start without my hand NOT on the shifter; accelerated to about 7 MPH and shifter popped to neutral.
Took it to the dealership and according to the service guy all they did was drive it 10 miles trying to duplicate the problem...which they didn't. Not sure what they could learn by simply duplicating what I already told them. They had the car for three days ...they said the only thing they could do now was to keep test driving the car.

During warm up the shifter feels a bit "klunky" and loose. During the first about 400 miles the car had a pronounced vibration at 1900 RPM regardless of the gear/neutral selected but is barely detectable now.

Bill B 1

I have had this happen a few times as well. I am now more conscious as to how firmly I push it into 1st and have not had any more issues as long as I make sure it is fully engaged. I don't notice any notchyness or any other unusualness from it.

Larry/car

It is back to the dealer time, I would think adjustment is needed. My M7 car shifts real nice even when cold, never popped out of any gear.