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Hard to Shift and Getting Stuck in First Gear

13K views 26 replies 11 participants last post by  Akmonster 
#1 ·
Hey gents and ladies, I have a question. Sometimes when I park on a slight hill, driveway, and slight elevation really, the car is really hard to get out of first gear. I'm not sure if this is a design issue or if its a sign that the clutch needs to be replaced. It is a one owner 2012 R/T with 78,000 miles on it. It also has a hard clutch petal sometimes as in it takes a lot of pressure to engage it. Any thoughts?
 
#2 ·
Here are some trouble shooting tips that I found on the web. They pertain to a manual VW, but may still be helpful:

Clutch
, engine off, press the clutch pedal slowly to the floor. The resistance of the clutch is felt all the way until an inch or two before reaching the floor it should then go to a lighter resistance. This is the clutch diaphragm spring throwing over and it is what you want it to do. If OK you can assume the clutch is OK.

Linkage
, engine off, have an assistant move the gear change lever through its full range of movements, rocking the lever towards and away from its position when a gear-selected position. Watch for undue movement or slack in the linkages. This movement can jam the linkage in the selected position. While doing the linkage check, remove the gearlever gaiter to check the gear lever ball joint is sound and that there is no obstruction to the lever that should not be inside the boot. Make sure any bolts that there are, are tight on the whole set up. If you find you have to disconnect anything, mark their position with office correction fluid so you can replace them back in their exact position.

Gearbox
, internally the gearbox has roll pins, set screws and detents which control the engagement of gears and the selector lever positions. This is a gearbox removal and stripping job. (Turning the engine off can in a lot cases make in easier to come out of gear. When you are in neutral just start up and carry on.)
 
#4 ·
odds are there's either enough clutch wear and / or the slave cylinder is worn.

either item requires pulling the transmission - these units have light clutches and should be smooth and little effort to shift when everything works as its supposed to.

if you didn't have the stiff pedal, then I'd suggest the input spline grease issue, but yours points to the clutch or actuator system being out of order
 
#6 ·
I assume you are not using the parking brake. ALWAYS set the parking brake with the clutch in or sitting in neutral. Take your foot off the brake and let the parking brake settle and hold the car. Then put it in any gear. It will easily release when you next start the car. I always do this with my A5 but it's the same principle: the parking brake holds the tension not your tranny.
 
#8 ·
That sounds more like the hydraulics are getting weak.
It happens slow so you don't notice but then all of the sudden it doesn't want to release.
Try this, pump the clutch two or three times real quick and then try to pull it out of gear. If it easily slides out then it's the hyds.
 
#11 ·
so, after about ten days of it being in the shop. They tell me I need a new shifter assembly. They are replacing it under warranty and also hooking me up on the install of some MOPAR STG 1 lowering springs. Not to mention I've been driving in a loaner Jeep Renegade 4x4 since it went in. What are your thoughts on the DX?
 
#12 ·
Great to hear your concern has been resolved. If you need more help in the future, don't hesitate to DM me. - Kevin T, Social Connect Team
 
#15 ·
It very might well be, however... they stated it was the gear assembly lol. Therefore, I am letting them fix it and see how it drives. If its the same, I will bring it right back in. Also, it is worth noting that the spec star case number refers to the 2009 MY. Therefore, I am hoping that this was not the same problem that I had described. I can't say that it doesn't sound identical though.
 
#16 ·
Hi AKmonster,

If you have any more concerns after this repair, let me know.

Kori
Dodge Social Care Specialist
 
#17 ·
Hey I have a very similar issue as you, I just bought my 2012 Challenger with 83k and my shifter feels very notchy and when I park on small elevations it gets stuck, sometimes requiring 2 hands to pull out of gear, my clutch pedal is quite stiff and has the same feel to it as you describe. I have very little faith that the shifter assembly is going to fix it because I recently installed a hurst short shifter which replaces the whole oem shifter assembly and it did not change anything as far as getting stuck in gear or pedal feel goes. I decided it was more than likely clutch or throw out bearing so I am getting my clutch and master slave cylinder which has the bearing replaced next week, I am also going to have them regrease the shaft while they are in there and hoping this will resolve it
 
#18 ·
eugene, so I brought this up with the service manager. Apparently, he stated the shifter assembly Chrysler refers to actually is the fork and everything that travels through the transmission. I'm not sure why they call it the shifter assembly however that is what he told me this AM. I should be getting it back tomorrow or Thursday at the latest. I will update the thread once I check it out.
 
#20 ·
Well, I rec'd my car back from the shop today. My clutch is still insane heavy. Kind of notchy throughout the gearing. I am going to see how it goes, I purchased a Barton shifter and I was advised to not install I it until I'm 100%. I will continue to update
 
#23 ·
Crap. Sorry to hear. I'm still having issues myself. One of the things I've had trouble understanding is why it's only first if it's the spline grease issue. Well, she got stuck in second today at the local liquor store. Very flat parking lot, parked it in second. Started it up and it wouldn't come out of second. Let the clutch out a little twice and rolled forward slightly. No release. Shut it down and it pulled right out with no problem :scratchhead:.
 
#24 ·
That is odd, Mine has all different issues. I park on a slight incline and it gets stuck in gear. Even shutting it off doesn't help. At first they thought I was FOS, so I told them to take it and drive around. They came back twenty mins later and said they were giving me a rental because something was not right about it.
 
#25 ·
ak- that's the lack of grease or incorrect grease on splines. Had that issue with the '09.

After that procedure was performed, it shifted smoother than ever.
 
#26 ·
I'm hoping your right dude, I had her back for like 12 hours and I called the service advisor and told him it still was doing the same thing. They didn't believe me so I let them drive it around for twenty mins. They came back and handed me the keys to a rental. They were like, "some thing is not right". Now I'm back in a damn Jeep Renegade...
 
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