problems shifting to first

[91talonawdtsi]

Please help i cant figure out whats going on. I can shift easily into any gear except first. The way that im having to shift to first is to go to second and slam the shifter into first and most of the time it will go in. If i try to just put the car in first without slamming it, it will kick out? please help its driving me nuts

 

[JTHustler]

I am having the same problem (grinding and popping out of first), but it is starting to do the same in second. I just spent almost $1,500 on my tranny rebuild. Everything is new, this guy had it apart at least 4 times, and he doesn't know what's wrong. It feels like the clutch isn't engaging all the way. It also grinds a little when it goes into 5th... PLEASE HELP!!

 

[And_44]

JTHustler, wow 1500 and 4x. I'd make him 1) Rebuild it again or 2)Buy you a new/rebuilt tranny from somewhere else both of those options out of his pocket. 1st and 2nd have their own internal hub/fork, 3rd and 4th are same hub/fork, and 5th and reverse are same. Sounds like he mucked up somewhere.

But could be as simple as a misadjusted clutch, shifter cables, or fluid.

 

[JTHustler]

Well him and I had a disagreement, and will no longer be doing business. I have a pretty good feeling that it is the Clutch Master Cylinder. I am getting the part today so I'll let everyone know. I'm crossing my fingers.

 

[1997_GSX]

My first gear just went without warning. I put it into first at a stop, start to take off and it'll pop out of gear then grind. No warning signs such as grinding synchro. I'm thinking either A) the synchro went somehow or B) the shift fork went somehow. Just had the damn clutch done too and was driving nice, no boost...dunno what's up.

Mine did the same thing when it broke 2 teeth off the intermediate shaft with only 87k miles and it had an easy all stock life before me.

 

[tsi1991awd]

I FIXED my popping out of gear problem. I was absolutely shocked at the fix.

To the few guys that have the popping out of gear problem, this is a really easy fix and will firm the shifts up A LOT. Hope it works for you.

Look on the tranny itself, there will be a bracket that holds the shift cables. There are actually TWO brackets...the one you want to look at is the upper bracket. This bracket has the two cables attached to it. Take off the 2 bolts that bolt the bracket to the tranny. They are 12mm.

Inside the two bolt holes on the bracket, there are 2 brass bushings that are rubber encased. When I pulled my bushings out, on one of them there was a good amount of rubber but it was beat up pretty good. On the other bushing, almost ALL of the rubber was gone AND there was a tiny squished piece of rubber that was wrapped halfway around the bolt itself and the bushing....

I replaced them with aluminum bracket spacers / bushings and put the bolts back in. Tightened everything up and went to test drive....hasn't popped out of gear at all. It really stiffened the shifts up. I already had the brass bushings for the cable ends to attach to the tranny, and I had the Symborski kit already installed...doing the cable bracket mod completed pretty much everything you can do for the shift linkage....there is nothing in the way anymore that can give you slop in the linkage.

Give that a try, I'm sure you'd be surprised at the OEM bushings you pull out.