Is this a popular fault with these cars ???

I put it down to previous owners yanking the stick too fast between these gears ?
I found that by easing away gently in 1st and taking time over the change to 2nd, the noitchy feel vanishes....

Is this issue likely due to heavy handed fast changes by previous owners pushing the box too hard thru changes causing damage ?

Grant B

 

The first to second shift is always very hard in these cars. You found one solution - to just let the engine spool down a bit before letting the clutch out. Another solution is to just start out in second gear - much smoother!

 

Hi Winston Scifi,
Ive often done a 2nd gear pull away, as you mention. I'm not into rapid pull aways any way and she pulls well without much clutch from 2nd, and the pedal is up in about a second with no fuss.
Thanks for your time to reply.

best regards
Grant b

 

I have a 2008 Coupe with 6 speed. I think it is notchy, as though the synchromesh was damaged. It was new with only 65 dealer miles on it when I took possesion of it but who knows what was done during those test drives?

A friend and neighbor bought a used 2005 Coupe last year and I drove it home from the lot. It has just over 50,000 miles on it and also has the 6 speed. It was a smooth as silk, absolutely no notchiness or grinding of gears while shifting from 1st to 2nd.

I took my car to the dealer with that complaint and they returned it hours later saying that was normal -- it is NEW with only 10,000 miles on it. They said it would improve with age. I doubt it though. It doesn't interfere with my driving, it's just an annoyance.

Jim

 

I found that mine was improving as it was used more, and I think that babying it does not help it to wear in. The mechanism needs to get freed up a bit I think and usage does that.

 

Grant, it is a notchy shift, but I find that RPMs help out immensley, most times I shift around 3500, lots smoother.

Also, since changing my tranny fluid to Mobile1, it has been considerably less notchy.

 

Yes, you gotta keep the rpms up....even burp it between gears......then it's smooth........

 

1-2 shift is one of only two disappointments with this car. I bought the roadster ne, and it was always notchy, even now at almost 40k. Some days it shifts decently but sticky, other days it almost refuses to go into gear. I may have to swap out the fluid to syn and see if that helps. BTW, my son bought a 2007 with 16k miles and it always shifted easier from 1-2 than my 2005.

 

If I'm not in a hurry, I'll pull 3500 in 1st and skip 2nd altogether. Sometimes I'll skip 4th as well! I've put 70K on this car and the 1-2 shift has never changed: just as notchy as the day I got it with 5 miles on her.

 

Mine doesnt seem notchy at all. What I have noticed is that with the very long clutch throw we have, if I let off the throttle completely while pressing in the clutch, the throttle plate closes before I actually get the clutch released. This gives you the jerkiness, which is much more evident on lower gears than higher gears. Its pretty much the same thing as driving along on first at higher revs and just sliding your foot off the accelerator pedal jamming the throttle closed quickly. Do the same in 3rd and the result is less drastic due to the higher gear ratio, which lets the momentum of the car spin the motor easier than the lower gear ratios. Its only a matter of adjusting your timing to the clutch characteristics of these cars.
A simple test. Try holding the throttle pedal a moment longer than normal while begining to press the clutch pedal in. Things should smooth right out and make shifting easier and much less jerky. Works for me when I thought my trans was a bit hard to shift.

 

AS I recall M1 gear oil is gl5. This could be a problem if the MB transmission uses GL4 due to the affect on soft metals.

 

It's interesting, I have read about the 1-2 notchyness for a while, and mine is smooth as can be.
But, 4-5 on mine is very notchy, and will actually grind if i try to shift too quickly.
Allowing the rpm's to spool down first alleviates this, and once it's good and warm, it shifts 4-5 much more smoothly. (45k, on an 05 coupe)
The car has minor wear for it's age, but seems to have been well cared for overall. (I got her with 37k)
Anyone noticing anything similar?

 

With the age and type of fluid in these cars, most of you should have switched by now, especially if you are notchy.

I went to Mobile1 5w20 in mine and think it has improved. Good luck.

 

My white one did this exact thing... when under full acceleration, the 4-5 shift would grind for a half-second, then grab and go. 5-6 shift was butter.

As Boiler mentioned, the cure for 1-2 is RPMS... 3500 was my sweet spot as well.

 

Hi there i am new to the site and i have the same problem as the rest of you and you all seem to recomment mobil 1 5w/20w or royal purple 5w/20 but is this engine oil that your putting in to the gear box ?

 

hi guys
im new to this and was hoping you could help me out
i have recently become an owner of a new roadster as well and have difficulty in the first to second gear change amd i see you all mention that changing to mobil 1 5w/20w or royal purple oil 5-20 but can some one confirm if this is engine oil ? and if so you are putting engine oil in to your gear box please as dont want to do this if i have got it wrong lol

my roadster is a 2005 model manual 6 speed 3.2 litre

 

Boiler's advice is spot-on, but on the other hand, I test drove a Base Roadster with 120,000 miles on it and it shifted smooth, even going from 1 to 2.

I've said it before and I'll say it again - these cars are gonna age very well !


(Mine now has 82,000 on it, it's way better than when I bought it with 42,000)


In short, this is NOT an indication of abuse, nor is it abnormal in any way. In fact, it's about the only complaint 6 speed XF owners have.

 

Paul1131:

NO, boiler is talking about changing the TRANSMISSION "fluid".

 

Hi there sorry to trouble you all but are you putting engine oil in to your gear box ? or is this a special gearbox oil ? as i have the same problems

 

Thanks for the quick reply its really appreciated, i already paid out for a new bloody clutch thinking that was the problem, i know this is going to sound like a silly question but i have no knowledge around engines, so what exactly would i need to purchase then?
is it called mobil 1 5w/20w transmission fluid ?