Normal operation for the 6sp?

When my '00 C4 is cold, I have problems shifting from 1st to 2nd and 2nd to 1st. The shift takes much more force. Downshifting from 2nd to 1st while the car is rolling is sometimes not possible. Double-clutching makes the shift more normal, but the downshift to 1st gives a short gear clash. I noticed it in the summer, but with temperatures now in the 30's and 40's it is much more noticeable. After everything is fully warmed up, which might take 15 minutes of city driving at 30deg F, the transmission is normal. I've read on this forum of others having problems with the '99 (not '00) 1st to 2nd shift, but those problems seemed to always happen. My question: Is this normal for this transmission?

Minimum temperature here is 28deg C. I notice it but doesnt bother me at all.. acutally i do tend to take it very easy on the car (slow gear change, low revs, no accelaration, etc..) on the first 15 minutes of driving everytime.. Wael

My GT has always had this "feature". Both cars go into hibernation for the winter, around the end of November every year, so I only notice it on cold November mornings. Also, it is only going into 2nd gear where I have the problem, so while the trans oil is still cold, I shift later, at higher revs. That seems to make going into second less "noisy". The 928 has a reputation of weak synchros, which causes this in some cars, maybe it got transmitted to the 996 6 speed, cause it sounds like you have the same "feature".

My '02 C4 Cab behaves in very much the same way. It seems to have loosened up some as the miles have increased, but still, in the morning, shifting from 2nd down to 1st while rolling is tough until it warms up. Requires good rev matching.

Thanks for the replies - I feel better knowing it's a feature, not a bug. If I remember how syncros work, it seems that the 1st and 2nd gear syncros are 'sticking' to the gear when cold which would make it act like it had no syncros.

Why would you want to shift down to 1st gear from 2nd in the first place, if the car is rolling? You shouldnt really be doing that anyways. Once you come to a complete stop, it should slip into 1st nicely.

No, it does not, even when stopped, as I think the others who have posted to this thread will agree. Again, we are talking about a condition that exists only with a cold transmission. As for why you would want to downshift to 1st; there are times when you must drive very slowly, too slow for 2nd gear. Over speed bumps, up driveways, whatever. That's why they make syncro 1st gears now days.

Try double clutching into first, even when at a standstill. Should slip right in. M

Yup, you want to stop the motion in the box. Reach for another gear before first at a stop, the synchro will do that for you. The lower gear synchros in mine have also always been fairly slow on cold oil. Using higher revs will indeed produce a faster/smoother shift, but at the cost of somewhat higher wear.