Today, after disengaging the clutch and attempting to gently downshift from second gear to first gear, I got a clunk and a slight grind. The car was still cold when this took place. Later, I didn't have any problems on downshifting to first after the car was warmed up.

Three questions:

1) What made the car grind?

2) Is this a common problem?

3) Do you think any damage resulted? How can I tell if any damage occurred?


Thanks for your input,

John

 

There was a VERY long thread on difficult downshifting in this group a few months or so back. Do a search on shifting.
I don't know if you have this problem (a few of us in the group had the same problem), but if you do... you'll need to have the dealership fix it.

The problem occurs when trying to downshift from second to first (sometimes other gears, but for me... mostly second to first) and you find that the shift lever is very difficult to move out of second gear. If you have this problem, it is likely that the shaft that your clutch is riding on was not lubricated properly. This problem will get worse over time... so keep an eye out for it.

Now.... if you aren't having difficulties downshifting... what likely happened is that you tried to shift into first gear either too quickly before the syncros spun up OR you didn't have the clutch fully depressed or a combination of both. I doubt seriously if you caused any damage other than a bit of wear on the gears... I wouldn't worry about it at all.

Kind Regards,

Joe West

 

I had a similar problem except mine happens between 3rd to 2nd. My mechanic told me the location where the cable was attached, was slightly bent. A little elbow grease and pliers solved the problem.