Freezing weather question.
 

Owing to the 20F freezing conditions in PA at the moment, I find that even after warming up the engine before take off, the gear box selection is slightly harder to change between gears. I actually feel the stick not going through when engaging the gear as easely as it was the other day. Is this normal? After I have driven the car about 5 miles or less everthing is back to normal. Nice and easy to select the gears. I even resorted to the old fashioned double clutch method before sincromesh was thought of, and still found it harder until I had travelled about 3 to 5 miles. I guess I am getting paranoid or at least I hope I am. Thoughts please. BTW the gearbox has only done 20000 miles and the car is in an unheated garage at all times. Thanks....:confused:

Completely normal.

Why would you assume the tranny gets warmed up from idling? Your gearbox's gears are not moving just because your engine is running.

Manual states that you should start the car and drive off slowly after 10 seconds. Tips should be put into gear soon after engine is started.

Yeh maybe I worded the question wrong at that point. I knew that the gearbox was cold.. I just wanted to state that I was driving away on a warm engine just in case someone pulled me up about it. Sorry.:rockon:

You should move to bethlehm its currently 36

Way to warm to have shifting issues!

Mine doesn't do that @20 degrees. I'd change the gear box oil.

:cheers:

Hurdi...where you been?

Try this. As you let the engine idle move the shifter from 1st to 2nd and to all the gears in order then back down again. Do not hurry this process and do not force a gear. Let the shifter's resistance let you know how hard to push. If this helps a noticeable amount see if you can just move from 1st on up to 4th and back again.

Of course the clutch pedal should be depressed completely and the parking brake set.

I left my 996 at the airport a few days this week my shifter was really stiff. But yes it is normal.

Hey Gonzo.. I decided to go easier on milage this last year of my extended warrenty of 3 years or 30K. I have now proved to myself that I cannot seem to break this dam car before the warrenty runs out. Been hammering the Recreation Center more in the winter months and only driving about 3 times a week and not daily like I always had before. Nice of you to ask.

I will do as you say Macster. Hey and thanks for everyones inputs. I feel a lot easier now. Hopefully my gear will feel a lot easier as well haha.:bowdown:

Macster... after the car had cooled down for the last 8hours in a cold garage I sat in it, but didnt start the engine. Depressed the clutch and each gear goes in easily with a nice clicking sound. I will do the same tomorrow but this time with the engine running and clutch depressed and see if it feels the same. Can you verify this for me. One part of the gearbox must be moving (like the main shaft) when the engine is warming up. The actual gears are not until a gear is selected and even then, the main shaft should be stationary, along with the gears, until the clutch is released. Correct? :confused:

My experience is the car has to sit overnight outside. I park my car say at 9pm at night and when I go to leave for work at 9am the next day and the temps dropped down to say under 40F the shifter is very reluctant to move and gears are hard to engage.

When the engine is running the transmission input shaft is turning. Since these are constant mesh transmissions this spins the gear sets in the transmission. Otherwise you could move the shifter from gear to gear without having to depress the clutch.

By moving the shifter around as I mentioned in a previous post I'm not sure what exactly happens but it does to my shifter arm make for easier shifting.

Shifting is still not as easy as when things are up to temp but easy enough that I do not have to fumble at a stop to engage 1st gear when the light changes or my turn at a 4-way stop comes up.

Hurdi, your welcome here in SE Texas. Cmon down!