What causes a 1st Gear Lock on out a 456M GTA? [Solved] | FerrariChat

What causes a 1st Gear Lock on out a 456M GTA? [Solved]

Discussion in '456/550/575' started by paulchua, May 7, 2020.

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  1. paulchua

    paulchua Cat Herder
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    #1 paulchua, May 7, 2020
    Been enjoying the 456M GTA, but I just realized the gear selector locked out of the #1.

    I've always just left it and "D," and it works great. I never had to use 'manual' 1st gear, but in a whim, I thought I would try it, and it won't 'shift' down to the 1. It seems to be locked.

    What causes this, and how do you 'unlock' it? I couldn't find anything in the manual or searching these boards.

    Thanks in advance.
     
  2. tazandjan

    tazandjan Three Time F1 World Champ
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    #2 tazandjan, May 7, 2020
    Paul- You, of course, know that you have to push down the button on the selection lever to go from D to 1, 2, or 3, but not from 1 to 2, 3, or D.
     
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  3. paulchua

    paulchua Cat Herder
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    #3 paulchua, May 7, 2020
    Yup, 3, 2 work fine; Just 1 seems locked out.

    And first gear works great of course while in 'D'.

    Cheers
     
  4. paulchua

    paulchua Cat Herder
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    #4 paulchua, May 13, 2020
    Just a friendly bump, I think I'll pop it open if I don't hear anything from folks here - since 1st gear works fine otherwise, hopefully just a minor issue. I'll make sure to report what I find.

    Cheers
     
  5. Qavion

    Qavion F1 World Champ
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    #5 Qavion, May 13, 2020
    Who makes the gearbox? Is there a generic manual on these type gearboxes?

    Pure speculation:

    Since the gear selection is operated by cable (with some electronic intervention), there may simply be some mechanical adjustments to do. Gear (1) is right at the end of the gate, so may be more susceptible to minor cable length variations. I also wonder if it's a cable lubrication problem? Has anyone lubricated these cables before?

    The manual mentions electronic inhibits on switching from "D" to 3 and from 3 to 2 at higher speeds, but, oddly, there is no mention of inhibits from 2 to 1, so perhaps this also points to a purely mechanical adjustment or failure? I've seen faulty engine mounts on some F cars causing problem with gear changes, but I don't think a cable shifting system would be affected by this kind of problem.
     
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  6. pkl03

    pkl03 Formula Junior
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    #6 pkl03, May 14, 2020
    You mention that it won’t shift down to first, does 1st gear work from stationary.
    Might be a normal function that you can’t shift down to 1st while moving.
     
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  7. tazandjan

    tazandjan Three Time F1 World Champ
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    #7 tazandjan, May 14, 2020
    Another 456 owner had a jammed switch on his gearshift lever.
     
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  8. Qavion

    Qavion F1 World Champ
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    #8 Qavion, May 14, 2020
    I believe the switch is only required from D to 3, Taz. Apparently, that part is working.

    D- X - 3 - 2 - 1
     
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  9. paulchua

    paulchua Cat Herder
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    #9 paulchua, May 15, 2020
    Thank you so much for taking the time to respond. I'm going to open it up and see what is causing it. The transmission works flawlessly as far as everything else.
    Thanks for taking the time to respond. Yes, it does not slot in even from stationary. To be clear, 1st gear works absolutely fine functionally, just that the manual selection part is locked out for some reason.

    I will report my results when I get to it! I think it is something relatively minor and easy to fix since everything else works beautifully.
     
  10. paulchua

    paulchua Cat Herder
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    #10 paulchua, May 22, 2020
    Okay, popped open the gear lever housing and couldn't make any sense of what would cause the lockout. Feeling defeated, I sadly put everything back together and fired the car up. Now I can't even get the car out of park.

    I was like, I just royally screwed myself.

    I then just rechecked everything and twisted the gear knob tight - that fixed everything. Can quickly shift into 1st now.

    So if you ever have any gear/lock hesitation, make sure your knob is firmly twisted and set into the rod.
    I hope this helps.

    Cost - $0.00

    Cheers
     
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  11. Qavion

    Qavion F1 World Champ
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    #11 Qavion, May 22, 2020
    No bottle of champagne, Paul? :D

    Glad to hear it was a simple fix. Definitely one for the archives.
     
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  12. paulchua

    paulchua Cat Herder
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    #12 paulchua, May 22, 2020
    Thanks so much Ian! Yes - what happens is if the knob is not fully twisted into the gear shift rod, when the button is depressed, it won't actually press the disengage mechanism. Hence, it's something all GTA owners should check, specifically that the knob is fully twisted into the rod so all gears are easily utitlized.

    Hope this helps the community.

    Cheers Ian.
     
  13. tazandjan

    tazandjan Three Time F1 World Champ
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    #13 tazandjan, May 22, 2020
    Paul- If you had not taken it apart....

    Learn something new every day and this time the price was right.
     
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  14. Mirek

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    #14 Mirek, May 22, 2020
    Holy mackerel ! Congrats
     
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