Technical Gear Changing Difficult

[Admedwa]

• The problem starts randomly - the last time it happened I was leaving the supermarket car park. As I left the roundabout it was difficult to change into 2nd and consequently the remaining gears. This lasted for a week - I made these observations
• It has to be in gear before starting the engine otherwise I have to thump it hard with my fist to get it into neutral!
• So, if I turn the engine off - put it in gear (no stiffness when off) and start the car again it’s ok.
• When changing gears while driving, I can’t do it quickly I have to be slow… clutch down wait for it to slow down a tad then shift it - but it only goes into gear when I start pulling my foot off the clutch and it feels like the gear jumps over a lump to drop into gear!
• This doesn’t always work when I’m slowing down!
• When changing up or down to 3rd it does the crunching noise.
• Sometimes when I approach a junction and need to stop, it won’t change down into 1st (I guess as I don’t lift foot off clutch as breaking)
• In that scenario I have to turn the engine off, move it into 1st (which is easy when engine is off) and start the engine again with it in 1st gear.
• Sometimes it’s stiff when I start from the house. But sometimes when I turn the engine off to drop daughter at school - I start the engine and it’s completely fine!
• So, I got thinking….This may be due to the Stop Start? (Hence, dropping my daughter off at school) So, As I was driving I turned the Stop Start off and it worked! It’s now perfect! It’s back to normal and I can change the gears really easy and fluid
• So what’s that all about?

 

[J4MALD1N]

• The problem starts randomly - the last time it happened I was leaving the supermarket car park. As I left the roundabout it was difficult to change into 2nd and consequently the remaining gears. This lasted for a week - I made these observations
• It has to be in gear before starting the engine otherwise I have to thump it hard with my fist to get it into neutral!
• So, if I turn the engine off - put it in gear (no stiffness when off) and start the car again it’s ok.
• When changing gears while driving, I can’t do it quickly I have to be slow… clutch down wait for it to slow down a tad then shift it - but it only goes into gear when I start pulling my foot off the clutch and it feels like the gear jumps over a lump to drop into gear!
• This doesn’t always work when I’m slowing down!
• When changing up or down to 3rd it does the crunching noise.
• Sometimes when I approach a junction and need to stop, it won’t change down into 1st (I guess as I don’t lift foot off clutch as breaking)
• In that scenario I have to turn the engine off, move it into 1st (which is easy when engine is off) and start the engine again with it in 1st gear.
• Sometimes it’s stiff when I start from the house. But sometimes when I turn the engine off to drop daughter at school - I start the engine and it’s completely fine!
• So, I got thinking….This may be due to the Stop Start? (Hence, dropping my daughter off at school) So, As I was driving I turned the Stop Start off and it worked! It’s now perfect! It’s back to normal and I can change the gears really easy and fluid
• So what’s that all about?

What you described above seems to be a case of the clutch not properly disengaging. The crunch and extra effort getting it out of/in gear are signs of this from my experience. Check all the clutch hydraulics (Master and slave cylinder etc) in the engine bay, pedal area and the fluid level itself. Could maybe be air in the system or a failing clutch cylinder. Definitely worthwhile sorting this asap as your gearbox is likely not enjoying the above and this issue could escalate in terms of repair costs.

Does pumping the clutch a couple of times temporarily fix the issue? If so, it’s probably got air trapped and just needs a bleed assuming the levels are all ok and the car is not magically glugging it’s hydraulic fluid.

Edit: I believe a 500L uses a concentric slave cylinder which is inside the bell housing in the gearbox. Not fun to replace however they do fail. Had a Brera with the same issue as you described and the culprit was the plonker inside the gearbox