One of the fairly common problems in cars is difficult gear shifting on a manual transmission. Inexperienced drivers do not always pay attention to this. Or, on the contrary, they begin to worry a lot in advance. Let's figure out what is the reason for the tight shift and what needs to be done, as well as what every car owner should know regarding this issue.
Gears engage with effort: gearbox malfunctions
In cars with a manual transmission, gear shifting is done by the driver himself. Using a lever from the interior, it acts on the rocker and then on the entire gearbox mechanism. Simply put, the driver moves the gears on the shafts.
Since the shafts rotate at high speeds, cooling is required. This is done using special gear oil. Oil also protects the surfaces of rubbing parts from premature wear. The lubricant must be changed on time. On average, this is done after every 40-50 thousand kilometers.
As for the reasons for tight gear engagement, there may be several of them. However, most often they are associated with problems in the clutch or the gearbox itself. If you study the list of the most common breakdowns, then you can highlight the following:
The exception is reverse gear, since it does not have synchronizers; By the way, when the reverse gear is difficult to engage, extraneous noises, clanging, and crunching often occur. Such phenomena directly indicate wear of the gear teeth.
How to engage first gear without harming the gearbox?
Often, inexperienced motorists, turning the gearbox selector from second to first speed, may notice how some difficulties arise, in particular, how difficult it is to engage first gear. In such cases, a novice driver often tries to turn on the speed using force, simply by driving the selector into the desired position. This should not be done under any circumstances, since such actions can be fraught.
Actually, having noticed such a drawback in the manual transmission, motorists developed a rule - the first speed should be engaged only in order to move away. In all other cases, second, third and fourth gears are engaged. Experienced motorists especially often use this rule, but we would like to say on our own that this is fundamentally wrong.
Operating principle of gearbox synchronizers
Any driving instructor will tell you that the choice of speed should be based on driving speed and engine crankshaft speed. In principle, even parking normally is only possible in first speed. If you try to park in second gear, you will have to maneuver very quickly, and in such cases there will be a strong load on the clutch. Actually, just like the gearbox unit itself. Accordingly, you must learn one simple rule for yourself - you can engage first gear when driving only if the speed is low and the crankshaft speed is low.
What's the result?
So, the main reasons why gears are difficult to engage are problems with the clutch mechanism and gearbox. However, most of them can be eliminated yourself if you have tools, spare parts and certain skills.
Why may it be difficult to engage gears or why first gear, second, reverse, etc. may not engage? The main causes of gearbox malfunctions, recommendations.
Reasons for difficulty shifting gears with the engine running. Transmission oil and level in the gearbox, wear of synchronizers and gearbox gears, clutch.
How to change gears without a clutch: driving a manual car without a clutch in case of malfunction. Tips and tricks.
Manual transmission gears (speeds) do not engage after replacing the clutch: main reasons, settings and adjustments. Diagnosis of problems, useful tips.
Clutch: basket, release, clutch disc. Purpose and design, principle of operation of the clutch basket. How to increase clutch life.
The automatic transmission does not change gears: the car does not move forward or backward, the automatic transmission does not switch to individual gears, reasons.
Source
For what reasons do interruptions occur?
The gearbox is not only one of the most complex, but also one of the most basic components in any vehicle. The reasons for malfunctions that make it difficult to engage first gear can be associated with both incorrect use of the unit and driving on a bad road surface. In any case, if you don’t know why the speed turns on poorly, then this indicates a certain breakdown of the unit itself.
Gear lever
It should be noted that a similar problem often occurs in older cars that are bought second-hand and not at car dealerships. Therefore, if you purchased a used car, then you shouldn’t even be surprised by such a problem, especially since similar faults will appear in any car sooner or later. In addition, if you try to turn on the speed and this happens, but very poorly and with great difficulty, then over time the unit selector may completely stop responding to any commands from the motorist. Naturally, not every driver will be able to constantly start driving in second gear, so it is important to understand the reasons why first gear is difficult to engage.
Below is a list of breakdowns that can cause the gear lever to shift gears poorly:
- The problem is in the clutch operation - the mechanism engages poorly, disengagement is incomplete. This problem often occurs in domestically produced cars and in most cases it is due to the fact that the mechanical clutch cable comes off from the mounting point. In fact, it is not particularly difficult to identify this - if the cable breaks, the pedal will be recessed into the floor and will not move. This, as you understand, is directly related to the operation of the clutch, and not the gearbox.
- There was a breakdown in the operation of the drive rod for controlling the gear shift mechanism. Then not only the first, but also the reverse and other speeds will turn on poorly.
- Failure of the unit's jet thrust.
- For unknown reasons, the fastening bolts located on the side or selector rod for selecting the gearbox mode have become loose. The problem is solved by tightening the bolts.
- The transmission gear shift drive was incorrectly adjusted.
- The plastic elements in the gearbox control drive have failed or have expired.
- The link was poorly adjusted. As you know, the purpose of the rocker is very important in connecting the gearbox and the gear selector, so incorrect adjustment may well be the cause of the problem. In addition, the plastic bushings on this link could wear out or fail.
- Failure of synchronizers can also be called one of the most common failures in a gearbox. Unit synchronizers are brass bushings necessary for easier switching of unit modes. Since brass itself is a soft material, it can wear out and wear out during the operation of the vehicle. To correctly diagnose the condition of the synchronizers, you should pay attention to the operation of the gearbox - if a grinding or unpleasant sound appears when shifting gears, then the problem is in them. Moreover, this sound will appear constantly when you try to engage first gear. If only sound appears, but the gearbox selector switches to one mode or another without problems, then a malfunction will occur soon.
- Failure of gearbox bearings. Such a malfunction does not occur so often, one might even say that it is rare, but any motorist can still encounter it. If you own a car with a manual transmission, then the bearings could get stuck in it, as a result of which the shaft stops rotating along the path. In such cases, it is difficult to engage first gear; at other speeds the problem usually does not appear.
- The box shaft has failed. The unit shaft is usually not subject to operational wear or very heavy loads, but the malfunction may be caused by a factory defect. In the event that even minor mistakes were made in production, the shaft may well break. If so, then the problem of engaging the first gear may be just the beginning of a major breakdown that you will face. As practice shows, often in such cases the unit itself breaks down completely.
- The problem of clutch failure is relevant for owners of cars with automatic transmission. There are cases when, if the clutches are not functioning correctly, a push occurs when the first speed is turned on, but then everything works fine. The problem can only be solved by replacing the clutches.
Messages 12
1 Topic by ander_kr 2014-05-13 07:52:26
Topic: Gears don't engage well (they hit something and grind)
Hi all! I didn’t find anything similar on the forums. The situation is like this, VAZ 2110, 16kl, 04. At first, 1st gear was difficult to engage from time to time (it rested on something), then 1st and 2nd were engaged with difficulty and every other time, reverse turns on with a slight grinding noise, sometimes not the first time. Then 1.2 hardly turn on, they rest against something, then I noticed that if the gearshift knob is not pushed to the left all the way when shifting gears to 1.2, then the gears are engaged (no grinding, but like on a washboard), it turns out that 1 and 3 are very close, as are 2 and 4. The clutch pedal is slightly lowered. I pulled the cable, the pedal became slightly higher than the brake pedal, then the gears began to engage as expected in the extreme left position (again, as on the washboard), 3rd gear seems to click there. The travel of the clutch pedal has increased (very inconvenient) and the clutch engages with the engine only at the very end. YES, AND THIS IS ALL BOTH INITIALLY AND AFTER TENSIONING THE CABLE BOTH WITH THE ENGINE RUNNING AND ON STUFFED. Can anyone tell me what? They say on the forums that since they don’t shift gears when the engine is switched off, it’s definitely a case of removing and repairing the gearbox. Could there be another reason? I don’t want the service department to take the trouble to repair the gearbox for nothing. Thank you all
2 Reply from klimashov.roman 2014-05-13 08:13:06
Re: Gears don't engage well (they hit something and grind)
Well, first of all, pay attention to the clutch and in particular to the basket, and if it is already all crooked or askew, replace it. Try to adjust the rocker to the position where it will engage best and at the same time unscrew the bolts with the speed locks, there are 3 of them, well, this is more likely to calm the soul. If not, then most likely the gears have come to a halt and this is just a repair. Only if you take it to the service station, be as close as possible when they start disassembling it, otherwise they will issue you a bill for a new box; it will be easier to buy, and they can take out the good parts
Knocking out the speed
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If it turns on, but immediately turns off, then the latch may be stuck in the squeezed position, so it no longer does its job. It is also possible that the spring that presses the ball retainer is destroyed. Without the force of the spring, it will not be able to hold the slider in the desired position.
If significant force is applied while shifting into gear, the shift fork may bend.
If this happens, then the gears will no longer fully engage, and the slider itself will not reach the stop, which will prevent the latch from entering the groove.
Poor switching may also be caused by incorrect installation of the gearshift knob. In this case, the rocker does not bring the gear to full engagement.
VAZ 2110 16 valve gears don't engage well - reasons
I have the same *****, I haven’t solved the problem yet, let me know if anything is resolved
As soon as I solve the problem I will post it.
Check the clutch pedal travel and make sure there is nothing obstructing it. Happens.
No, everything is fine, I checked it right away, right down to the floor. It seems like there might be something wrong with the box, damn it.
I have exactly the same problem. It hits something. If you repress the clutch, it sometimes helps. It happens with reverse speed too. I've been driving this way for almost a year now, and I'm already used to it. In the workshop they said the disease is ten-thousand and you can live..
I’m not going to leave this matter like this, otherwise sometimes when it doesn’t stick in all the way, out of habit I still start to move away and in the box the gears are clearly not fully engaged and there’s a crunching sound, and I’m afraid this may lead to the box being repaired
