Difficult to shift into 1st gear

Okay, my car is a 1999.5 Jetta, ALH engine, 5 speed manual, and recently I've been having trouble shifting into 1st gear. All other gears shift smooth as butter, but it doesn't want to go into 1st at all. I'm not sure what the deal is, but anybody got ideas on what it could be? Oh, and the car has about 194,000 miles and still has the original clutch.

until you find the culprit, putting the gear shifter into 4th, then directly into first may make it easier. Could be syncros, could need an adjustment, some might say the clutch.

Change the gear oil and adjust the shifter linkage and see what happens.

Make sure the brake master cylinder is full and bleed the clutch slave cylinder. The clutch may not be releasing completely.

Try lubricating the shaft under the shift lever (that looks like the head of a golf club) with white lithium or other grease. The lever is in the engine bay, between the engine and the battery/airbox. If you have someone inside the car swinging through the gears, you'll see it moving.

I have had this problem as well, I was unable to go into reverse and first when my car was new even though other gears worked well.

If your car goes into first ok when the engine is stopped then you most likely have a clutch issue going on. As the disc is still spinning when it should be stopped. Like the clucth itself and or slave cylinder and/or master cylinder. If reverse is ok then the clutch operation should be good. I would check the linkage for anything loose and/or worn first. As I find it almost impossible to adjust with worn parts. Joe

Okay, after driving around a bit yesterday, I've discovered that this is an intermittent problem. Seems to happen after I've been driving for 20 minutes or so. I got in my car, all gears shifted perfect (including reverse), drove on the highway, got off the highway on a road with many traffic lights, everything still shifting good, then I got about halfway down the road and first got finicky again. So, I shifted to second and used that to move the car a little bit, then it shifted fine. It was doing this for the rest of my trip, but most of the time I could just get it into first. At the end of the trip, reverse still shifted fine. When I went home, I think it shifted fine the whole time.

Where exactly should I be looking to see if the shift linkage is worn? If I remember correctly, the 99's have plastic shift linkage, so this could be the culprit?

Eh, I had this problem in a different car once, and it required replacing the shifter bushings, as well as adjusting the clutch, was not fully engaging.

A hydraulic clutch is self-adjusting. If the clutch were not disengaging completely, then Nuk would have trouble shifting all gears, not just first.

A 99.5 should have the easy-to-adjust linkage. Read the section on adjusting the linkage in these instructions on Dieselgeek's website. It's pretty straightforward.

Then go to NAPA, Autozone, tdiparts, etc. and get 2 liters of the appropriate gear oil, and change the oil.

i dont think napa and autozone have the correct fluid. Most places dont carry GL4 specific fluids.

Nuklear, its a long shot, but I just had my dogbone mount go totally bad allowing the engine to swing back and forth, and that caused hard 1st engagements for some reason.

I wouldn't have tried to get it from napa or autozone anyways. tdiparts.com says the correct gear oil is G060, but I can't find anything in the lubricant forum that mentions this kind of oil. Is it?

And where should I be looking (and what should I look for) to see if the dogbone mount is bad, if adjusting the shift linkage and changing gear oil won't work?

And, unfortunately I might not be able to get to this until the weekend because I'll need to borrow my GF's garage (and while I'm at it, the help of her dad and his tools) since theres too much stuff in my parents, and its kinda chilly out to work on a car.

Lubromoly makes an 85w90 gear oil, as well as Amsoil, IIRC. I don't think a 99.5 takes anything too terribly exotic.

The NAPA store in my area is pretty good about being able to order things that they don't carry.

NuklearTDI said:

Okay, my car is a 1999.5 Jetta, ALH engine, 5 speed manual, and recently I've been having trouble shifting into 1st gear. All other gears shift smooth as butter, but it doesn't want to go into 1st at all. I'm not sure what the deal is, but anybody got ideas on what it could be? Oh, and the car has about 194,000 miles and still has the original clutch.

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The other suggestions don't seem to fit this situation. I think your clutch is starting to go. Hope I'm wrong, but if I'm not then you should at least think about your options. You won't have much time to do your research, because if the problem is the clutch then it will fail very soon.

If the clutch is failing, then all gears would be difficult to engage.

Is it difficult to shift into first gear if you are rolling to a stop, or just when you are already stopped and shifting into first to get going?

whitedog said:

Is it difficult to shift into first gear if you are rolling to a stop, or just when you are already stopped and shifting into first to get going?

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Well, it was never happy with shifting into first when rolling to a stop, but when its getting difficult to shift into first, it doesn't matter if I'm rolling or completely stopped.

Still, its confusing why this would only happen after I've been driving for a while.

I wholeheartedly recommend you align the shifter linkage. It's easy to do and only requires a 3/16" drill bit or a slightly bent 20d nail. Dieselgeek has a good how-to with their short-shifter installation instructions and here's a great guide on what to do by the always-helpful Wingnut.

I recently realigned both my TDI's shifter linkages and my only advice is to let the spring clips attach where they like, don't try to force them tighter.

scurvy

MayorDJQ said:

Lubromoly makes an 85w90 gear oil, as well as Amsoil, IIRC. I don't think a 99.5 takes anything too terribly exotic.

The NAPA store in my area is pretty good about being able to order things that they don't carry.

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VWs require a 75w90 GL4 gear oil... 85w90 might be too thick when cold. While GL4 isnt an "exotic" spec, its hard to come by over the counter. And parts counter monkeys, even halfway decent NAPA ones, are generally clueless to GL3, 4, and 5 specs. GL4 is for bevel and hypoid gears. GL5 should not be used in gearboxes except where mfg. specified.

Revolutionary_mind said:

VWs require a 75w90 GL4 gear oil... 85w90 might be too thick when cold. While GL4 isnt an "exotic" spec, its hard to come by over the counter. And parts counter monkeys, even halfway decent NAPA ones, are generally clueless to GL3, 4, and 5 specs. GL4 is for bevel and hypoid gears. GL5 should not be used in gearboxes except where mfg. specified.

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Sorry...typo, I meant 75w90.

NuklearTDI said:

Still, its confusing why this would only happen after I've been driving for a while.

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Something is probably getting warm and expanding just enough to cause a problem.

MayorDJQ said:

If the clutch is failing, then all gears would be difficult to engage.

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True to a certain extent, but always worse in 1st and reverse, because that is when the "syncro's" need work the hardest to "syncronize" the shafts/gears ect.

NuklearTDI said:

So, I shifted to second and used that to move the car a little bit, then it shifted fine.

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A reasonable test, so it would seem the 2nd gear "synchro" is able to equalize the shaft speeds at a stop, but 1st gear "synchro" cannot.

NuklearTDI said:

Well, it was never happy with shifting into first when rolling to a stop, but when its getting difficult to shift into first, it doesn't matter if I'm rolling or completely stopped.

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Rolling is when it should be easiest to go into 1st, (obviously at 1st gear speeds) because shafts speeds are closer to being the same.

Note that if the clutch is not releasing fully, then its VERY difficult for the syncro's to equalize shaft speeds at a stop. Why? Because the output shaft is stopped and the clutch is trying to force the input shaft to spin, and the poor abused "syncro" is trying to stop the input shaft(equalize the input and output shafts) as you put it in gear.

Any "mooshy" (thats the technical term ) feel to the clutch pedal? (indicating a hydraulic problem) Take a flashlight to the hydraulics, looking for leaks, and check the level.

Does it go into 2nd, when the 1st problem happens, everytime, smooth as silk, no problems?

The thing I was thinking about is that when cold, the oil is thicker, so there is more drag in the transmission to slow down the spinning gears making it easier to engage the gear. When it's warm, the gears want to spin faster, making it difficult.

CoolAirVw said:

True to a certain extent, but always worse in 1st and reverse, because that is when the "syncro's" need work the hardest to "syncronize" the shafts/gears ect.

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True, but a clutch that isn't fully releasing is like pushing the pedal of a good clutch only 1/4-1/3 of the way in and trying to shift.

MayorDJQ said:

True, but a clutch that isn't fully releasing is like pushing the pedal of a good clutch only 1/4-1/3 of the way in and trying to shift.

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Here's a good way to see if your clutch isn't fully releasing:

Put the car on level ground. Turn the engine off.
Push in & hold clutch pedal, put car in 1st gear, start engine. Continue holding clutch pedal.

If the car creeps forward, your clutch isn't releasing completely. Had this happen with my previous car (1995 Volvo 850) when two adjacent fingers on the pressure plate snapped off - another telltale sign of this is if the clutch pedal pulses when you push it in.

HTH. HAND.

scurvy said:

Here's a good way to see if your clutch isn't fully releasing:

Put the car on level ground. Turn the engine off.
Push in & hold clutch pedal, put car in 1st gear, start engine. Continue holding clutch pedal.

If the car creeps forward, your clutch isn't releasing completely. Had this happen with my previous car (1995 Volvo 850) when two adjacent fingers on the pressure plate snapped off - another telltale sign of this is if the clutch pedal pulses when you push it in.

HTH. HAND.

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Car doesn't creep at all with that test, no pulsing clutch pedal either.

CoolAirVw said:

Any "mooshy" (thats the technical term ) feel to the clutch pedal?

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The clutch pedal feels like it always has, no mooshyness to it at all.

CoolAirVw said:

Does it go into 2nd, when the 1st problem happens, everytime, smooth as silk, no problems?

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I think so, not 100% sure because I don't always throw it into 2nd to get it in first. But, as far as I can think of, 2nd is always smooth.

Oh, and I did another test today. So, as expected, it wasn't happy with first by the time I got home. So I parked, turned the engine off, then tried shifting into first. Still hard to shift, but as usual, it seems using extra force to push to the left helps get it in first. So this should mean that its not a syncro problem right? Since the input shaft isn't spinning, right? Or am I thinking about things wrong?

Looks like I'm gonna have to wait to adjust the linkage until the weekend or next tuesday, the weather is terrible.

Hmmm we keep thinking about the transmission, but what aboutt he linkage itself? Yes, adjustment needs to be verified, but what if something is stiffening up some other place in the linkage when it gets warm?

whitedog said:

Hmmm we keep thinking about the transmission, but what aboutt he linkage itself? Yes, adjustment needs to be verified, but what if something is stiffening up some other place in the linkage when it gets warm?

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That's what I was thinking. Maybe the channel where the weight swings back & forth? Or where the selector shaft goes into the trans.

Also, the "eye" (see arrow in photo) in the cable end on my car had a lot of play in it at only 100k, I'd say 1/8" at least. I'm betting that on a car with 200k+ the thing is worn even more.

http://i176.photobucket.com/albums/w183/mayordjq/tt_shift.jpg

I have this same problem on my Corrado currently. I'm not sure what it is, but the easiest way for me to get it into first is to put it down into second and then go quickly up into first. I was told by my mechanic that he's not entirely sure but it's most likely the synchro.

OOOOO, I took that weight off of my linkage years ago! Just looking at it I knew it was trouble. All that weight teetering on the linkage as things vibrate back and forth. Whomever thought of that stupid design needs to get their engineering license revoked!
Luckily on my 98 Beetle that weight was bolted to and not part of the linkage itself but had it been part of it the hack saw would have taken care of it!

Okay, some good news and some bad news. I think I can safely say the problem is somewhere in the shift linkage and the transmission. I say this because the problem just got alot worse (and slightly better at the same time). First is easy to find again, but it has now taken place of reverse, and reverse is nearly impossible to reach now, second has shifted to the left, third and fourth are around where they should be, and fifth has shifted to the right, so its tough to get into fifth now. So, I'm borrowing my parents truck tomorrow to get to school, and then Tuesday I'm gonna take a look at it and attempt to adjust the linkage, and try to see if anything needs replacing, which I'm assuming something will.

Whats the part number on the piece in this picture I quoted? Sounds like thats gonna be a part I'll need to replace, but I won't order anything until I actually check and see. Thanks for the help everybody!

MayorDJQ said:

That's what I was thinking. Maybe the channel where the weight swings back & forth? Or where the selector shaft goes into the trans.

Also, the "eye" (see arrow in photo) in the cable end on my car had a lot of play in it at only 100k, I'd say 1/8" at least. I'm betting that on a car with 200k+ the thing is worn even more.

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Try re adjusting. Lock the shifter weight in place with the little lever, release the springs, lock shifter handle, release springs, unlock shifter, unlock shifter weight.