I just bought a used '05 SS Supercharged, with 23K miles, this Saturday, and I've started noticing some things.

First off, its gotten progressively worse that while starting from a stop, the car lunges back and forth A LOT in first gear. I am by no means an expert with standard transmissions, but I have never been this bad, this consistently. The only way I can avoid this, is by using a lot of gas. More that I think is normal.

Also, after the above happens, I shift into 2nd gear and for the first 1000RPM or so the car hesitates. I would not call it a lunge, but I can definitely feel a hesitation. Or what I fear, the clutch slipping.


What does this sound like? Is it my imagination, do I really suck that much at shifting? Or is it a mechanical problem? Any other ways I can troubleshoot? I'm thinking of taking it to a dealer tomorrow and having them check it out. What a pain in the ass.

 

What RPM are you shifting at in each gear?

 

Let us know what they find out.

 

well i have an 07 ss/sc and my car does the same **** in 1st gear, but its normal cuz most of dem do dat in first gear
and for second gear it bogs for me but when i shift it round 3.5k-4k rpm its straight

 

ya check your top motor mount. mine does the same thing pretty bad, first gear in these cars sucks for everything...
solid mount up top and rotated mounts down low should fix alot of this. and the bogging in second is because your prob at a very low rpm, if the car is modified it could be in the tune also

 

i had the same problem when i first got mine which is also an 05, honestly first gear just takes time to get used to but once you do you'll be able to engage smoothly, and for shifting into second, you have to be at least at 2000rpm otherwise it will bog.

 

Heres how to find out if your clutch slips:

Put it in 5th and floor it. If it slips, the clutch is shot. If not, the clutch is fine.

 

/\ definatly wise lol ... thats how i would test the clutch... it sounds like to me ur shifting to early( as stated) and 1st always has been a pain for me( but i also drive a redline) it just takes geting used to and when i start off in first it is definatly jerky unless u give it gass... just the gear ratio i assumed is why it made it lunge so bad but i got used to it in like a week or 2.

 

1st gear - short and jumpy, thats normal
2nd gear is too tall, shift at 4k from 1st to 2nd, it'll feel better.

 

Just did a little test drive.

The bucking starts once the clutch is fully/mostly engaged (pedal out all the way) at about 2500-3000RPM.

Then I shift into second at around 3500.

I got a real 'lunge' just now right after shifting into 2nd gear, but only a couple of them until the car/engine get up to speed. Perhaps the 2nd gear 'hesitation' I mention before, but getting worse?

I also did one start while trying real hard to avoid these problems, and I was able to, but only with a lot of effort, and I don't think that's normal. The only way this can be done, is by bringing the engine up to about 4000 and letting the clutch out extremely slowly.

So lets say I'm not the best driver, and that I'm not used to this car. Is this acceptable? I've been driving my dad's '09 Challenger R/T a lot recently, and that thing is easy compared to this little car right now. That doesn't seem right. lol

I just have to take it in. I won't be able to sleep at night until I do.

Bought this thing from carmax, with their supposed 200 point inspection, and had to add coolant today. Who knows what else they missed?

 

Damn dude... That sucks!

 

Let the RPM's drop before letting the clutch out.

 

carmax? epic fail
never buy from carmax in my opinion

 

yes... in first gear i get that too. if im cruising in 1st at like 3k rpms and let the engine slow me up coming to a stop, i notice around 2500 the car slows abruptly and i get jerked forward a bit, but then by around 1800rpms it smooths out again. i always just figured the car wants to shift to 2nd but when it doesnt, it slows up a lot.. idk. maybe im a dumby but that was my logic ahaha.

as for 2nd gear....? idk. i always shift once i hit 3k rpms for better mpg and i never noticed a problem, but realise - of course when you shift youre going to drop about 1000 rpms (unless youre power shifting :X ) so of course youre not going to accelerate a lot at 2k rpms. if you shift from 1st to 2nd at like 4500-5500 you will start off in 2nd around 3500-4500 and continue accelerating quickly. power band, for me anyway, i feel is ~3800 - 5500rpms


im no expert, i just learned to drive stick when i got my car in may of this year (just about 2 and a half months now)... but im pretty sure if youre clutch is slipping, you will see your rpms dipping or or spiking randomly.

edit: maybe let your dad or someone you know has driven manual a long time drive around and see how they feel too? i hope your clutch isnt shot, thatd be a shitty new car gift =\

 

doesnt sound like the clutch slipping, when its bucking in 1st are you letting off the gas by chance? If now you should have someone you trust, maybe your dad, drive the car for you and see what they say.

 

You should barely need ANY rpm's to get it moving (you should be able to creep it along with no gas pedal from a stop). It might be a combination of clutch wear and in-experience. Have someone who has been driving stick a while to see how it feels to them.

 

i bought mine from car max, and 2 days later the front head light filled with water. and now there is a god aweful noise coming from the front brake. and the oil life percentage was at 43% when it rolled of their lot

 

Mine was at 18%!!! I'm hoping they just forgot to reset the oil life, since supposedly the first thing they do is change the oil.

So I guess it could be a lot of things. Or a combination of all of them.

Definitely going to bring it to a dealer, just to be sure about everything before the return window expires.

But I'll also keep what you guys said in mind about shifting and stuff. I've just never had this much trouble with a standard. The only reason I don't think its my shifting, is because its been getting progressively worse, but I won't ignore that possibility.

I did let my Dad drive it, but it wasn't acting this bad at the time, and he said he did feel a hesitation. BHe thought it was just because the car came with 87 octane in it.

Yes, carmax blows.

Anyone ever hear of testing a clutch by letting the pedal out with the e-brake on while in gear?

I just did this in 1st and 4th and the car stalled right away. Gotta rule out the clutch, right?

Yay! Sort of, now we all know I just suck with my Cobalt.

Thanks for all the help guys! I really appreciate it, and didn't expect it.

BTW, other than my shifting problems, I freakin LOVE this car.

 

it's most likely your driving, it is tricky in 1st but you will get the hang of it.

 

put 91 octane in that baby quick, i got my car from carmax in april of this yr. its a 06 ss sc had 25k on it so really low miles. the only problem i had was that the reverse lights wouldnt turn on when in reverse, some switch broke under warranty.

i would get it all crazy in 1st cuz i wasnt used to the clutch haha it would be funny the car would hop haha

but it sounds like you r not used to a supercharged car cuz NA cars dont have to boost and this car does

maybe its cuz u not used to the boost

put 91 octane in that baby quick, i got my car from carmax in april of this yr. its a 06 ss sc had 25k on it so really low miles. the only problem i had was that the reverse lights wouldnt turn on when in reverse, some switch broke under warranty.

i would get it all crazy in 1st cuz i wasnt used to the clutch haha it would be funny the car would hop haha

but it sounds like you r not used to a supercharged car cuz NA cars dont have to boost and this car does

maybe its cuz u not used to the boost

put 91 octane in that baby quick, i got my car from carmax in april of this yr. its a 06 ss sc had 25k on it so really low miles. the only problem i had was that the reverse lights wouldnt turn on when in reverse, some switch broke under warranty.

i would get it all crazy in 1st cuz i wasnt used to the clutch haha it would be funny the car would hop haha

but it sounds like you r not used to a supercharged car cuz NA cars dont have to boost and this car does

maybe its cuz u not used to the boost

 

What did you just say?

 

haha talking about my experience with my cobalt and some non sense at the end

 

I have been driving stick for almost 20 years and my SS/SC was something i had to get used to. These cars drive alot different than anything else i've experienced ....... and i've driven a bunch of different cars. Half the battle is realizing the jump in gearing between 1st and 2nd , I always let the rpm's fall back when shifting into 2nd . You could almost count 1....2..then let the clutch out .

1ST is so low that when you try to shift into 2nd like normal .......it tries to lunge the car ahead in speed because 2nd is so much higher of a gear, it burns the clutch a little slowing the motor down to the lower rpm that 2nd needs at that speed . If you give motor that 1 or 2 seconds to drop rpm , it will be nice and smooth , and easier on the clutch itself. This might not make much sense to anyone except me lol ....it's hard to explain.

 

What about the bogging I get in second gear at low speeds? Should I be rev matching down into first gear if I want to really accelrate from like 20mph?

 

I get what your saying

I just got back from driving for a while and this is what I've learned.


Fast Takeoff:
Get the clutch release perfect. Keep on the gas hard into high RPM so the car doesn't buck. Shift.


Normal Takeoff:
Get the clutch release perfect. Normal gas. Shift early and without letting off the gas.


That makes sense right? I shouldn't be damaging my baby driving by like ^^^^, right?

How much abuse can the transmission\clutch in these things take, anyway?