Hey there, so i've noticed that on a cold start and after letting the engine warm up. I'll shift into first and start driving, but when i press in the clutch to go from first to second i'll hear a clunk. Not really hear a loud noise but you can feel it. I've only had the car for about a day but i think it goes away after i've driven a block or so down the street.

Just searching in google brings up a lot of articles on something called driveline lash and that it's normal (not specifically in crossfires but in, ie, jeeps and bmws) Some report that using a thicker fluid will minimize it.

There's no grinding noises or anything and the rest of the gears shift rather smoothly. I'll probably have a mechanic do an inspection to find out what the actual cause is but just wanted to check in with ya'll to see if you've experienced or heard anything like this.

The car is a 05 base 6speed with 55k miles.

 

So i took it to eagle transmission and they had 2 mechs drive it and they also lifted it up. From what they can see there isn't anything wrong with the car. They asked if there was any way to shift it smoothly and i told them that's if i slightly ride the clutch. Their response was "yeah just do it like that, for now, nothing is out of place so we can't even charge you for any diagnostics"

Someone mentioned to me that it could be a lack of grease from the input shaft from the factory but i am not mechanically inclined.

 

That's nice of them to not charge you for diagnosing it. But I would say it isn't "normal" for it to clunk. I have an '05 Limited, 6 speed, 64K miles, and mine doesn't clunk. I would suggest bringing those guys a dozen doughnuts every Friday and stay on their good side. You might need their help in the future.

If you google "clunking noise when clutch depressed" you will get a variety of suggestions. I vaguely recall my '63 VW Beetle doing that same thing back when I was a teenager. I think I replaced the clutch and throw-out bearing, but I can't remember everything I did when I was a teenager.

 

Here is a possible cause: Is your foot completely off of the gas when you depress the clutch pedal? Sometimes I notice a clunk caused by a mistimed shift when I unload the clutch too quickly. Try letting off of the gas earlier and see if it makes a difference in the noise.
Not trying to say that you don't know how to drive stick, just putting it out there...

 

1st, Co grats on your crossfire.

how many miles on it ?

in some transmissions use 75w90 but DO NOT do this in a synchro trans, it will eat up the brass snycros.

I use royal purple in mine, change every 50k miles.
and when you drain the oil you can see how much brass is in it to tell how previous owners drove it.

I know the clunk you are talking about.
I bought mine with 50k miles and at 170,591 atm, always done it when cold, a better oil will help.

but pay attention to the clicks and sometimes you will feel a double click going into 1st gear, and will help so you don't get the 1st gear pop out.

 

Thank you very much! Yes the clunk will happen mainly when it's cold but it can still happen even when warmed up. I've gotten into the habit of driving it and giving it just the slightest blip of the throttle when going from 1st to second and that seems to smooth it out. There isn't any clunk when i do that, heck i feel like even just resting the foot just like 1cm in is enough to keep it from happening. That's a temp fix though as i don't want to have to change driving styles to accommodate something that can be fixed.

I bought it with 55k miles and I have 56k miles on it now. What kind of royal purple oil do you use? If i take it to an oil change place do you think they will be able to do it? I'm thinking they might tell me it's a sealed transmission and won't work on it seeing as how the manual says the same thing. No maintenance needed.

I am not very mechanically inclined but can enlist the help of my father who used to be a mechanic if you think i should opt away from doing it at a shop.

 

If you can get it far enough up in the air, it is easy to do, the drain and fill plug are different sizes.
I can't remember off the top of my head but something like a 14mm and a 17mm allen.
I just got 2 bolts and nutts out of my drawer and welded the nutts on and used a socket and ratchet.
and a suction gun to pump the oil in.

royal purple synchro max I believe.

oil change shops would most likely not be able to do it, but the next time you have it at a shop that it is on a lift ask them and they would do it.
tire shops, alignment etc.
1st time I did mine, I did myself so I could look at the oil, to see how much shimmer was in it, can tell how previous driving was done.

watch for that double click in 1st gear, and when you notice it to pay attention, so you don't get the 1st gear pop out, it can scare the crap out of you, trans is fine, but sounds violent when it happens.

I have seen people with 240k miles on a clutch and flywheel and have seen less than 60k miles, it all depends on how the person drives and rides the clutch.

these are pricey to change with the dual mass flywheel

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I know it has been some time since this post, but have you found anything that has taken that clunk away? I just got a 2006 roadster last fall with only 26k on it. I have changed all the fluids and spark plugs and it drives really nice, however still has that clunk in 1st and 2nd gear only. I changed the rear differential with Redline 75w-85, and I changed the manual tranny fluid and put in 1qt of 5w-20 oil and .9 qt of Lucas synth oil stabilizer. It shifts so much smoother and sounds clean, however when cold still hits that clunk sound going from 1st to 2nd. I'm thinking that I need to re-grease the drive shaft next? Anyone have anything that fixed this yet? Thank you.

 

Hello and welcome to the forum! I can only tell you that I have had vehicles that have their own 'personality'. Sometimes (not often) something just isn't destructive to the normal operation of certain vehicles. I have seen too many here trying to 'nail down' this 1st to 2nd 'clunk' without a solution (while) spending a large amount of time and monies. All three of my vehicles (one an 08 XF coupe automatic), each has their own little quirks. I hope you can find a fix, but it has been discussed many times before (and probably will be again). Maybe someone with a manual transmission that had that 'clunk' and fixed it, can pipe in with an absolute solution that will solve it (but when your sensitive to that 'clunk' you may never find it). It has been discussed in the forum quite a few times. Good luck


.

 

Thank you for the info. It is reassuring that it is a "common" issue. It does seem to go away after the car warms up a bit. The shift is tough and the noises are there when it is cold, but eventually smooths out. I'm still going to try re-greasing the u joints and drive shaft to see if that helps. I'll let everyone know if does. Thanks for your time.

 

~ I get the same "KLUNK" on the black SRT ( 170,000mi) automatic between 1st and 2nd when she is cold, goes away after 10 minutes of driving also. My warm up period is a slow ride through the neighborhood to get to the highway. I ALWAYS let it warm up sitting still for a good full minute before going into gear on all of my automobiles. The klunk doesn't seem to be getting louder or more intense, so , although it concerns me, it doesn't worry me.

 

~ Not to be misleading, the "KLUNK" that is being felt is not a sound. it is more of a hard shift under very slight accelleration at approx. 15 MPH. Sorry if this info is about an automatic, I realize the thread is about a manual transmission....PEACE

 

Alright I found a good fix. I changed the fluid (it was low which I think was the major cause of the metal klunk noise) with 1.5 qts SAE 5w-20 and .5qts of Lucas pure synthetic oil stabilizer. I drove it around for a week and then did another change but with 1.9 qts of SAE 5w-20 Vavoline Advanced synthetic oil. The Klunk rarely happens now. Only happens going from 1st to 2nd and rarely now. Also, didn't find a place to grease the drive shaft joints. But with new tranny fluid and rear differential fluid (75w-85 Redline) it is soooo much smoother. Hope it helps you if you are having that klunk shift in the lower gears.