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6G Celicas Forums > 6th Generation Celica > Engine/Transmission/Maintenance
Roger999
Hi everyone, I've been recently having some problems getting into first gear in my 97 Celica SX with a 5S-FE engine and 94000km. My Mum was the previous owner and has owned it since new, shes never thrashed it before and drives safely.

From a stationary standstill I now always get resistance getting into first gear, as if there is a physical barrier, I can however give it a bit more force and it will shift into gear but I have a feeling this isn't good for the shifter or the transmission. However if I slow to a stop, as soon as I stop I can shift it into first butter smooth with zero resistance. The resistance feels like the one you get when you try to shift into 1st gear when moving, however I'm getting this when I am stopped.

I've also tried the shift to 2nd then into first trick, it feels like it helps a bit but I think it's only going in because I'm shifting faster and with a little more force. If I do it slowly then I still get that physical barrier there. Today I tried this: clutch pedal in, shift to 3rd, shift to neutral, shift to 3rd, shift to 1st and it will go in butter smooth.

I've been driving the car for about 4 months, at first I would only get this issue once or twice a week(about 50/50 chance of getting it in first smoothly on the days I do experience it), I noticed that it often happened after it was raining. However during this period I could shift into 2nd, then into 1st smoothly, and double clutching would fix(kinda double clutch, it goes more like: try to put it in first, feel resistance, return to neutral, clutch pedal out, clutch pedal in, shift to 1st). Currently double clutching doesn't help at all.

I've also just changed the manual transmission fluid with Nulon 75w-90 (some Aussie one), and I still have the same issue, however it solved my problem with 3rd gear grinding when the transmission was cold.

I noticed that it got pretty bad after changing my wheels and tyres at a tyre/wheel place after the dude drove it on and off the car hoist.

I haven't had any issues with the clutch slipping or anything.

Any ideas?

EDIT: Also when the engine is off it goes into 1st gear butter smooth as well.

EDIT#2: I just went out and tried it again. If I shift to 3rd, then straight to 1st, it will go in butter smooth 95% of the time. If I go to 5th then straight to 1st it will go in smooth 80% of the time as well. However if I go from 2nd or 4th gear straight to 1st gear I will always get resistance. So it will only shift into first if I shift into it from the gears at the top. This was all done stationary with the handbreak up.
Special_Edy
I would check your fluid level inside the trans(make sure the car is level!), you may also want to try a different brand of transaxle lubricant. The syncronizers inside the transmission are very sensitve to over or underfilling and also the viscosity. I put pennzoil synchromesh into mine and the tranny seems to like it. I know nothing of the brand you used but maybe flush and refill is the cheapest investment you can make towards fixing it.
You may want to doublecheck the clutch too and bleed the slave cylinder. Its best to start with the simplest possible fixes and work your way up.

Also, was the transaxle fluid you put in synthetic, synthetic blend or conventional?
Roger999
QUOTE (Special_Edy @ Apr 12, 2012 - 4:09 AM) *
I would check your fluid level inside the trans(make sure the car is level!), you may also want to try a different brand of transaxle lubricant. The syncronizers inside the transmission are very sensitve to over or underfilling and also the viscosity. I put pennzoil synchromesh into mine and the tranny seems to like it. I know nothing of the brand you used but maybe flush and refill is the cheapest investment you can make towards fixing it.
You may want to doublecheck the clutch too and bleed the slave cylinder. Its best to start with the simplest possible fixes and work your way up.

Also, was the transaxle fluid you put in synthetic, synthetic blend or conventional?

I'm pretty sure I over filled a little bit as I filled it with the car jacked up. I put around 3L instead of the 2.6L since the car was jacked up. But I had this problem before I changed the oil.

How much time and effort would it cost to bleed the slave cylinder and how much would it cost to have a mechanic do it?

I put in semi-synthetic blend.
Roger999
Mini update: I just realised there is also a wall in 3rd gear (which I'm assuming is the syncros), but the wall is a tonne easier to push through but you can feel a lil wall there. I also tried putting slight pressure against 1st gear, then revved the engine to 1500, I felt that syncro wall that was impossible to push through, and once it fell back to 800RPM I still felt the wall but I could push through it.

Has anyone had any issues with overfilling MTF? I'd rather not have to get to the tranny again because it was a major PITA, I couldn't access the fill bolt from the top, so I had to remove all the plastic bits below the engine, then the bolts took a tonne of WD40 to even get loose. I've heard a lot of people having great experiences with Pennzoil syncromesh but couldn't find any at all close to where I live.
Roger999
On Saturday I jacked the car back up, opened the fill bolt and dropped the car down. It drained about a cup of oil.

Results: Sooooooooo much better, there is a tonne less resistance and about 50% of the time there is no resistance at all biggrin.gif.
Special_Edy
QUOTE (Roger999 @ Apr 17, 2012 - 3:33 AM) *
On Saturday I jacked the car back up, opened the fill bolt and dropped the car down. It drained about a cup of oil.

Results: Sooooooooo much better, there is a tonne less resistance and about 50% of the time there is no resistance at all biggrin.gif.

There you go dude, the simplist fixes are badass. The gearbox is so simple but synchronizers can be real bitchy.

Cost of repair - $0.00 thumbsup.gif
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