Hi Scotty,
I purchased 2013 Chev Spark- manual 112,000 KM in auction for CAD 3500 a month ago. I live in extreme cold environment. I have changed oil and oil filter. no code on OBD 2.
It's hard to get gear in 1st and 2nd while driving sometime grinds. no code on OBD2 (I am learning to drive manual on it). What can I do to make it last long.
I live in extreme cold environment -30 C is average for 3 months.
Thank you
Your Spark has been driven 70,000 miles, or so. If the person that owned the car before you drove a stick like an amateur, the clutch may be on its way out. My mom had a 1991 Escort with a stick when I was a teenager, and right before her clutch went out, she had to really fight to get it to go into 1st gear. That was at 100k miles and a 13 year old car at the time, also from an auction. She only had it a few months. New clutch fixed it. If it's hydraulic, check the fluid level, if it has a cable, check that it's set correctly.
If the clutch is fine, then there's an internal issue with the synchros. The fact you got a 9-year-old car in an auction for around $2800 USD and it doesn't have that much mileage seems like this could be a possibility. You can trash your synchros by resting your hand on the shifter, really abusing the tranny and running it hard, only partly engaging the clutch on gear changes, etc. If the previous owners did this, this could be the result. The lower gears being hard to engage is a possible indicator of tranny wear.
I'd check the functionality of the clutch before assuming a tranny problem.
Thank you.
Every manual transmission car I've owned (over last 40 yrs) has had difficulty with shifting 1/2 when cold and got better as driven and warms up, and I used to live in VT so I've dealt with -30C. You could try changing fluid to a high-quality stuff like Amsoil etc. it did wonders for my 2011 Camaro SS.
Changed transmission oil and it made huge difference. Thanks for the advice.
Good deal
Nice when it turns out to be something simple like that! I've found Honda MTL to be great stuff for manual transmissions. At least the old Saabs I've owned with stick shift always loved the stuff.
Well I am not sure if it's grinding because the synchros are wearing or driver error. Make sure to keep the clutch adjustment correct, don't slam the gears and change the transmission fluid.
If you're lucky the hydraulic clutch just needs to be bled.
does it do it all the time even after warmed up, or only when you first get in after sitting all night in those cold temps? Manual transmissions are fairly simple so you won't get any obd2 codes from the trans.
It only does for first few minutes of driving.
Thanks for the help!
If the new oil helped, it means your synchros are worn out. Rebuild time. You'll know for sure when it starts popping out of gear (1st and 2nd.)
