Sometimes car wont go in first gear

[MarcMichaud]

Hey, My car wont go into First somtimes and i can eventually get it in gear but what this from? Synchros?

Marc

[jotan82]

throw it in second then to first... this help

[nyoneway]

If your car is moving when you try to throw into first, sometimes you have to ease it in patiently. You usually are'nt suppose to put it into first gear in ANY car while moving.

[MarcMichaud]

this happens at a complete stop. What is the cause?

Marc

[Blue Lucifer]

perhaps give it a good double clutch from 2nd before going in. If that doesn't work... maybe a bad synchro? I doubt it..

[PapiChuu]

i dont think first gear has a synchro, someone verify

[GTS LAID]

i think it must have a synchro... anytime you're bringing your flywheel up to speed with your driveshaft you need a synchro... someone correct me on this.. I think the only one that doesnt have that is reverse which is why it doesnt like it if you're moving while shifting into it.

[2001SilverGTS]

You need to loosen up your syncro-mesh... before you start the car... shift through all the gears first, this helps in my case...

[JaySong]

MarcMichaud,

it's normal. every car is like that.
the reason it's hard to go into 1st after 5mph
is because the synchros can't rev-match that high enough.
so what u need to do is double clutch it.
push the clutch put in neutral. blip it(rev it up a little) and then put into 1st.
remember that if u want to go into 1st at say 25mph- 35, u need to rev it high

[djm221]

Guess some people can't read that he said this was when he is at a STOP, not moving.
Aside, I would assume 1st has a synchro. GTS LAID, I don't know if I am misuderstanding what you are saying, but that is what a clutch is for, not synchros.
Anyway, as for why is this happening, I am not sure, but I don't think it is because of the syncrho. I could be wrong though. Throwing it in a couple of other gears while holding the clutch down the whole time, and then going into 1st helps me too.

[jasonjkl]

The same thing happens to me too, couple time. At a full stop, i tried to go into first and it won't go then i try to put it into second and it still would'nt go. So i just tap the gas a bit and that solved the problem. I tried going back to toyota about it, but they said there is'nt anything wrong with the gears.

[LaW]

I've found that it's harder to get into first at a stop when it's cold out... or the car just started. After a bit it's no problem

[JaySong]

Originally posted by djm221
Guess some people can't read that he said this was when he is at a STOP, not moving.
time, and then going into 1st helps me too.

Well excuse me Sherlock. The first guy who posted didn't specify that he was at a stop.
besides, try reving it. some people have told me thatsometimes when they come to a stop after moving and try to put into 1st gear, they had a hard time. they revved it up and it went in easy.

[Chris25NJ]

Yeah i have the same prob, especially when it's cold first thing in the morning, after driving for a few minutes it usually loosens up.

[BRAK]

//I've found that it's harder to get into first at a stop when it's cold out... or the car just started. After a bit it's no problem\\

DUDE ME TOO ... i thought i was just a bad driver lol.:wiggle: :gap:

[00 scrub]

this problem happens to my car when I am waiting at a stoplight. even when my car is warm. Sometimes I can by-pass it by going into 2nd or 3rd gear, but other times I can't even get into 2nd or 3rd gear. Does anyone know why this happens????? Toyota can never find a problem whenever i drop the car off with them.

[aksy]

i get the problem of not being able to get into reverse (6spd) and it just gets stuck and i have to try like 3 or 4 times b4 it finally goes in

any1 have this problem?

[00 scrub]

Hmmm well I just went to the TSB section of the board and found this (Thank you GTS LAID !!!!!) this might help us. I wonder if we get this TSB done will we get the new shift gates? I hope not, I like the current ones.

http://www.radphys.com/TSB_2001_6spd_GTS_Gear_difficulty.pdf

[GTS LAID]

i wouldn't get too excited about that TSB.. after seeing all the other ones toyota has put out the tone of voice in this one is very played down...

... and about the job of the clutch vs. the synchros.. i'm gonna go back and read the howstuffworks article for the hundredth time.. i can never get my sh!t str8 between synchros and the clutch itself...

[da wacky paki]

I've had the same problem with my car. It has absolutely nothing to do with the synchros. I had this problem a long time ago, then my synchros failed, so they replaced all of them except 5th. So i have all new synchros and gears from first to fourth, they also replaced reverse gear. And now, i still have that problem. So it cant have anything to do with the synchro. I've just learned to live with it. Usually if it doesnt go in, i'll run it through all of the gears, then it finally goes into first.

[00 scrub]

hmm has anyone got Toyota to perform that TSB on their car? I've had no luck getting them to find the problem.

[ishido]

Are you guys leaving you foot on the clutch while you coast to a stop and then trying to go into first with your foot on the clutch? Put the car in Neutral, let out the clutch, then put the car in gear.
It's harder to do this when the car is first started. Why? Ever notice that the RPMs are higher than 1K. It's like having the foot on the gas. At a complete stop, with the revs going, it will be a little harder to put into gear...

Do not force your car into first or any other gear. Rev-match or double clutch or you will wear out your synchros (by forcing). First gear usually tends to require a nice high blip of the throttle and works best if you double-clutch. There are seldom times you need to, unless you want to practice heel-toe ;)

Having trouble getting in reverse? Do the first suggestion. Put car into Neutral, let clutch out, then put in reverse. If that doesn't work, shift through a couple gears and then go into reverse.

"Sometimes I can by-pass it by going into 2nd or 3rd gear, but other times I can't even get into 2nd or 3rd gear. Does anyone know why this happens????? Toyota can never find a problem whenever i drop the car off with them." Blip the throttle, or put the car in neutral and let clutch out and put car back into gear. That's not really a problem w/ the car.

That's just what works for me.

[00 scrub]

hmm, well I always leave my car in neutral with the clutch out at every stop. I've been double clutching 90% of my downdhifts too. I do sometimes coast to a stop with the clutch out and shifter in neutral from about 30mph or so. (so By the time I try to put my car back in 1st gear I have let the clutch out in neutral for a good 20-30secs waiting at the light, this includes the time that I was stopped at the light). I haven't tried to blip the throttle when the problem happens. I remeber that once I had thsi problem, but I thought the shifter was in 1st and let the clutch out a little bit, consequently I got a horrible grind. Afterwards it went right in though.
Have any ideas ishido?

[ishido]

Blipping the throttle at a stop won't help... only if you're moving. If I do have trouble going into 1st (seldom) I will run it into 2nd or 3rd and back into 1st.

That grind you got could've been from the gear not being completely "in gear." It takes a second for everything to engage. Might check amount of free play and engagement of clutch pedal... *shrug*

I also have new MT90 synth Redline oil and lubed shift linkage & TRD SS.

[00 scrub]

Well thanks fro trying to help ishido. This happened even after I put in MT-90. The grind happened because my car did nt engaeg the gear fully becase it was impossible for me to push the shifter into 1st. I wasn't about to break teh shifter trying either. My linkage doesn't seem to be a problem as I lube every so often, but maybe I shoudl try again. Unfortunatley this problem is hard to repeat on a consistent basis.

[Chris25NJ]

I think every Celi is like this. It's tough to get it into first sometimes....greasing the linkage should definitely help, although you've already tried it, and synth trans fluid too.....i've also gotten into the habit of double-clutching when i'm down-shifting into 1st, and that really seems to help.

[Bo]

I have the same problem. I have also had the syncros replaced under warranty. It's just the tranny design. Our trannies blow. It's that simple. The way I overcome the problem?

Double clutch.