Shifting into 1st gear problem?

Sometimes when I'm a full stop, 1st gear doesn't go in all the way in my manual transmission. Usually you can feel two clicks when shifting into each gear. When this issue with 1st gear happens I feel just one click, and to remedy the situation, I have to shift down to 2nd and then back up to first. This only happens at a full stop. Does anyone else have this issue?

 

Mine is the same way some times and I'll go to neutral and firmly throw her in 1st or go 2nd to 1st

 

Same with mine. The synchronizers are not ground to a point, they are semi flat on the tips for strength, then offset a tiny bit for each gear. It's normal to have to bump 2nd to get 1st to line up.

 

I don't even think about it. It's a manual and manuals have to line up "just so" in order to work correctly. Let it roll a bit, shift to another gear and back, slip it into neutral and back, whatever it takes. It becomes muscle memory after awhile and you don't even think, you just do.
It's the same as every other manual from every other manufacturer I have ever had. It has quirks, just like they all had quirks.

 

Normal for most any manual. You must have some relative motion to let the gears (really syncro chevrons) mesh. Your technique is very common, as is returning to neutral and letting clutch out before trying again. When coming to a stop, try to make sure and shift to 1st just before actually stopping.

 

It gets better with more mileage, or at least it did on my truck. That and a combination of the muscle memory like others have said. If I have trouble engaging, it's immediately back to neutral, cycle the clutch and try again. I find it's nearly always self-induced when it happens to me, like being in a hurry and jamming the stick.

 

I have the same issue with mine on occasion. Usually I’m on flat ground so I just take off in 2nd. Last time it happened I was on a hill and could not for the life of me get it to go into 1st. Never tried shifting to 2nd then back to 1st though. I’ll give it a shot if it happens again

 

Reviving this thread (found it googling) to share that I have the same problem.

It only seems to happen at a dead stop after being in 2nd or 3rd gear.

Shifting to 3rd then into 1st seems to fix the issue, but when I'm at a light and feeling pressured by cars behind me sometimes I spaz out and throw it in reverse for a sec and probably freak out the guy behind me...

Is this something that can't be adjusted for beyond simply adding miles? It's pretty annoying as it'll happen at least once a trip if traveling >10mi.

 

A quick double clutch in neutral between 2nd and 1st.

 

AT for the win

 

When 1st is a little stiff, I do 2nd and then back to 1st and it fixes it… ive always done it on all my manual cars…

 

Oh ok so this is not some Taco-specific gremlin?

I've owned a manual S-10, Jetta, Passat, and Legacy none of which ever did this so it threw me for a loop. If it's a semi-common issue though I feel less bad letting it continue and just mitigating with goofy shift patterns when necessary.

 

I am no mechanic that’s why I do not slap the gear level into 1st when it is a little stiff.. I understand it is some type of almost synchronized but not all the way so I don’t slap it because I don’t want to wear more or damage anything so I do quick second and back to first and it fixes it…

it has always helped me so I keep on doing it.. I prefer this instead of slapping 1st gear…

 

Shifting to 2nd then to 1st when stopped will make the 1st gear synchronizer last longer by stopping the rotating gears before shifting into 1st. The only synchronizer I've seen wear out is first gear.

 

AT rules! MT drools!

 

I've had it happen a couple times. I've also had that happen on other cars. I usually put the shifter into 2nd gear then 1st as a force of habit and doing that seems to mitigate the stuck issue. And I'm not downshifting into 2nd I just go 2nd > 1st all while the clutch is depressed. or sometimes I just pop into neutral when I'm slowing to a stop and and that works too.

 

actually not normal

prevalent yes

if U were to tear the trans down .......................

more than likely a combination of wear on clutch + sychronizers

very near to being what could be characterized as ‘ normal '

 

This is first MT I’ve had that never is finicky about going into first. I can even downshift into first at speed without a grind. It’s really important on this truck because it does not like to be lugged in 2nd.