I bought a 2015 Citigo a couple of days ago.

 

I'm finding it difficult to get it into first gear when pulling away. Possibly worse when the engine is cold.

 

Is this a common problem?

 

The gears aren't grinding which I would expect if the clutch was dragging — there's just a lot of resistance from the gear lever when I try to push it forward into first.

 

Thanks for any info.

1 minute ago, stephenmcateer said:

The gears aren't grinding which I would expect if the clutch was dragging

No issues with reverse?

Has the gearbox oil been changed recently? If so, what make was used?

9 minutes ago, KenONeill said:

No issues with reverse?

Has the gearbox oil been changed recently? If so, what make was used?

Reverse is okay if maybe slightly crunchy but my old Up! was the same.

 

Not sure if the gearbox oil has been changed or not — the car was serviced by an independent mechanic last month but I don't see it mentioned on the invoice.

 

1 minute ago, stephenmcateer said:

Reverse is okay if maybe slightly crunchy but my old Up! was the same.

It might be worth checking the linkage alignment.

Thanks Ken. Might take it to the mechanic I use and see what he thinks.

Looks like there's a way to reset the gearchange linkage. Well, according to this guy on YouTube anyway:
 

 

 

I found a page with VW's instructions for resetting the gear change cable linkage:

 

https://workshop-manuals.com/volkswagen/up/power_transmission/5-speed_manual_gearbox_0cf/gearbox_mechanicsoperation_constructiondiff./selector_mechanism/adjusting_selector_mechanism/

 

Going to try this tomorrow.

 

If it fails to improve things, my guess is the clutch is the problem. [Actually, I'm pretty sure the clutch *is* the problem. Not sure I want to spend ~£500 on fixing it though — I might just live with it for a while…]

Edited 23 September, 20214 yr by stephenmcateer

Try bleeding the clutch at the slave cylinder prior to clutch replacement.

 

Okay thanks for that. I tried pressing the clutch pedal down a few times before starting the engine this morning and that seemed to make it a bit easier to get into first gear. I'll see how it goes when the cold weather comes in — I'm expecting it to get a bit more difficult then.

It may be that a previous owner has fitted a heavier grade transmission fluid to mask 'gear rollover' and this higher viscosity is making gear selection more difficult.  

 

The recommended oil is SAE G052 527 at 1.1 litre capacity.  Filler plug shown below.

 

30 minutes ago, Snaefell said:

a heavier grade transmission fluid to mask 'gear rollover' and this higher viscosity is making gear selection more difficult.

Also @stephenmcateer Good thought. Also, it's not impossible that some misinformed soul has used a Sylkolene oil. Whilst generally excellent, they don't work in VAG gearboxes for some reason.

@Snaefell@KenONeillThanks both of you. The thing to do would probably be to step through the suggested fixes, easiest first but I'm a bit rusty and not too confident so I might hand it to the mechanic and see what he says. Dunno. If it comes to the worst and I have to shell out ~£500 for a new clutch so be it. The rest of the car is pretty good and I only paid £4300 for it, versus the £8200 I nearly handed over for a 2017 High Up!, so I have cash in hand.]

1 hour ago, stephenmcateer said:

step through the suggested fixes, easiest first but I'm a bit rusty and not too confident so I might hand it to the mechanic

That would work.

 

Unless the mechanic is certain it's the clutch (to the extent of doing the other work for free if he does it first at cost and is wrong) I'd suggest:-

1. Bleed clutch (doesn't apply to cable clutch obs)
2. Linkage alignment
3. Gearbox oil change (use correct VAG spec oil, but not Sylkolene; that really is good stuff but doesn't work in VAG boxes for some reason, which isn't clear to anyone)

Thanks Ken. I'll look into what's involved in bleeding the clutch. Think I saw a diagram somewhere on my travels. My guess is it's more likely to be that than cables needing reset. I have what I need to reset the selector cables. I'm just a bit wary of breaking something or disabling the car.

You don't say how many miles the car has done .........In my forty odd years of driving ,I have yet to drive a fwd car ,where first gear doesn't baulk occasionally.

I was never a fan of cable gear changes ,which is what we have on Citigo,as play and stretch comes in eventually.  Video shown is all very well if you have full access ,another matter when the gear box is still in place in the car.  Dealers will probably have more access to knowledge on whether cables need replacement,,,,,,no doubt someone will contradict me........

Edited 27 September, 20214 yr by Blackcountryman

@BlackcountrymanIt has 45,000 miles on it. Only had it about a week now. Has been serviced regularly according to the documentation I have for it. I'm not so sure the cables are the problem — it goes into all gears easily when the engine's not turning, which suggests to me that the cable alignment is okay. Just when I start it up from cold I have a problem.

 

As you say, most FWD cars can be a bit reluctant to go into first at times but this one point blank refuses [Couldn't get it into second either the other day]. I've been starting it up with the clutch in and the gearbox, as a workaround. Maybe I can live with it like that till it's due a service. I'll see. 

 

As for the cable alignment procedure — it looks doable. The adjusters at the gearbox end are partly hidden underneath some hoses but I think it should be possible to reach them. 

I bet your clutch is dragging a tad, which may well be a hyrdraulic issue, unless you are unlucky!

 

It's unlikely to be shift cables after only 45k miles, IMHO, but it looks as if it's easy to check. And if the linkages are poorly adjusted you tend to get poor shifting when driving, not just from stationary. Also, if for some strange reason, a previous owner had refilled the gearbox with the wrong oil, you'd be feeling all sorts of gearshift issues when driving, like slow or rough changes, clunkiness etc.

 

Any car that has a linkage between the gearbox and the shifter, whether rods or cables, could potentially require adjusting - it's nothing to do with the car being FWD - for example, Beetles/Porsches have linkages but are RWD, and some older FWD cars have a direct lever to the gearbox).

 

 

 

Thanks for that information Steve. Useful. I'm going to have a look and see what's involved in bleeding the clutch. If it's not that, my guess is it needs a new clutch. 

You know what, I'd take the car to a local garage and get them to bleed the clutch, but while there, get an opinion on the problem... It won't cost a lot, and they have all the gear that makes bleedingt easy and quick, and will dispose of the old hydraulic fluid (which otherwise you'll need recycle at the local tip).

Yes — from what I can see on the internet, bleeding it is not completely straightforward. Well, access to the bleed nipple isn't easy. So I think I'll leave it to the professionals as you say. I'll update this thread if and when I get the problem solved. Thanks to all who contributed.

Hi Stephenmcateer, did you manage to resolve the problem as I have exactly the same problem on my 2014 Skoda citigo? it was perfectly fine before but now it wont go in to the first gear when its cold.

will be really helpful if you tell me how did you resolve your problem.

 

Regards

@Adam0011  — I tried to adjust the gear selector cables but couldn't do it. (The battery tray needs to come out and I didn't fancy trying that as the computer is attached to it.)

I still have the same problem getting it into first gear, though it seems much better in summer than winter. This leads me to suspect that it may have the wrong oil in the gearbox but again, this is a guess. ( The correct VW-spec oil is apparently super-thin compared to normal gear oil.)

Another possibility is a bent selector fork according to the internet.

Anyway, I'll let you know if I find out anything.

For now I'm just driving it.

Cheers.

@stephenmcateer thanks for the reply so in the last two weeks I have change the gearbox oil, adjusted the gear selector cables but no change.

so dropped the gear box at the end and the problem was with the guide sleeve and release fork.

I have replaced the complete kit including Clutch, Pressure plate , release bearing, Guide sleeve and release fork which resolved the problem.

now drives perfect without any problem but it was too much effort to resolve the problem.

hope this helps. 

@Adam0011Thanks very much for this information Adam. Very helpful. Cheers.