Hi

I have an issue with my MK2 focus. When I try & select first gear while shifting down it’s hard to get it in. I have to be either at a standstill or almost at a standstill for it to go into first. Anyone have any ideas? Clutch isn’t slipping & doesn’t have any symptoms of a worn clutch either. 

Sounds totally normal, 1st is a moving off gear.

Sounds like your driving instructor failed in their explanation of how and when to use first gear.

It is not intended to be changed 'down' in to unless the vehicle is at a stand still. Many older gearboxes don't even have syncromesh on first gear.

so going 5-10 mph and shifting into 2nd while moving isn't necessarily a bad thing, even if the car has a small seizure while getting up to speed?

1 minute ago, MK2.5Hippo said:

so going 5-10 mph and shifting into 2nd while moving isn't necessarily a bad thing, even if the car has a small seizure while getting up to speed?

If you HAVE to quickly put it in first, like trying to catch it going up a steep hairpin or something, you can give the throttle a small blip to match the speed and that should help it go in without the jerkiness. I often have to do it on the road up to my home if something is coming the other way. It's the only time I can think you need to select 1st while moving. If you are on the flat it should never be necessary, you can slip the clutch in 2nd, I often do that if I'm still rolling at junctions.

1 hour ago, MK2.5Hippo said:

so going 5-10 mph and shifting into 2nd while moving isn't necessarily a bad thing

Changing UP from first to second can be done when ever your engine revs are sufficient. Exactly the same as changing up in any other gear.

The OP was complaining of a problem of changing DOWN in to first gear while still moving.

9 minutes ago, unofix said:

Changing UP from first to second can be done when ever your engine revs are sufficient. Exactly the same as changing up in any other gear.

The OP was complaining of a problem of changing DOWN in to first gear while still moving.

I'm glad you said that, I read Anthony's as still talking about changing down to 1st.

lets start with some helpful info

does it do it in both first and reverse ? - if so maybe the clutch - often with the clutch plate sticking on the output shaft (reducing its effectiveness)

if its ONLY an issue using first gear - its likely the other's are PART WAY there - and things are worn out (from bad driving)....

for more than 50 years virtually all cars have had a syncro on 1st gear - so the points about driving etc. that everyone is saying mostly come from an era some 70 years ago and its certainly not how you drive modern cars, in modern road conditions

the point about - 'only use first for pulling away' is incredulous, that was related to large capacity engines closer to 80 years ago when you were the ONLY vehicle on the road (and you never had to slow much)

a synco's purpose in life is to help match shaft speeds, so it slips into the gear easily - but they can wear for high usuage / get abused by drivers with no brain or lubrication and mechanical issues.

smashing round the box on cold oil trashes everything
very fast changes - trashes syncros
very mismatched road speed to gear speed trashes syncros
race and rally cars never have syncros and thus u can change harder and much faster - but you have to be able to drive better / accept more failures and lots of harshness all the time

its usually second gear syncro that dies earliest (usually by kids trying too fast) - first gear syncro will get a beating when no one explained why they are there, how to drive with mechanical sympathy, or the clutch is not operating correctly

they are a right pain in the ***** to replace (loads of money - gearbox out and these days I expect you can't buy the parts just a whole gearbox)

 

Gears for go, brakes for slow. When do you need to regularly put it in first while moving? You should never slow with it, 1st is such a low gear, I can't see any situation it is useful unless you are actually stationary, or going round a steep uphill corner like I said earlier?

Every car I've ever driven hates being put in 1st unless stationary or almost stationary.

When coming to a T Give Way junction with a steep uphill slope with no one in front of me I often change into 1st gear because I don't want to stop and the car will Labour if I leave it in second 2nd gear.  

20 minutes ago, Tizer said:

When coming to a T Give Way junction with a steep uphill slope with no one in front of me I often change into 1st gear because I don't want to stop and the car will Labour if I leave it in second 2nd gear.  

That’s a similar scenario to the one I have. Steep hills again. 
 

I tried on the way home, my car will only go in to 1st below 5mph. That’s walking speed. 

Normally I only use 1st to get the car rolling, but do change into 1st from second in similar scenarios to those mentioned by John and Alex.

Can't remember any car I've had being particularly slick doing that, even when new, but coming from the pre-synchro on 1st era I can still remember how to double de-clutch if necessary.😀

 

1 hour ago, alexp999 said:

Gears for go, brakes for slow. When do you need to regularly put it in first while moving? You should never slow with it, 1st is such a low gear, I can't see any situation it is useful unless you are actually stationary, or going round a steep uphill corner like I said earlier?

Every car I've ever driven hates being put in 1st unless stationary or almost stationary.

yet more inaccurate comments about driving !

how about

when its a low capacity non-turbo engine
when its heavily laden
when there's a lot of hills
when you have to keep up with the cut and thrust to avoid irritating other road users
when there's a lot of altitude
after the morons put 10% ethanol in fuel, and stole 6% of the engine's power

 

Would you not double declutch if you were to try and change down from second to first ?

 

25 minutes ago, alexp999 said:

That’s a similar scenario to the one I have. Steep hills again. 
 

I tried on the way home, my car will only go in to 1st below 5mph. That’s walking speed. 

I think our cars have triple Syncro's on 1St, 2nd and 3rd.

I would also be going at about 5mph when I do it. In fact I had to do when I sat my test many years ago and it went flawlessly in my RWD Hillman Hunter. I think that car did have a Syncro on 1St.

22 minutes ago, Tizer said:

RWD Hillman Hunter. I think that car did have a Syncro on 1St.

Yes, as did the Cortina of the era which was my first car with synchro on all forward gears. You could also get some versions of the Hunter with o/d, iirc. And - lurking in the back of my mind - I have an idea the 1930s Minx was the first mass market UK car to get synchro on all forward gears.

I learned to drive and took the test in a BMC 1100 (Mk 1 - no synchro on 1st).

Sorry - way off topic again!

1 hour ago, Botus said:

yet more inaccurate comments about driving !

how about

when its a low capacity non-turbo engine
when its heavily laden
when there's a lot of hills
when you have to keep up with the cut and thrust to avoid irritating other road users
when there's a lot of altitude
after the morons put 10% ethanol in fuel, and stole 6% of the engine's power

 

I feel so sorry for your first gear and engine mounts. 
 

But I’m sure that comment is inaccurate too. You do you. 👍

8 hours ago, Jmunn said:

Hi

I have an issue with my MK2 focus. When I try & select first gear while shifting down it’s hard to get it in. I have to be either at a standstill or almost at a standstill for it to go into first. Anyone have any ideas? Clutch isn’t slipping & doesn’t have any symptoms of a worn clutch either. 

i had a problem changing down would be really hard to get into 2nd or 3rd spoke to garage they said it was low on fluid been ok since

3 hours ago, Eric Bloodaxe said:

You could also get some versions of the Hunter with o/d, iirc

Yeah, I fitted a  Scrapyard Overdrive Gearbox to my poverty spec one along with other niceties like 2 speed wipers, Rev Counter, Reclining seats etc

21 hours ago, Paulkp said:

Would you not double declutch if you were to try and change down from second to first ?

 

the correct way to change gear (the with smoothest change and least damage to the box and least strain on the driveline) is to do it in a way where you match the crank speed to what the gearbox input shaft's speed will be in the gear you are moving too...    things change based upon engine revs, the gear its already in, the ratio of the gear you are moving too and your road speed

so if driving in second at 2000 rpm (lets say 20mph) and the same road speed in first gear is obtained at 3500 rpm (assuming you have not braked / drifted slower or faster - if you have, you'll need to readjust the crank speed...), if you wish to engage first without a mess or massive strain on the syncro - you need to rev the engine up from where it is (maybe even now at idle with clutch depressed) to 3500 rpm and it will go in perfectly

expecting a syncro to force the revs up and slow a 1.3t car down till it slots in to the lower gear is both crazy and its not going to last very long

double de clutching (without rev matching - AKA blipping the throttle on downshifts) really just delays things till the engine and input shaft speed were getting closer anyway