Cant go in 1st while moving and 2nd gear issues

[mr_maxime]

Ill start by saying that the delorean is my first manual. I've noticed that around 20+mph (speedo isnt working) that if I try to shift to first gear the lever wont go into first. I fully press on the clutch pedal but no matter what it wont go into first until the car slows down. Im not sure if this is a safety feature to keep the engine for redlining or an issue.

Another issue I have is that the car is hard to put into 2nd gear. Ill put the lever in position but the engine will just rev up when i hit the gas. Ill let off the gas, the push the clutch in and reset the lever. This usually puts it in 2nd. I've also noticed that while the car is cold there is a lot of resistance going from neutral to 1st, then 1st to 2nd. It feels like pulling on an exercise band and the added resistance just makes putting it into 2nd harder. There was even a time when I heard a pop and the car went out of gear.

Every other gear is pretty much fine. There is some occasional minor grinding and I have yet to change out the fluid.

[DMCVegas]

Try lifting up and moving the shifter over *slightly* to the left, and see if first and second gear are easier to get into. If so, you might just need an adjustment on your cross-gate cable.

[Josh]

My opinion... Change the transaxle fluid, bleed the clutch, and ensure the shift linkages are properly adjusted.

Other than that, it is a ~40 year old design transaxle, it is not going to shift like a new car!

[Jonathan]

Try lifting up and moving the shifter over *slightly* to the left, and see if first and second gear are easier to get into. If so, you might just need an adjustment on your cross-gate cable.

I don't have a manual trans, yet I still think this is the best video I have ever seen for our cars in helping explain something with visuals.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ng6-l2fhPXw

[sdg3205]

I don't think you're suppose to be able to downshift into first unless you're stopped or almost stopped. I have never driven a stick that allowed that.

[Gfrank]

My cars not to happy about first when I'm still rolling, likes to stopped. She seems to like it if I go 2nd quick before trying first

[DavidProehl]

My cars not to happy about first when I'm still rolling, likes to stopped. She seems to like it if I go 2nd quick before trying first

Same here. If I'm rolling I usually can't get into 1st gear. I think this is normal, but I could be wrong. I've only driven a couple other DMCs.

[Riley88]

If I'm going 20 I def cannot downshift into 1st in my car

[FABombjoy]

I don't think you're suppose to be able to downshift into first unless you're stopped or almost stopped. I have never driven a stick that allowed that.
You can do it if you double declutch & rev match but it takes practice. I do this in all standard cars if the rolling speed is too slow to make 2nd gear a pleasant experience.

I wouldn't do it at 20MPH as you'd need a lot of clutch slip to keep from bucking the car :D

[mr_maxime]

Thanks guys, that was really informative.

[dn010]

Same, my car will not go into 1st unless I'm stopped or pretty close to a stop.

Also had the same problem with second - it started as a grind trying to get it into 2nd and then later on in it's life I would get it into position thinking it was in gear and it would not take - it would either grind when I let the clutch out or the engine would just rev. So in order to get into second, I'd have to really jam back on the shift lever twice before letting off the clutch and it would finally get into 2nd gear.

I finally got around to installing a shift bushing kit along with a new crossgate cable, adjusted everything and now I do not have issues with second gear.

[Gregadeth]

I don't think my car will go into 1st either when it's already moving. There's really no need to anyway. But sometimes even when I'm stopped, if I shift directly from neutral to 1st it will grind. What I do to avoid that is I pull the shifter slightly into 2nd and then I put it into 1st, that pretty much always works fine. I still don't get why it grinds when going into 1st if the car is stationary and the clutch pedal is all the way in.

[dmruschell]

I've never driven a car with a synchronized 1st gear that wouldn't let me shift into first gear while moving. (The 3-speed in my 61 Corvette didn't have a synchronized 1st gear and would require rev-matching to shift into 1st while moving. I put in a date-correct 4 speed and now 1st gear is synchronized). Sometimes, my DeLorean transmission shifter feels stiff when it's cold, but it has always let me shift into a gear when I wanted with some extra effort. Once it warms up, it shifts easily into any gear whenever I want it to. I should add that my transmission was rebuilt by Rob Grady less than 10,000 miles ago.

[David T]

If you are having trouble shifting here is what you should do:

If you still have the plastic hose for the clutch system change it to the braided S/S one.
Flush the old fluid out and refill with fresh Castrol DOT 4 and bleed well.
Replace any worn shifter rubber bushings
If you don't know what kind of oil is in the transaxle or when it was last changed, it should be replaced. At the very least check the level and fill if necessary.
Go over the shift linkage adjustments.

That will fix the majority of shifting complaints. If you still have difficulty you may have problems with the clutch or the internals of the transaxle. If the clutch doesn't fully release you will always have trouble shifting and if you have trouble shifting and force shifts you eventually damage the transaxle internals. Downshifting while moving into 1st is not easy or necessary. Stop the car and try again. If it is still difficult, that is not normal. Same procedure for reverse, NEVER shift into reverse while the car is moving.

[mr_maxime]

I found this (http://delorean2109.blogspot.com/2013/05/smooth-shifting-on-30-year-old-car.html) a while back when I first got my car. I just wanted to make sure it wasnt because of obvious damage.

[Nicholas R]

First gear in our transmission is very short. If you're going that fast and trying to shift into first, you're asking your transmission to very rapidly accelerate the speed that the engine is rotating. Thats really hard on your 1st gear synchronizer, which has to match the speed, and momentarily drive the engine. Definitely not recommended unless you're going very slow (maybe like 5mph).

You should not have to push/pull very hard on your shifter to get in and out of gear. The levers and linkages are not that strong so if you're having to force it into place, eventually the linkages will suffer. Like Josh said, number 1 thing is to change your transmission fluid, and your clutch fluid, and be sure to bleed the clutch well. After that, be sure your cross shift cable is adjusted properly.

[DMC5180]

Don't overlook the possible broken 2nd gear roll pin issue. Especially since your having issues fully engaging 2nd. Typically the shifter lever will feel spongy going into 2nd.


Dennis

[Gregadeth]

Don't overlook the possible broken 2nd gear roll pin issue. Especially since your having issues fully engaging 2nd. Typically the shifter lever will feel spongy going into 2nd.


DennisIs it possible to tell if a 2nd gear roll pin is going bad or about to go bad? Or is it a case of it either works or doesn't?

[PJ Grady Inc.]

Is it possible to tell if a 2nd gear roll pin is going bad or about to go bad? Or is it a case of it either works or doesn't?

What I look for, besides the obvious clunking noise if present, is that as you shift at the end of it's travel the spring will push back on the lever and you'll feel it pull back slightly to the correct position. That is because the fork is pushing past the broken pin and pressing into the return spring which pushes back as you release pressure. This is most pronounced when the trans-axle is cold.
Rob

[mr_maxime]

Well I finally opened it up to take a look. It seemed like I had a decent amount of play, but I don't know if thats normal or not. The reverse seems too close to the edge, not sure if it's worth adjusting.

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a353/mr_maxime/Delorean/20160422_144946_zpsgfsk1djl.jpg (http://s15.photobucket.com/user/mr_maxime/media/Delorean/20160422_144946_zpsgfsk1djl.jpg.html)

https://youtu.be/pnj9ywTf16k

[DMC5180]

The play in the cross gate is fairly typical. I checked mine and it appears to be roughly the same.

More importantly, show the position of the shift lever (Roll pin) in 1,3,5. You may need to hold the lever in the nominal side to side position for each gear due to spring back of the cross gate spring ( in the transmission ).


Dennis