Hows it going guys? I just bought my first stick crossfire with 30k miles. Ive been admiring this car since i was 15 now i finally got it! Today unfortunately i experienced my first problem. Im fairly new at driving stick but i have the basics pretty much learned. The problem started when slowly accelerating from a light and the car came out of first made a big clunk, and went to neutral. I was thinking at first maybe I didnt put the car completely in first. but its seems something went wrong because I cant put the car into i cant downshift into first anymore unless im around 25mph. I dont actually downshift that much but its just that even with the clutch fully depress it doesn't want to go into to 1st and sometimes to 2nd. Now I also thought it might be some sort of safety lock thing but this lock was never there before. any help or advice on this situation would be appreciated. I look forward to being a part of the crossfire group

 

The 1st-gear popout was a common thing in the '04 models, although my old '05 Limited was not immune to it. It would do it to me once in every ~200 green-lights... and it scared the crap out of me each time.

As for shifting into first while rolling, the synchros are preventing you from doing that. Since you shift out of first at 30mph, downshifting into first at 25mph would be hell on your engine. My Limited never let me shift into first unless I was below 10mph, and even then it was a rough shift.

The Crossfire's 6MT isn't known for its silky-smooth lower gear changes... just the nature of the Getrag.

 

yeah I have the 05 limited as well. Whats worries me was that it just started happening before i could shift into first and out with the clutch depressed now it seems like it locked

 

yeah I have the 05 limited as well. Whats worries me was that it just started happening before i could shift into first and out with the clutch depressed now it seems like it locked

 

I don't really have much experience with a stick in the XF...but everything else I drive does have a clutch and shifter. I think John gave you some good advise. Can you put it in 1st at a stop, by depressing the clutch, ALL the to the floor? I say ALL the way, because as I taught my sons to drive a stick, they had a problem with remembering to depress the clutch enough let gear changes happen smoothly. I know there are a host of stick owners on here who will sooner or later chime in....as I know listening to them that 1-2 shifts can be challenging...

 

Hi, never , never change into first or reverse when the car is in motion. Never had an automatic but my first one is on its way, 31 years driving manuals. 1 to2 is awkward with a cold box on the XF, its the nature of the beast.The harder you try the harder it gets. I had the same problem with my XF wife with the same car non. The reason? as I pay for the gas I was changing up the gears at 2000 rpm. The wife at 3000 rpm makes a world of difference. I must admit I don't like revving to 3000 rpm with a cold engine. MB was never none for its great manual gearboxes with auto the opposite.

 

1st to 2nd is my second complaint, next to the ashtray (#1).

From a dead stop, fully depress the clutch and shift into second then into first. It should slide right in. I would never downshift into first. After second, I freewheel with the clutch in and brake.

 

Guess I am once again the odd man out here. My roadster shifts beautifully from 1st to second as long as I pay attention and realize the clutch throw is really long compared to the throttle throw. You just have to start pushing the clutch in slightly before you let off the throttle, that way the clutch is disengaging before the throttle plate jams closed, preventing the jerking problem most people complain about. Other than that little insite, the shift is smooth without any notchiness at all.

 

I just bought my car two weeks ago, and this happened to me twice one day on my way home one day coming home from work. Just starting off the line, and the whole car would jerk and clunk like you described. The first time it happened the bump was so severe I thought the guy behind me had hit my rear bumper (but he was too far back when I looked).

Anyway, I was determined to figure out what was causing this (because my car is still under the drivetrain warranty from the dealer, and if it was a clutch/transmission problem, I was going to find it), so I pulled into a parking lot on the way home and tried various clutch/brake/shifter combinations while getting the car in motion from a stop. After a few minutes I figured out I could reproduce the problem pretty reliably when the shifter was *almost* in first gear, but not exactly all the way. Enough that I thought it was in gear. I've been more careful to make sure I push the clutch all the way to the floor when going into first, and pushing the shifter all the way into first ever since, and I haven't had a problem again. I also regularly put the shifter into second and then into first when getting ready to move from a stop, like someone else suggested, because I've found it does make it easier to get into first.

Hope that helps. Oh, and I would also recommend against downshifting into first. No reason to.

 

I have been making sure that the car is all the way in first and never had the problem again either. This car can be quite the moody girl if not treated right.