Interesting Problem

[Melkor]

Hey all,

So hopefully a few folks on here might be mechanically inclined enough to venture some guesses on this because I'm all out of ideas.

First, a little history.

I'd been having a problem with the transmission on my 2014 1le. It was grinding and banging into 2nd. Before anyone starts in on "you're not used to driving performance cars" let me tell you that I am. I'm also pretty darn good with a manual. So this was troubling to me.

This was accompanied by a grinding in neutral when I let the clutch out that only gets worse as the car gets hotter.

The first dealership said it was normal. GM said it was normal. The problem kept getting worse so I took GMs advice and took it to a different dealer. After one quick ride along, the tech said, "Okay you've got a problem, we need to tear the tranny off."

So they did. They found that 2nd was damaged and that the 1 and 2 syncros needed to be replaced. Great. Two weeks later and it was shifting great.

Until it all started again yesterday. While on the way to work today I had the windows down and could hear that shift into 2nd echo through the business district. High RPM, low RPM, it doesn't matter.

Can anyone help me? I feel like there's something else going on here, like a damaged 2nd gear and syncros were a SYMPTOM and not the actual problem and the dealerships don't know what to look for.

Any advice, help, shit I'll take a hug at this point.

[charlie46]

I have a similar problem shifting from 1st to 2nd , I notice if shifter is not completely in engaged in second gear it will grind every time . Now when I shift into 2 nd gear I make sure it's completely engaged that seems to solve the problem. These transmissions are not precision instruments they belong in box trucks not sports cars.

[Melkor]

Originally Posted by charlie46

I have a similar problem shifting from 1st to 2nd , I notice if shifter is not completely in engaged in second gear it will grind every time . Now when I shift into 2 nd gear I make sure it's completely engaged that seems to solve the problem. These transmissions are not precision instruments they belong in box trucks not sports cars.

What do you mean "if shifter is not completely engaged"? Do you mean the clutch?

[charlie46]

Originally Posted by Melkor

What do you mean "if shifter is not completely engaged"? Do you mean the clutch?

No the shifter , only second gear seems to have the problem seems like engagement is 75% in second but it has 25% more to go

[SSMY1LE]

Must be fairly common, my 1-2 shift is not the greatest, never grinds but feels clunky. All the others are great but second never feels exactly right.

[Trentin24]

Although I do not have a 1LE, I recently bought a manual 2011 SS. I am scared to shift quick into 2nd because I have heard that grind once. 1-2 should be the quickest shifts, but frankly, I can shift from 2-3 faster because I am afraid of hearing the grind. I am unsure of what I can do. I am 19 years old, have played sports, I have good hand-eye-feet coordination. So I am not sure what to do.

[skipinminn]

SAME here and sometimes I even smell a little clutch if I get on it :( Doesn't seem right for a car thats never been raced?

[gajagfan]

Not saying you do not have a problem, but saying that I have not noticed any difference in shifting ours from 1 - 2 than any other shift. I doubt this has anything to do with it, but the ratio difference between 1 - 2 is much greater than the difference between the close ratios of 2 - 3 and 3 - 4 in the 1LE. Is that maybe what you are feeling because it lugs the engine down more from a given RPM?

[Shiftgreen]

Oh no, that stinks. I was worried about the transmission after hearing stories. I as of now have no problem shifting, it's very smooth and it never has a problem going into 2nd or any other gears. I was actually over joyed at how smooth my gears were when shifting since I heard so many horror stories of it being notchy.

I wonder why some get bad transmissions and others don't, suppose its a bad batch of gears ?

[skipinminn]

Originally Posted by Shiftgreen

Oh no, that stinks. I was worried about the transmission after hearing stories. I as of now have no problem shifting, it's very smooth and it never has a problem going into 2nd or any other gears. I was actually over joyed at how smooth my gears were when shifting since I heard so many horror stories of it being notchy.

I wonder why some get bad transmissions and others don't, suppose its a bad batch of gears ?

Imported from China :(

[z28931le]

I have a 2001 Z28/SS 6-speed and it turns out all had a similar problem with the 1-2 shift but usually only during power shifts. Turns out problem was hydraulic line had to small of a restriction from master cylinder to clutch, meaning your foot was faster than the hydraulic clutch. Fix was you had to drill out the hydraulic line at the master cylinder end connect (about 1/8") and then everything worked fine. IMHO, your problem sounds like a clutch issue but not sure how a 2001 Z28/SS differs from a 2014 1LE. Hope this mine help.

Gerry Johnson (Ex TransAm Racer/Camaro Collector)

[Chevrolet Customer Svc]

Originally Posted by Melkor

Hey all,

So hopefully a few folks on here might be mechanically inclined enough to venture some guesses on this because I'm all out of ideas.

First, a little history.

I'd been having a problem with the transmission on my 2014 1le. It was grinding and banging into 2nd. Before anyone starts in on "you're not used to driving performance cars" let me tell you that I am. I'm also pretty darn good with a manual. So this was troubling to me.

This was accompanied by a grinding in neutral when I let the clutch out that only gets worse as the car gets hotter.

The first dealership said it was normal. GM said it was normal. The problem kept getting worse so I took GMs advice and took it to a different dealer. After one quick ride along, the tech said, "Okay you've got a problem, we need to tear the tranny off."

So they did. They found that 2nd was damaged and that the 1 and 2 syncros needed to be replaced. Great. Two weeks later and it was shifting great.

Until it all started again yesterday. While on the way to work today I had the windows down and could hear that shift into 2nd echo through the business district. High RPM, low RPM, it doesn't matter.

Can anyone help me? I feel like there's something else going on here, like a damaged 2nd gear and syncros were a SYMPTOM and not the actual problem and the dealerships don't know what to look for.

Any advice, help, shit I'll take a hug at this point.

Melkor,

My deepest apologies to read about this situation. I certainly understand your frustration and would like to assist. When you're able, please message me privately so we can discuss the matter further. I look forward to hearing from you.

William R.
Chevrolet Customer Care

[thompstl1]

I had the same problem with a 2008 Corvette Z-06.The root problem eventually led back to a clutch fluid reservoir contaminated with clutch dust.This caused a problem in the 1-2 shift.The weak link in the 1-2 shift was 2 plastic tab type bushings/softeners that rode between the shift forks and the gears.

Finally, a very good dealership cleaned my clutch fluid, replaced 2nd gear and synchronizers, and replaced the plastic softeners/bushings with aftermarket brass ones ( I paid the $70.00 for these bushings).

Hope my experience helps.Good luck.

[29er]

do we have the same transmission ,like the zl1??

i don't like reading problems like this. when i'll get mine in about 2-3 weeks......