2011 manual shifts into 3rd hard when cold

[thorny196]

I have a 2011 Fiesta great gas milage had it for almost a year with 19,000 miles and no problems. Anyway I noticed this year when the outside tempature is around 30 degress she is very hard to shift into third until it warms up. Now I just put it into fourth and skip third. So has anyone else had this problem and if so what was the solution? I was thinking of bringing it in and having the dealer adjust the linkage but noy sure if there is an adjustment at all. any info would be appreciated.
R/Mike

[jcr557]

I've had my car for 6 months on Jan 7th and currently have 27k. I do not have an issue shifting into any gear, however I do let my car sit for 2-3 mins before I start driving it in cold mornings, EX today 23 F when I left my house. I would recomend doing that and also when the car is cold, shift at very low rpms.

[BRGT350]

no problems either, and my Fiesta and the Fiesta Movement Fiesta I had 2 years ago have been down to single digit temps. Just like all manuals, when they are cold, extra care needs to be taken. Shift at lower RPM's, shift slowly into each gear. When you move the shift lever, it moves the shift fork, which then applies pressure to the syncro's to speed up the gear you are shifting into. 99% of the time, if you apply slight pressure to the shifter in the gate, it will pop into gear. That occurs when the syncro has spun the next gear upto speed and the gears will mesh. The viscostity of the gear oil has a lot to do with the syncro speed up time. When the oil is cold, it resists flow, making it hard for the transmission to work properly. Allowing the engine to warm up at idle won't do anything for your gearbox since the car is in Neutral and only the input shaft and gear are turning. While it is better than nothing, the only way to get heat into the oil is by driving. So, drive it and take it easy going into all the gears. As the gearbox warms up, the shifts will begin to act normal again. Never force a gear change, always let the gears pop into mesh with eachother. While the shift feel is different at cold temps, the gears always mesh with no issues, and I never force a gear change.

[Iceracer]

Amsoil and Pennzoil make a synchromesh fluid that works really well in cold weather. I used it in my ZX2SR. Shifting was always smooth.

[psi chick]

i've never had the issue in this car, but i have experienced it in other cars. usually a fluid change fixes the issue. i know that they always say that tranny fluid only needs to be changed every 150k or whatever but i never wait that long on any car. i usually change the fluid every 25-30k. it's easy to do and really cheap, and i find it makes a major difference in shifting quality.

[Cobbie66]

I have exactly the same issue.
2011 manual, and in cold weather, 3rd (and sometimes 4th) gear is hard to engage.
I did bring it in and they said the shift linkage (forget the exact term) was the cause. They packed it with grease and said if the issue was not resolved they would swap it out.

I'm about to bring it back because the problem returned this week.

[FORDSVTPARTS]

The issue is due to a combination of the gearbox, shift linkage and cables all being very cold.

It's the nature of the beast with cable operated manual gear linkage and with manual gearboxes in general in cold weather.

Believe it or not the use of a block heater will make a massive difference so if you have one use it.



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[thorny196]

Ok so I brought my Fiesta in to get an oil change, inspection and rotate tires 20K. It was a pretty good deal for $48.00 anyway I asked them to check and lubricate the linkage and check the level of gear lube in the transmmision. They said they would also check the technical Bulletins for the car. Anyway long story short the tranny was 1/2 a pint low, why it dosn't sound like much she only takes 2.5 pints of gear oil to begin with. When I drove her I was very surprised at the shifting it was much easer and smoother! The Tech could not find any leak and she wasn't marking her spot in my driveway so I guess the factory shorted it. She also use to grind in reverse and pop out on occasion I always thought it was me but i'll have to watch it close. anyway I'm very happy

[Deffala5942]

Hello everyone, I have the same problem when cold it moves very hard until it warms up (about 20 min)

[BRGT350]

It was 5'F here yesterday, and with gentle shifting, the gearbox had no issues. Be easy on the gear shift lever, shift at lower RPM's, and never force the shift to happen. Sometimes I run the gear selector thru all the gates while waiting for the engine to warm up, but I don't know if that does anything.

Oh, welcome to the faction