2nd Gear when cold--The riddle? | Page 2 | FerrariChat

2nd Gear when cold--The riddle?

Discussion in 'Mondial' started by JoeZaff, Aug 2, 2011.

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  1. JoeZaff

    JoeZaff F1 Veteran
    Owner

    Aug 5, 2007
    5,459
    Philly suburbs
    Full Name:
    Joe
    Good question. When I started this thread, it was because I noticed that my 2nd gear problem had gone away after replacing all the seals and having my linkage adjusted to within an inch of its life. However, others pointed out that my experience may have been more related to the summer weather than the maintenance done. I would love to see if the new owner has experienced the 2nd gear problem, now that its cold again.

    I will tell you that in my experience, changing to redline gear oil didn't do much to cure the problem by itself.

    This brings me to my Testarossa. As I posted in the TR section, I just had an exhaustive major performed, whereby they literally replaced, among other things, every single seal and gasket in the gearbox, clutch mechanism, and differential. I can tell you that the difference in that case was night and day. The notchiness so commonly talked about with TR's is now almost completely gone and I didn't notice any real "2nd gear issue" driving the car in the brisk 45 degree air. We are using the factory recommended gearbox oil.

    So, for now, I want to hold on to my belief that you can service the "2nd gear issue" away, but I have no empirical evidence to support my assumption.
     
  2. hank sound

    hank sound F1 Veteran

    Jan 31, 2004
    5,953
    Burbank, CA
    Full Name:
    Hank Garfield
    Hey Joe & friends,

    Isn't it a bit like ........... It's a cold Monday morning, and you walk into your shop. You flip the switch to turn on the heater. Are you instantly warm? I suspect not. So why would we expect anything more of our horse's tranny?

    Personally, I believe this issue has been kicked around, more than enough (at least, for me). I'll say it now........"CHILL". For the first five minutes, shift one to three - - still got a shifting problem?? Sorry baby, it won't be solved in this thread:(

    Happy Holidays,

    Hank
     
  3. davebdave

    davebdave Formula 3
    Owner

    Mar 18, 2007
    2,379
    Northern VA
    Full Name:
    Dave W
    Happy Holidays Hank!!

    I vote "nature of the beast." I have a few magazine articles from the day that describe a quirky cold second on Mondials that were brand new at the time.

    Dave
     
  4. crazyspeed

    crazyspeed Karting

    Aug 11, 2011
    50
    There is only one thing that can make a difference......they changed the Trans fluid when they replaced the clutch..
    ...find out what TYPE and WEIGHT oil that was put in there....
    .......also, maybe they changed the clutch fluid and bled the air out ( if it has a hyd. clutch)

    OK...so maybe there are two things ;)
     
  5. JoeZaff

    JoeZaff F1 Veteran
    Owner

    Aug 5, 2007
    5,459
    Philly suburbs
    Full Name:
    Joe
    Interestingly, I just heard from my Mondial's new owner. Car was left in an unheated garage last night. Started her up this morning-- 34 degrees outside, no problem with second gear.

    I took my Testarossa out this morning, no problem with second gear.

    Both cars use different branded gear oil and I can tell you that changing the gear oil in the mondial did NOT eliminate the second gear problem.

    The only thing these two cars have in common is that I had all of the seals replaced in both cars (from the RMS to the shift shaft seals) and they had their shift mechanisms adjusted within an inch of their life. The Mondial also had a new clutch, pressure plate, TO bearing, Pilot bearing, flywheel, etc done. The Testarossa had the entire clutch assembly cleaned, and lubricated where appropriate.

    I draw no conclusions...but the fact is there are now two 1986 Ferraris around that no longer have the 2nd gear problem--unrelated to gear oil...

    Maybe my mechanic has magic arms, and it may just be a coincidence. I draw no conclusions ...
     
  6. davem

    davem F1 Veteran
    Silver Subscribed

    Jan 21, 2002
    8,210
    Stepford, Connecticut
    Full Name:
    dave m
    My 74 Gt/4 went into 2nd smooth as butter. Cold or not. The Mondial with Redline 75/90 likes to be warmed up 1st.
     
  7. Prashant Jolepalem

    Mar 31, 2020
    54
    Gilbert, AZ
    Full Name:
    PJ
    My 99 c5 corvette had a 1-3 light that would turn on at low speeds usually and when I first took the car out indicating that I have to shift from first to third. I never understood why until reading the explanations in this thread. Thanks!
     
    paulchua likes this.
  8. Wade

    Wade Three Time F1 World Champ
    Owner

    Mar 31, 2006
    32,793
    East Central, FL
    Full Name:
    Wade O.
    Actually, the first-to-third feature was to help the manufacturer meet their Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) requirements.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shift_blocking
     
    paulchua likes this.
  9. Prashant Jolepalem

    Mar 31, 2020
    54
    Gilbert, AZ
    Full Name:
    PJ
    Oh, interesting. Thanks.
     
  10. gsfent

    gsfent Formula 3

    Nov 16, 2009
    1,096
    PB County, Florida
    Full Name:
    Jerry
    Fixed for you! :)

    I believe the workaround was to unplug an electrical connector.

    Regards,
    Jerry
     
  11. Wade

    Wade Three Time F1 World Champ
    Owner

    Mar 31, 2006
    32,793
    East Central, FL
    Full Name:
    Wade O.
    I can only imagine how frustrating that would be. Way worse than the irritating stop-start feature in the newer cars and trucks.
     
  12. paulchua

    paulchua Cat Herder
    Lifetime Rossa Owner

    Jul 1, 2013
    15,979
    Menlo Park, CA
    Full Name:
    Paul Chua
    Hello friends, just adding a couple of updates from my personal experiences.

    Like many others, when I first got my car, I would avoid 2nd gear entirely until the car got warm. (5-10 minutes).

    I wondered, like all of you, why is this? I found this article that might explain the phenomenon, I make no claims on the veracity or accuracy of the primer, but thought I would put it here at least for posterity.

    Secondarily, I had to replace my gear lever box, I found right after doing this the 2nd gear improved radically, as in - while still hesitant during cold, I was able to shift much easier into second right away (even when cold) - the only change was adjusting the shift linkages on the bottom, so this could help very balky 2nd gears.

    I hope this helps friends.
     

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