Stalling in 2nd gear at low speed

[Gerard]

Ever feel like the car just doesn't want to go back into 1st if you are rolling very slowly?

My car just does not like going back into 1st unless I'm at a complete stop. Like today I was
getting ready to stop at a light and quickly threw it into neutral(<5mph), then quick light change....I put it in 1st
and I sorta had the feeling I shouldn't have. I could feel, what felt like cogs/gears...probably the syncros?

I think it was one of those situations where I forced it into gear when it didn't want to be.

What would you guys have done in this situation?

Slowest I can go in 1st is 5mph before the stalling starts
Slowest I can go in 2nd is 8mph before the stalling starts

Put it in 2nd and just slip the clutch till it hooks?
Or go to 1st and feel crunchy syncros?(probably a bad idea)

[Shadow]

Ever feel like the car just doesn't want to go back into 1st if you are rolling very slowly?

My car just does not like going back into 1st unless I'm at a complete stop. Like today I was
getting ready to stop at a light and quickly threw it into neutral(<5mph), then quick light change....I put it in 1st
and I sorta had the feeling I shouldn't have. I could feel, what felt like cogs/gears...probably the syncros?

I think it was one of those situations where I forced it into gear when it didn't want to be.

What would you guys have done in this situation?

Slowest I can go in 1st is 5mph before the stalling starts
Slowest I can go in 2nd is 8mph before the stalling starts

Put it in 2nd and just slip the clutch till it hooks?
Or go to 1st and feel crunchy syncros?(probably a bad idea)

You should be able to do well under 5 mph in first gear without stalling.

[Gerard]

I wish that were true but I can't.
If the car drops under 5 mph it starts jumping/jerking.....so I either
slap the clutch down or keep it at a minimum of 5mph.

Been like that since new.
Same deal with my friends Mini as well.

[Shadow]

I wish that were true but I can't.
If the car drops under 5 mph it starts jumping/jerking.....so I either
slap the clutch down or keep it at a minimum of 5mph.

Been like that since new.
Same deal with my friends Mini as well.

Well, if that's the case, you basically have no choice but to slip the clutch (or just go into neutral) when you're under 5 mph in order to avoid stalling the engine. Honestly though, I've never driven a car that had a problem with 1st gear under 5 mph.

[Gerard]

Yea tell me about it...its pretty weird.

The only time I see 1-2-3-4 mph is when I start off from
a stand still. It fully hooks by 5mph...it even rolls by itself at 5mph.
The second I try and go below 5.....no can do.


I'll give it a go in my office lot later tonight.....but I think I know the outcome lol.

I've slipped the clutch from lets say 6mph in 2nd gear..but that takes my car straight to 8mph...then again, anything lower then that
and it starts bucking.

[Shadow]

Yea tell me about it...its pretty weird.

The only time I see 1-2-3-4 mph is when I start off from
a stand still. It fully hooks by 5mph...it even rolls by itself at 5mph.
The second I try and go below 5.....no can do.


I'll give it a go in my office lot later tonight.....but I think I know the outcome lol.

I've slipped the clutch from lets say 6mph in 2nd gear..but that takes my car straight to 8mph...then again, anything lower then that
and it starts bucking.

Yeah, give it a try on a level road and let us all know how you make out. Seriously though, you should basically be able to get down to 1 or 2 mph while still in 1st gear without stalling or even causing the engine to stumble. On most of today's speedos, it's not really even possible to measure speeds that low, so I'm only going by my own rough estimates. My cars over the years have been able to crawl to a near stop in first gear without issue.

Try this--- on a level road, put the car in first gear and see what your speed is without touching the gas pedal. In other words, let the engine slow down to idle rpm (or whatever rpm it will be without any throttle input) and check both your rpm and your speed. Then try applying your brakes lightly to see if you can get it to slow down even more without making the engine stumble.

[theholycow]

Put it in 2nd and just slip the clutch till it hooks?
Or go to 1st and feel crunchy syncros?(probably a bad idea)

Avoid crunchy synchros. The clutch is made to slip. The synchros aren't made to crunch (though they should survive the mistakes of even a worse-than-average driver, let alone the sort who gets on this forum and asks questions to try to improve what's probably already better than average). The clutch is also easier and cheaper to replace than the synchros.

It should be possible for you to get into first below idle RPM without crunching the synchros by being gentle with the stick. Another way would be by using second gear's synchros before shifting into 1st. That might be as easy as shifting into second then into first, or you might have to touch second's synchro for a moment then wait at first's gently.

If you're above idle RPM then, of course, you can double-clutch normally.

[Gerard]

So I let the car roll on flat ground without throttle input,
car was fully warmed up, AC off...

Idle RPM was at 700 and it was doing 5mph.
I lightly applied pressure on the brakes and as soon as it went below 5mph the car started
getting jerky on its way to stalling. The car tried to fight to stay on but I went for a little more brake
and TADA...stall.
Its somewhat of a pain in traffic that's 5mph and below, but what I do to avoid constantly slipping the clutch is just give extra room
infront of me so I can just let the car idle at 5mph.


hmmm, I might try using 2nds syncros to get into first. I do something similar to get into reverse sometimes.

I know that sometimes it feels like there is a good amount of resistance to get into reverse, so
what I do is throw it in 1st, then go back to reverse and PRESTO! Hardly any resistance.

[Shadow]

That's really odd. I believe I can do 5 mph in 2nd gear without making the engine stumble. The ironic thing is that I've driven a Mini before, but I never noticed anything unusual like that...then again, I didn't really try driving the car at low speed/revs.

[Gerard]

Lucky, I can do 8mph in 2nd lol.


I'm not one to drive the car that low in the rpms either,
it's just that some situations call for speeds under 5mph which can be annoying for me.

I have to go to the dealer soon, I'll just see if I can test drive another car to see if it behaves
the same....or I could just ask.

Actually I might call tomorrow to see if that's normal....because this is pretty odd now that I sit back and think about it. My friends wrx certainly doesn't behave like this, or probably any other car for that matter.

[Rope-Pusher]

learn to pulse the clutch engagement so the vehicle speed dithers above and below 5 mph as you creep in traffic.

[tankinbeans]

learn to pulse the clutch engagement so the vehicle speed dithers above and below 5 mph as you creep in traffic.

I just taught myself how to pulse the clutch and mostly do this in reverse.

[Rope-Pusher]

FNI were Tsar of Transmissions, Reverse would always be a creeper gear.

No zoom for YOU! (at least no zoom when driving backwards)

[Gerard]

learn to pulse the clutch engagement so the vehicle speed dithers above and below 5 mph as you creep in traffic.

This is exactly what I do.....to bad I can't be creepers like you guys lol

[ClutchFork]

FNI were Tsar of Transmissions, Reverse would always be a creeper gear.

AMEN!