hard to get into gear when cold

GismoBaby

anyone have any idea why a 04 vectra might be hard to get into gear, especially reverse when the car is cold after been sitting up for a few hours? its only been happening the last few days. going to bring it to garage on monday but wondering is it going to cost me an absolute fortune!!

bryaner

I'm thinking wrong gear oil,or very low on gearbox oil..

Atlantic Dawn

bryaner wrote: »

I'm thinking wrong gear oil,or very low on gearbox oil..

Yes found this with a car I had, changed the oil and it solved the problem. Recommended is probably 60k or 5 years on most cars.

GismoBaby

thats what i was hoping id get back!! if its only low on gearbox oil it shouldnt be too bad!! its not the wrong kind anyway cos its been running for a year on whats in it!!!! thanks all

peasant

Get the gear linkage cleaned and re-greased while you're at it.

GismoBaby

right i popped down to the garage there and explained what was happening i.ie that it was only hard to get gears when the car was cold. he told me that if the gearoil was low that it would be hard to get gear when the car was warmed up but that made no sense to me. doesent oil expnd when its warm? so he reckoned after putting it into gear and letting out the clutch that the clutch was the problem. so he checked the fluid for it and it was full! then he checked the gearoil.... what do ya know... it was almost non existent in that none came out when he opened the yoke!!! (very technical jargon there!)

me thinks he didnt know what he was at.... really... would i be right to bring it somewhere else? i got the gearoil filled up while i was there. now im remembering someone posting about having the wrong gearoil in the car and am wondering did he put the right stuff in at all

missed the post about getting the linkage cleaned and regreased but when he took off the yoke to get into where the oil goes (more technical talk!) the top was quite clean he said that was good! but will get that done if i have to bring it back and topping up the oil doesnt work.

GismoBaby

Atlantic Dawn wrote: »

Yes found this with a car I had, changed the oil and it solved the problem. Recommended is probably 60k or 5 years on most cars.

haha!! oops 100k!! but ive only had the car a year and half so maybe it was done before i got it... heres hoping anyways!! thanks for that!

slimjimmc

GismoBaby wrote: »

right i popped down to the garage there and explained what was happening i.ie that it was only hard to get gears when the car was cold. he told me that if the gearoil was low that it would be hard to get gear when the car was warmed up but that made no sense to me. doesent oil expnd when its warm? so he reckoned after putting it into gear and letting out the clutch that the clutch was the problem. so he checked the fluid for it and it was full! then he checked the gearoil.... what do ya know... it was almost non existent in that none came out when he opened the yoke!!! (very technical jargon there!)

me thinks he didnt know what he was at.... really... would i be right to bring it somewhere else? i got the gearoil filled up while i was there. now im remembering someone posting about having the wrong gearoil in the car and am wondering did he put the right stuff in at all

missed the post about getting the linkage cleaned and regreased but when he took off the yoke to get into where the oil goes (more technical talk!) the top was quite clean he said that was good! but will get that done if i have to bring it back and topping up the oil doesnt work.

Ahh come on there GismoBaby, he found your gearbox lacking in oil, topped it up, and told that there were no oil leaks around the filler bung and you think he didn't know what he was at. The possible causes he mentioned to you are indeed likely

• oil gets thinner and flows more easily when it warms up. Cold oil is thicker and can indeed make gear changes a little more difficult.
• A worn clutch can make getting into first gear also more difficult as can air in the clutch fluid or low clutch fluid.

Yes oil, like most fluids, expands with heat but you wouldn't notice the change in volume it so small.

shedweller

Hi GismoBaby.

I had a gearbox lose oil once after a seal failed on the driveshaft. I replaced the seal and the oil but about a year later the differential failed, split the gearbox open and left me stranded.
Yours may not do the same but its worth keeping in mind.

Midnight_EG

If you've got a problem with getting into Reverse, put it into 1st first, then try reverse again.