Issues with first gear when cold?

Just wondering anyone else have issues with first gear when cold . Feels like I’m fighting it when it’s cold .

Reference …20 off road with 66k miles on it . Recent drain and fill on the transmission with oem fluid .

Seems I’m noticing it more since the drain . No weird shifting . Once it warms up seems to be smooth .

 

I find this to be the case in many MT cars - to varying degrees. Always better once warm. The standard "solution" is to shift into 2nd, then into 1st; sometimes helps. Or, if you can let the truck roll a couple of inches, that might ease the entry into 1st.

 

A LITTLE, but not really any different from the other MT vehicles I've owned. I changed to that Ford [crazy weird name eludes me] MT fluid ~24k and it improved (But not sure also if that was related to breaking in).

 

What do you mean by “cold” and “feels like I’m fighting it”?

Oil (as long as being the right type) will in no way affect shifting.

 

I will respectfully disagree.

Motorcraft XT-M5-QS, it meets the Toyota specifications and has a reputation as a "problem solver" fluid for balky manual transmissions in sports car groups.

I don't shift (or drive) very fast and had experienced occasional first gear blocking and also a "crunchy" second gear shift. I was also frequently conscious of the syncromesh "working" when shifting, I could feel it in the stick, it wouldn't grind but you knew it was there.

The first trip around the block with the Motrocraft fluid was a stunning improvement.
I changed at 30K, now at 80K and it still shifts perfectly.


Motorcraft data sheet:

https://fcsdchemicalsandlubricants.com/products/transmission-fluid/productdetails?id=1

Rock Auto had the best price.

https://www.rockauto.com/en/parts/motorcraft,XTM5QS,transmission+fluid,13630

 

Never driven a 3rd gen Tacoma, but slightly over 1/2 of the trucks/SUV's I've owned since 1976 had manuals. The gear oil is much thicker than engine oil and when it's cold it's even thicker. It's always taken a little more muscle to shift gears in cold weather until the oil warms up.

 

Resistance to put in gear almost like you didn’t press the clutch all the way in or position the fork properly . So u have it to give it a little more pressure to drop into 1st …maybe the new fluid needs time to break in to get a little thinner for less resistance .

I don’t know …hopefully it gets better .

 

Gonna have to try this stuff on the next change …if the current fluid doesn’t get better .

 

Oil reduces wear on the transmission over long time periods. It has little or no effect on shifting performance.

 

Synchros can be sensitive to oil and modifiers so shift feel (you can arguably call that performance) can definitely change depending on the oil.

I switched to MT90 and felt no difference from the original oil but I didn’t have any complaints either.

 

Yes because I believe the synchro clutches require enough friction to work. Any oil of the correct spec should do.

When the synchro is not working efficiently, it results in a grinding sound as the gear shafts are forced to rotate at the same rate by the banging steel cogs together. This happens frequently when shifting fast in 4lo.

 

Unicorn tears

 

After my first trans change, I think I went to amsoil mt 90, downshifts up a grade felt much smoother, not so clunky. The next one I’d did just the valvoline easy to find squeeze bottle. Honestly the amsoil felt better. Mildly better.
I’ve ground my gears most in 4 lo, so I try to double clutch in 4lo.
also just have to say 4 lo is too much fun. People get all up ina huff about only using 4lo for like seconds and then shifting back out of it. But uphill/downhill in some rutty and rocky stuff, it’s just nice.

 

I changed to the Ford fluid around 31k and I don't know if I felt much of a difference. The clutch and trans seem much smoother when warm, it could be a pain in the ass leaving work in the morning in the winter when its in the teens or single digits. I don't know if there is a magic fluid, I just plan to stay on top of changes every 30k or so..

 

When I switched to ford motorcraft it helped with the notchiness of the shifting a lot.

 

Every manual trans I have ever owned shifted sluggish until warm it’s the nature of the beast mainly when temps were below freezing.

 

My 2017 has been very difficult to shift into 1st at anything above 2mph since I drove it off the dealers lot. 84Kmi later and a fluid change and there's no difference. I've gotten good at double clutching into 1st but I wish I didn't need to drive the truck like it's 80 years older than it's build date. Yes, cold fluid causes the synchro's to work harder. But this will happen in 90*F heat as well and independent of the temps 2st - 6th never have much resistance going into gear. The almost 2:1 gear reduction from 2nd to 1st doesn't help but with the number of people who experience the same driving experience makes me believe Toyota did this intentionally to save <insert part here> from failing. Such as stopping people accidentally shifting into 1st too soon and causing the internals to no longer be internals any longer.

I cannot think of a MTX car I've ever owned that was this difficult to shift into 1st gear that didn't have a trans with worn-out synchros. (and they were beaten the crap out of)

 

Don’t know what’s up with yours, but I’ve had two different transmissions in my truck, and both are cake to shift into 1st, even up to 10-15 mph. I’ve seen a number of people here relay the same experience, with many even saying they shift into it at higher speeds than I do.

 

I also downshift to 1st at ~15 mph every weekday coming into my work driveway entrance, rev matches pretty easily. I would say it's one of the more compliant 2nd to 1st gear downshifts I've had in any of my manuals, and I've had a few. The 2:1 gear ratio from 2nd to 1st makes judging the RPM's easy. The shifter is a little stiffer dropping it into 1st, but that's the nature of the beast in my experience.

 

^^ This ^^ With my Taco it's reverse after first start up. What I do is never force it, put trans in neutral, slight rev, then it goes right into reverse no problem. And it's not temperature dependent.