Rough shifting into 2nd when cold

63falcondude · 12-22-2016, 08:43 AM

To all of the M6 owners out there:

I am not sure if this is normal or the beginning of a problem. When leaving for work in the morning (around freezing and car has been sitting outside), it is rough getting into 2nd gear. I don't hear any grinding but it feels like it clunks into 2nd. Selecting gears is smooth while standing still idling.

This happens every morning when it is cold out and only with 2nd gear. Yesterday the same thing happened but for the first time it didn't fully go into 2nd.

This only happens after the car has been sitting in the cold overnight and goes away after about 10 minutes of driving.

Any thoughts?

Doyal_Mcneff · 12-22-2016, 08:54 AM

When it's cold the fluid is thicker and not as lubticating. This is normal given the stock fluid. Once the trans warms up it goes away right? I have the same thing, and it was a hell of a lot worse in my 2014 mustang.

danman_s · 12-22-2016, 09:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 63falcondude

To all of the M6 owners out there:

I am not sure if this is normal or the beginning of a problem. When leaving for work in the morning (around freezing and car has been sitting outside), it is rough getting into 2nd gear. I don't hear any grinding but it feels like it clunks into 2nd. Selecting gears is smooth while standing still idling.

This happens every morning when it is cold out and only with 2nd gear. Yesterday the same thing happened but for the first time it didn't fully go into 2nd.

This only happens after the car has been sitting in the cold overnight and goes away after about 10 minutes of driving.

Any thoughts?

Tremec T56's have been doing this since I had my first Z06 back in 2003, haha. It's one of those signature quirks of the transmission as every following car that I've owned or driven is the exactly same way (across GM, Ford and Dodge).

63falcondude · 12-22-2016, 09:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Doyal_Mcneff

When it's cold the fluid is thicker and not as lubticating. This is normal given the stock fluid. Once the trans warms up it goes away right? I have the same thing, and it was a hell of a lot worse in my 2014 mustang.

That's correct.

Quote:

Originally Posted by danman_s

Tremec T56's have been doing this since I had my first Z06 back in 2003, haha. It's one of those signature quirks of the transmission as every following car that I've owned or driven is the exactly same way (across GM, Ford and Dodge).

I'm glad to know that it isn't the beginning of an issue. Thanks guys.

Mountain · 12-22-2016, 09:36 AM

Sounds normal. Before I put my car away, a few weeks ago, I did drive it in 20-30F temperatures and my transmission had increased resistance to getting into 2nd. Really, there was increased resistance into most of the gears, but 2nd is used the most. Going to an aftermarket fluid, like RedLine D4 or D6, could alleviate most of the effort; however, I will say that it is not really needed. I've had various manual cars in the past, most RWD based, and the amount of increased effort is similar, if not a little better.

I think you are fine. Just don't expect too much and force the shift. Let the transmission fluid warm up. This is part of having a manual transmission. Cold, the transmission fluid is more viscous (more resistant to flowing) and, thus, thicker. This makes it harder for the synchros to...sychronize, or speed-match to the various gears. Think of it as the difference between walking through mud and water-saturated mud/muck. In the cold, the synchro is trying to walk through mud. Once warm, or in the warm weather, the synchro is walking through water-saturated mud/muck. Remember, synchros are like clutches - they have to move/cut through fluid and provide a certain amount of friction onto the gears to slow them or speed them up for speed matching.

63falcondude · 12-22-2016, 09:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mountain

Sounds normal. Before I put my car away, a few weeks ago, I did drive it in 20-30F temperatures and my transmission had increased resistance to getting into 2nd. Really, there was increased resistance into most of the gears, but 2nd is used the most. Going to an aftermarket fluid, like RedLine D4 or D6, could alleviate most of the effort; however, I will say that it is not really needed. I've had various manual cars in the past, most RWD based, and the amount of increased effort is similar, if not a little better.

I think you are fine. Just don't expect too much and force the shift. Let the transmission fluid warm up. This is part of having a manual transmission. Cold, the transmission fluid is more viscous (more resistant to flowing) and, thus, thicker. This makes it harder for the synchros to...sychronize, or speed-match to the various gears. Think of it as the difference between walking through mud and water-saturated mud/muck. In the cold, the synchro is trying to walk through mud. Once warm, or in the warm weather, the synchro is walking through water-saturated mud/muck. Remember, synchros are like clutches - they have to move/cut through fluid and provide a certain amount of friction onto the gears to slow them or speed them up for speed matching.

Makes sense. This is my first manual car so it's all new to me. Thanks for the response.

1fujifilm · 12-22-2016, 07:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 63falcondude

To all of the M6 owners out there:

I am not sure if this is normal or the beginning of a problem. When leaving for work in the morning (around freezing and car has been sitting outside), it is rough getting into 2nd gear. I don't hear any grinding but it feels like it clunks into 2nd. Selecting gears is smooth while standing still idling.

This happens every morning when it is cold out and only with 2nd gear. Yesterday the same thing happened but for the first time it didn't fully go into 2nd.

This only happens after the car has been sitting in the cold overnight and goes away after about 10 minutes of driving.

Any thoughts?

I agree, very sickening but normal. It is better in my 16 1SS than in the 13 Mustang Gt I came from. The GT was so bad I took it to the Dealer and he said the gears need to wear in a bit too. I sold it with 14k on it and it was as bad at 14k as when new. I bought another stick though, nothing like holding RPM's through the six round-abouts I go through to work each way everyday; booyah!

Bear

Bear

Camaroky · 12-22-2016, 07:49 PM

Mine does the same thing. After a couple miles or so it's back to normal

1BlueSS · 12-22-2016, 10:28 PM

Sometimes I end up shifting 1-3 when the car is cold. For some reason every GM car/truck I've driven, 2nd gear was hateful when it was cold. Few miles down the road and it's fine. Don't need to scratch that gear, especially when 1-3 won't hurt anything. When it was warmer temps here, this wasn't an issue. Only noticed it when temp was around 50* and below.

Nor Cal ZL1 · 12-22-2016, 10:54 PM

Completely normal.

Chevrolet Customer Svc · 12-28-2016, 01:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 63falcondude

To all of the M6 owners out there:

I am not sure if this is normal or the beginning of a problem. When leaving for work in the morning (around freezing and car has been sitting outside), it is rough getting into 2nd gear. I don't hear any grinding but it feels like it clunks into 2nd. Selecting gears is smooth while standing still idling.

This happens every morning when it is cold out and only with 2nd gear. Yesterday the same thing happened but for the first time it didn't fully go into 2nd.

This only happens after the car has been sitting in the cold overnight and goes away after about 10 minutes of driving.

Any thoughts?

Hello 63falcondude,

It’s great to see that our fellow forum members have been able to provide you with some clarification on this matter! If you do come across any other questions or concerns in the future, please feel free to reach out. We're always glad to be of assistance!

Have a great day,

Angela O.
Chevrolet Customer Care

2K16SummitSS · 12-28-2016, 02:19 PM

Happened in my 4th gen SS T-56, happens now in my 6th gen SS TR-6060

I made it to 232k in the 4th gen before I sold it with exactly 0 transmission issues (that weren't slave/master cylinder related...), so I'm not too worried.

JonnyH9 · 12-20-2017, 01:07 PM

I have the same annoying problem. Estimating the right shift point into 2nd is way harder than it should be. I think it has to do with the wide set gear ratios. 1st is 4.40 while 2nd is 2.59. That's a 41% drop! So the higher you are in the power band, the more revs you have to let it drop to sync. That's why I've been shifting early, before 2rpm so the 41% drop is not nearly as dramatic (800revs). At 3rpm, it would be more like 1,200revs. Of course when you need to get off the line quick, this is just a pain in the rear because you need to haul ass in 1st and there's no quick (or smooth) way into 2nd.

stigmacher · 12-23-2017, 05:17 AM

1le here. It's completely normal when cold. Same for all my manual cars, even brand new Honda's that I've owned. I support previous post wrt redline mtf. I used it on all my previous new cars after break-in w/ factory fluid - it's good & makes a huge difference in all temps. Not sure what they recommend for this trans yet but will be switching to it sometime next year.

12-22-2016, 08:43 AM	#1
63falcondude Drives: 16 Camaro, 11 Stryker, 00 Explorer Join Date: Dec 2015 Location: NJ Posts: 1,214	Rough shifting into 2nd when cold To all of the M6 owners out there: I am not sure if this is normal or the beginning of a problem. When leaving for work in the morning (around freezing and car has been sitting outside), it is rough getting into 2nd gear. I don't hear any grinding but it feels like it clunks into 2nd. Selecting gears is smooth while standing still idling. This happens every morning when it is cold out and only with 2nd gear. Yesterday the same thing happened but for the first time it didn't fully go into 2nd. This only happens after the car has been sitting in the cold overnight and goes away after about 10 minutes of driving. Any thoughts? __________________ NGM, 2SS, 6MT, NPP, MRC, Nav, Kalahari, Grey Wheels 1100 12/14/2015 3000 1/8/2016 (TPW 2/1) 3800 2/1/2016 5000 3/5/2016

12-22-2016, 10:28 PM	#9
1BlueSS Drives: 2017 Camaro 1SS Join Date: Jul 2016 Location: Texas Posts: 219	Sometimes I end up shifting 1-3 when the car is cold. For some reason every GM car/truck I've driven, 2nd gear was hateful when it was cold. Few miles down the road and it's fine. Don't need to scratch that gear, especially when 1-3 won't hurt anything. When it was warmer temps here, this wasn't an issue. Only noticed it when temp was around 50* and below. __________________ 2017 1SS Hyper Blue M6

12-28-2016, 02:19 PM	#12
2K16SummitSS Resident Land Surveyor Drives: 2016 Camaro 1SS - Summit White M6 Join Date: Aug 2016 Location: Henryetta/Tulsa - Oklahoma Posts: 588	Happened in my 4th gen SS T-56, happens now in my 6th gen SS TR-6060 I made it to 232k in the 4th gen before I sold it with exactly 0 transmission issues (that weren't slave/master cylinder related...), so I'm not too worried. __________________ 2016 Summit 1SS 49th Anniversary Commemorative Limited Plutonium Edition - M6, Solo Axleback & !RearCats, Ultra-Rare Cloth Seats, Forgestar CF5V 19x10-285/35 19x11-325/30 2001 NBM Trans Am WS6, Wifey's Grocery Getter - Torquer V2 cam, Racetronix Fuel Pump, Yank 3000 Stall, Transgo 1-2 kit, TSP LTs, Magnaflow, Strano Springs/Koni STR.T shocks, 17x9.5/17x11 TTIIs, Ed Wright tuned

12-22-2016, 08:54 AM	#2
Doyal_Mcneff Account Suspended Drives: 2016 2ss Join Date: Oct 2016 Location: Virginia Posts: 250	When it's cold the fluid is thicker and not as lubticating. This is normal given the stock fluid. Once the trans warms up it goes away right? I have the same thing, and it was a hell of a lot worse in my 2014 mustang.

12-22-2016, 09:36 AM	#5
Mountain Drives: 2017 SS 1LE, 2016 1SS (previous) Join Date: Apr 2016 Location: Metro-Detroit Posts: 1,863	Sounds normal. Before I put my car away, a few weeks ago, I did drive it in 20-30F temperatures and my transmission had increased resistance to getting into 2nd. Really, there was increased resistance into most of the gears, but 2nd is used the most. Going to an aftermarket fluid, like RedLine D4 or D6, could alleviate most of the effort; however, I will say that it is not really needed. I've had various manual cars in the past, most RWD based, and the amount of increased effort is similar, if not a little better. I think you are fine. Just don't expect too much and force the shift. Let the transmission fluid warm up. This is part of having a manual transmission. Cold, the transmission fluid is more viscous (more resistant to flowing) and, thus, thicker. This makes it harder for the synchros to...sychronize, or speed-match to the various gears. Think of it as the difference between walking through mud and water-saturated mud/muck. In the cold, the synchro is trying to walk through mud. Once warm, or in the warm weather, the synchro is walking through water-saturated mud/muck. Remember, synchros are like clutches - they have to move/cut through fluid and provide a certain amount of friction onto the gears to slow them or speed them up for speed matching.

12-22-2016, 07:49 PM	#8
Camaroky Drives: 2016 camaro 1SS Join Date: Jun 2015 Location: Ky Posts: 87	Mine does the same thing. After a couple miles or so it's back to normal

12-22-2016, 10:54 PM	#10
Nor Cal ZL1 Drives: 2013 ZL1 M6 Join Date: Oct 2013 Location: Nor Cal Posts: 1,825	Completely normal.

12-20-2017, 01:07 PM	#13
JonnyH9 Drives: ‘17 2LT RS Garnet Red Join Date: Dec 2017 Location: NJ Posts: 3	I have the same annoying problem. Estimating the right shift point into 2nd is way harder than it should be. I think it has to do with the wide set gear ratios. 1st is 4.40 while 2nd is 2.59. That's a 41% drop! So the higher you are in the power band, the more revs you have to let it drop to sync. That's why I've been shifting early, before 2rpm so the 41% drop is not nearly as dramatic (800revs). At 3rpm, it would be more like 1,200revs. Of course when you need to get off the line quick, this is just a pain in the rear because you need to haul ass in 1st and there's no quick (or smooth) way into 2nd.

12-23-2017, 05:17 AM	#14
stigmacher Drives: 1LT 1LE Join Date: Aug 2017 Location: Pennsylvania Posts: 41	1le here. It's completely normal when cold. Same for all my manual cars, even brand new Honda's that I've owned. I support previous post wrt redline mtf. I used it on all my previous new cars after break-in w/ factory fluid - it's good & makes a huge difference in all temps. Not sure what they recommend for this trans yet but will be switching to it sometime next year.

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