# 1st and 2nd gear sometimes hard to move into



## thomas130 (Oct 11, 2015)

Hi again

On my Audi TT moving into 1st and 2nd gear can be a bit of a pain it's like something is blocking me from putting them into gear sometimes it's fine just have to put a load of force. I don't tend to have a problem with the other gears to be honest.
If the engine is not running then I can move into any gear without any problems. I would assume this avoid this is a gearbox issue.
The car is at 95000 miles at 82771 it had it's clutch parts change that's all it says and the slave cylinder replace.
I have noticed compare to my Corsa the clutch is very heavy.

Cannot hear any bad noises or grinding.

Is this pointing towards the clutch and maybe getting the flywheel replace as well.

Thanks
Tom


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## 3TT3 (Aug 30, 2014)

Mine is near 95k, gearbox was replaced(probably by a used one) at around 79k.
Clutch I have no info on.
1st and second have allways seemed a bit rough 

Have a look in this section
viewtopic.php?f=56&t=172190


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## manikm (Feb 17, 2014)

Same as

Sent from my SM-G900F using Tapatalk


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## infidel.uk (Feb 21, 2015)

completely normal, although there will the odd person saying otherwise because their car is perfect


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## Hoggy (May 8, 2002)

Hi, If it's not a gear selector issue, sounds as if clutch is not releasing fully. Does this only happen on first use of the day or all the time. Does pedal feel the same when this happens & does the pedal feel nearer to the floor, as could be a master cylinder problem.
Hoggy.


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## thomas130 (Oct 11, 2015)

Hoggy said:


> Hi, If it's not a gear selector issue, sounds as if clutch is not releasing fully. Does this only happen on first use of the day or all the time. Does pedal feel the same when this happens & does the pedal feel nearer to the floor, as could be a master cylinder problem.
> Hoggy.


The Pedal does feel close to the floor, it's not all the time and does get better when driving for a bit. Not always like starting from cold. It's not the end of the world.

I have been reading and have read advise about changing the transmission oil has helped improved the situation. Just feels like a force is stopping from moving into gear sometimes.


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## Hoggy (May 8, 2002)

Hi, I think it's the fairly common master cylinder problem & the pedal is failing to come up fully. 
Next time it happens pull the clutch pedal up with your toe, to see if that cures it.
Hoggy.


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## CollecTTor (Jan 17, 2014)

Have you realigned the linkage? Careful with continued operation with hard to get in gear, can lead to broken shift forks. Align the linkage and the engagement should be smooth unless a clutch issue exists.


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## thomas130 (Oct 11, 2015)

CollecTTor said:


> Have you realigned the linkage? Careful with continued operation with hard to get in gear, can lead to broken shift forks. Align the linkage and the engagement should be smooth unless a clutch issue exists.


Could it still be a linkage fault if moving into gears is fine when the engine is not running, Once the engine has run for a bit it's fine, it's not all the time ?


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## CollecTTor (Jan 17, 2014)

thomas130 said:


> CollecTTor said:
> 
> 
> > Have you realigned the linkage? Careful with continued operation with hard to get in gear, can lead to broken shift forks. Align the linkage and the engagement should be smooth unless a clutch issue exists.
> ...


Yes. Aligning it is a 5 minute process, and you should do it regardless as it sounds like it's been a while.


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## sweatystt (Jan 29, 2015)

I had these symptoms before my master cylinder gave up.


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## Gonzalo1495 (Oct 13, 2014)

Before you go changing gearboxes and master cylinders, take a few minutes, remove your rubber shift gate and take a look at the bushing that connects the gear stick to the cables. These are very old cars, and these things tend to break, ESPECIALLY after installing new knobs. Mine went and I could not select 1st, 2nd, or reverse.
http://www.dieselgeek.com/VW_shifter_re ... t-figg.htm
There is no OEM replacement for these bushings, you would need to buy a brand new unit as a whole, or you can buy this which works wonders.

Like I said, check your bushing first before you start thinking it's anything more serious because of these posts.


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## GARAGE HERMIT (Mar 7, 2015)

even after alignment 1st & 2nd are a bit knotcy, till everything warm's up a bit, well mine is like it anyway,

there's a youtube vid about it, think it's for a golf, but same as, or use your bently manual, you have bought a manual, have'nt you, :roll:


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## 3TT3 (Aug 30, 2014)

The alignment and youtube vid are in the forum TT knowledge base compiled by John-H (linked in the first reply).


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## Hoggy (May 8, 2002)

Hi, As it's only a problem sometimes, can't see how it would be alignment. 
Check the linkage quadrant on the gearbox is tight & secure, but I still think it's an intermittent clutch master cylinder prob.
Hoggy.


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## thomas130 (Oct 11, 2015)

Hoggy said:


> Hi, As it's only a problem sometimes, can't see how it would be alignment.
> Check the linkage quadrant on the gearbox is tight & secure, but I still think it's an intermittent clutch master cylinder prob.
> Hoggy.


I would assume purchasing this part is ok

http://www.eurocarparts.com/ecp/c/Audi_ ... 366&000434


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## Hoggy (May 8, 2002)

thomas130 said:


> Hoggy said:
> 
> 
> > Hi, As it's only a problem sometimes, can't see how it would be alignment.
> ...


Hi, Have you proved it's the M/C by pulling pedal up & this curing the prob for a while.
If you do replace M/C, replace the pedal at the same time & preferably strengthen the weld were it normally snaps.
Mine has been doing it, but very rarely, for the last 14 years.
Hoggy.


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## Garth (Feb 7, 2012)

If the clutch is very heavy and is hard to get in to 1st, I guarantee it is the clutch that needs replacing. 
Replacing the master may help a little with a stiff pedal, but won't do anything about the trouble getting in to gears.

The symptoms are exactly the same as on my old TT and I went through the process of replacing and bleeding the fluid, new master cylinder, realignment, new gearbox mount. All of these helped a very small amount but soon after, my clutch gave up. Once the clutch (and slave and flywheel too) was replaced, the pedal was wonderfully light and there was no problem getting in to gears.

My new TT had the same symptoms, so I'm not touching anything until the clutch gives up (its at 98k miles now on original), which I suspect will be pretty soon...

http://gogetfunding.com/aba-for-ben/


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## phoze (Mar 31, 2016)

Sorry to pull up an old thread, but didn't want to start another seeing as the symptoms that thomas130 describe are exactly the same as mine.

My TT is tough to get into 2nd gear, it makes accelerating a bit of a displeasure due to the delay while I'm changing gear. It goes in but with a bit of force, like something is blocking it. With the ignition off and not using the clutch I can slide it into 2nd with no issues. The clutch pedal itself is fine, it's not heavy and comes back up as it should when I take my foot off it.

I did the linkage reset but to no avail, I couldn't feel any difference.

I'm booking the car in for a Haldex service in the next few weeks (as I don't know when the last one was) so I'll get them to take a look. I know there are similar threads in the past (and on other forums) and many people say it's just he way it is, which is a bit of a shame if that's the case.

I'll update if they come back with anything.

Thanks


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