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Difficulty shifting while cold

2K views 18 replies 15 participants last post by  slaughterj 
#1 ·
I know this topic has been discussed. I want some reassurance that I am not experiencing anything out of the ordinary. When the car is cold, I am having difficult shifting through 1st and 2nd. And sometimes I hear 3rd gear grind. Of course it dissipates when the fluid is warmed up. My question - do I row through the gears a few times before starting off in the morning? is there anything I can do to mitigate

Thanks in adavance
 
#2 ·
Typically every car needs to be warmed up before being able to function optimally, it just won't bother you so much in a Vette like it would a Viper. In the event that isn't the case, you may want to flush your tranny with the correct fluid. A Viper Tech here was filling the tranny with diff fluid due to misreading the TSB about NGR. Obviously the much thicker diff fluid used in a tranny would make shifting more difficult, particularly in cold weather.
 
#5 ·
simply just need to warm it up first, let that thing sit until oil press and temp are both nice and warm. and even then; on cold days itll give a little tude at first /images/graemlins/supergrin.gif
 
#7 ·
Chuck 98 RT10 said:
Typically every car needs to be warmed up before being able to function optimally, it just won't bother you so much in a Vette like it would a Viper. In the event that isn't the case, you may want to flush your tranny with the correct fluid. A Viper Tech here was filling the tranny with diff fluid due to misreading the TSB about NGR. Obviously the much thicker diff fluid used in a tranny would make shifting more difficult, particularly in cold weather.
Not only that, but it will eat the syncros up really fast. If you get a grinding noise when you shift its because the syncro is worn out for that particular gear. Im not saying this is your problem as Vipers may do this when cold, but normally if it grinds when going into a gear, its the syncro or clutch fork, or both.
 
#8 ·
I don't have a viper but I have this same problem in my 5-speed Audi (obviously not the same car) but its a very common problem with standard cars. What I have found to work on every car I have driven that is stick is for the first couple starts to start in 1st, clutch in, pull shifter out from 1st into neutral, clutch out, pull shifter over to the right towards 5th/6th gear, clutch back in, pull shifter back to the left and into 2nd and resume driving as normal, do so for the first 2 or three starts depending on how cold it is and how long it may take for the tranny fluid to flow like fluid. It may sound like a pain, but its really easy and becomes second nature after a while.
 
#13 ·
I took mine out for exercise this weekend after being stored since Dec. I noticed that it kept popping out of 4th gear. I thought I had the stops wrong on the shifter? But second was OK. After a little driving it worked fine. First time that has ever happened!
 
#14 ·
Hey guys, DON'T put up with this.

Mine was doing it, I took it to Dodge. It took them 4 days until they finally heard the noise. It ground in neutral with the clutch in, and then in ground in 1st with the clutch in. Usually though, it would grind in 3rd, especially if I hit a dip, I would get a sudden GRIND for 0.5 - 1.00 second.

It would do that everyonce in a great while for the first five minutes at the most while driving.

They replaced my entire transmission with a brand new one

They called DC, and DC said "Give him a new tranny."

So go get yourselves new transmissions. Don't put up with the grind.

They also replaced my throwout bearing and pilot (bearing? - I am not a mechanic) prior to replacing the tranny. And they gave me a replacement vehicle while doing the repairs.

Mike
 
#16 ·
Mike_W said:
Hey guys, DON'T put up with this.

Mine was doing it, I took it to Dodge. It took them 4 days until they finally heard the noise. It ground in neutral with the clutch in, and then in ground in 1st with the clutch in. Usually though, it would grind in 3rd, especially if I hit a dip, I would get a sudden GRIND for 0.5 - 1.00 second.

It would do that everyonce in a great while for the first five minutes at the most while driving.

They replaced my entire transmission with a brand new one

They called DC, and DC said "Give him a new tranny."

So go get yourselves new transmissions. Don't put up with the grind.

They also replaced my throwout bearing and pilot (bearing? - I am not a mechanic) prior to replacing the tranny. And they gave me a replacement vehicle while doing the repairs.

Mike
question.. with the clutch in.. why would the tranny be engaged at all? wouldnt there have to be a problem farther up? flywheel? clutch? sounds fishy when there is nothing going throught the tranny while the clutch is in :-/
 
#17 ·
I have absolutely no idea. I have NO knowledge of cars at all. But I do remember that when it happened, and I informed him that my foot was depressing the clutch fully, he just sat there stumped. He then called DC, and they gave me a new tranny. Also, with the clutch in, the gear shift lever would shake slightly in my hand with each grind... that is with the clutch in! (It would also shake in 3rd gear with the clutch out going over a dip while it GRINDED) But I don't really care, it doesn't do that anymore.

Mike
 
#18 ·
Some of you southern boys have no idea what real cold really is. Cold is not 60 degrees to us northern folk. I have experienced the same problem with difficult shifting for the first few minutes if I try to drive the Viper when it is around 30 degrees outside or so. It's just the law of viscosity. Slower than molasses in January they say. The NGR fix may add to the problem, but I don't really see it as a problem.
 
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