I've had my 01 Firehawk M6 for about 2 months now, its got about 20,500 on the car and has the optional hurst shifter, and still has the original fluid in it.

I'm having an intermittent problem where every once in a while, ill come to a stop and I go to put the shifter in first, and it just wont go in, as if there is a lockout on it. I havent tried to push hard on the shifter, cuz i feel that if it doesnt go in easily, its not meant to go in at all... however, if i put the shifter back into neutral and pump the clutch once, then it will go into first. that just doesnt seem normal to me.

any thoughts?

 

Mine does the same thing. Pretty sure its normal, its described in the owners manual.

 

dont ever force the car into gear you can chip a gear tooth or ruin a synchro, and YES its pretty normal for first to be tricky at times

 

just put it in 2nd.... than third...than try to get it in than....if your force it the fist gear syncho will go...

 

Either that or let the clutch out to get the tranny internals spinning and try again.

 

hey i had the same issue, i feel better now that it's a normal thing.

 

i dunno if i can accept 'its normal'. anyone know exactly why it happens and if there's a way to prevent it besides putting it in 1st when coming to stop? and it just shouldn't be 'normal', cuz it sucks when i'm the lead car at a traffic light and i need to dick around to get the car going.

 

Keep you foot on the clutch when you are stopped... it is the price you pay for driving a manual. If you cannot do that then cycle the shift lever all the way left then all the way right and back twice, depressing the clutch about halfway through the procedure. This will allow just about every transmission out there (from the crappy 4 speed in the ford escort i once owned to the Borg Warners in the Semis I drive)to slide into first. Just be glad you do not have to double clutch, rev match, float or choose high or low ratios with a pneumatic lever mounted under the shifter.