2011 Cruze ECO (man) shift/clutch issue?

[Orange]

Hello All,

I'm hoping one of you would have some advice on how to get this fixed -
I have a completely unmodified 2011 Cruze Eco from Canada, with the 6 speed manual. It currently has around 1550 KM on it.

I find I am almost unable to get the car shifted into gear 1 or 2.. for example: after leaving my driveway, and driving 500 feet to a stop sign, I put the car into neutral while stopped, with clutch pressed firmly in. I then shift into first gear, with clutch held firmly down (carpets not blocking me), but the shift lever basically refuses to engage, or requires a good bit of force, or letting the clutch out several times, then attempting to shift into first again.

Now, once we get rolling in first, I rev match by letting the engine rpm slow down to an appropriate speed for second gear, with clutch held down, then try and put the car into second gear, and it appears to "grind" before accepting the gear shift, or it kicks back the shift handle.

This only seems to happen in gear 1 and 2, and maybe a tiny bit in gear 3, and ONLY seems to happen when the vehicle is COLD. We have temperatures from -21 to -5 here on average lately, but I do give the vehicle 2 to 5 minutes idle warmup before taking off.

The issue does not seem to occur when the vehicle has been driving for a while (20 min for example).


Any ideas ? Any ideas how I can explain this to a dealer in a way that will get them to warranty repair it and not just tell me it's user error? I don't suspect dealer abuse of the vehicle, as it only had 8 km on it when I chose it.

[TSURacing]

Cruze Eco Manual Transmission issue/question

You are not crazy. Definitely have them inspect the adjustment on the cables to make sure it is correct. I dont have an intelligent explanation why it only happens when cold.

If it does it every time, but only when cold see if you can leave it with the dealer over night and let them experience the issue for themselves.

[Orange]

Cruze Eco Manual Transmission issue/question

You are not crazy. Definitely have them inspect the adjustment on the cables to make sure it is correct. I dont have an intelligent explanation why it only happens when cold.

If it does it every time, but only when cold see if you can leave it with the dealer over night and let them experience the issue for themselves.

I'll talk to them tomorrow morning then and see what they can arrange, and keep you posted. Thanks for the quick reply.

[Orange]

Update - found a similar thread here, pertaining to gear 1 and 2 on the Cruze Eco..

Cruze Eco Manual Transmission issue/question

[Blue Angel]

Let us know if this turns out to be the issue - properly adjusted shifter cables could be a "teething" issue with MT Cruze Ecos.

EDIT: FWIW, all of the reviews I've read have been VERY positive regarding the Cruze Eco's shifter, so once it's fixed and operating properly it should work very smoothly.

[chad473]

knock on wood, no issues with the shifter in my eco. It's very smooth.

[GM_6T40_Trans_Engineer]

I suspect your clutch hydraulics aren't bled correctly. Please take it to the dealer for inspection. Have them keep it overnight so it gets an adequate cold soak before they review it.

[Orange]

Update: Had my car in with the dealer for a few days for warranty repair. They notified me right away that my Cruze Eco has a recall on the manual transmission it has, due to an overfilling of the transmission fluid from the factory. This was confirmed to be an issue by the Transmission Tech. The fluid was drained, and refilled, kept overnight by the dealer with my permission for a cold start + road test the next morning, as SO FAR, the issue seems to be corrected. Shifting is no longer being refused or blocked in gear 1 and 2, and the grinding has for the most part stopped. I will be able to feel more confident after more testing / driving.

Hope this is of some help to other Cruze ECO drivers out there.

[Blue Angel]

Overfilling? That's odd... I wonder why that would cause only certain gears to have issues? Oh well, keep us posted!

[70AARCUDA]

..if one gear is 'turning' while immersed in oil and another isn't 'turning' in oil, the immersed gear will slow down MUCH faster than the non-immersed gear, negating any synchro-meshing mechanisms.