Aygo 2nd gear at Very Low Speeds

[Mastro]

The 2nd gear in Aygo (2006) is really giving me headaches. I am not sure if I am doing something wrong, but accelerating/moving at 5-15km (3-10mph) in 2nd gear feels like pain.

Often I have to crawl in traffic, or accelerate again from very low speeds (say 5mph). I can't switch to 1st because car won't let me unless I double clutch or come to a full stop. Then if I stay in 2nd I have to slip the hell out of the clutch, and I feel like giving it more revs than usual only helps (more than 1.5-1.8k). If I don't give it a lot of revs it's lugging and might even stall (which frankly I hate doing because I feel like it overheats the clutch, so I am almost always on the verge of stalling).

Do you guys also have an issue with 2nd gear? Is it particularly tall? Taller than in other vehicles?

I really don't know if it's a me issue. In comparison, I don't have that problem with VW Polo 2007.

Any advices?

[flash22]

Driver error, it needs to be in first at that low a speed, the engine doesn't have the torque to pull in 2nd

the clutch cable may be in need of adjustment, if the car has never had a clutch it will have the 180 mm clutch what was later upgraded to 190 mm as it was prone to slip and not holding the torque

If you have issues finding 1st and 2nd and the stick is floppy, a little blue pill helps, so I'm told, or you could try a repair kit or a used shifter

a worn shifter cable may be another cause, it may just need adjustment

[Mastro]

2 hours ago, flash22 said:

Driver error, it needs to be in first at that low a speed, the engine doesn't have the torque to pull in 2nd

What do you do in a situation I described above then?

Say you are moving very slowly (5-15km/3-10mph). If you try to shift to 1st it can't happen unless you double clutch or fully stop. Then if you stay in 2nd car simply won't accelerate and needs a lot of slipping/higher revs than usual.

What do you do? I thought not being able to shift to 1st whilst in motion was a car issue, but I realized it's just how the car is.

Does Aygo generally need higher revs compared to other cars? I am still fairly new driving it, and it does feel it has no torque at all.

 

[flash22]

You should be able to get 1st changing up/down, no double clutching required - it's not normal

a stretched cable or worn shifter will not help, when was the gearbox fluid last changed/checked ?

[Wiz201]

Yes its a 1 litre engine, it will need higher revs compared to other cars.

[Cyker]

6 hours ago, flash22 said:

You should be able to get 1st changing up/down, no double clutching required - it's not normal

a stretched cable or worn shifter will not help, when was the gearbox fluid last changed/checked ?

I don't know if it's a safety mechanism but all the manual Yarisusesieeses I've had won't let me shift into 1st unless I'm going say <5mph or I blip the accelerator, so maybe the Aygo is similar?

When I was driving one, I do remember the gear ratios were definitely not as nice as it was in my Yaris (Which had very short ratios generous overlap - Very unusual for a diesel!!), and I learned to just  stay in 1st for longer and run the Aygo's revs higher than I would in the Yaris.

That 3 cylinder engine is very revvy and gets smoother the higher it revs anyway so it shouldn't harm it.

[Mastro]

2 hours ago, Cyker said:

I don't know if it's a safety mechanism but all the manual Yarisusesieeses I've had won't let me shift into 1st unless I'm going say <5mph or I blip the accelerator, so maybe the Aygo is similar?

When I was driving one, I do remember the gear ratios were definitely not as nice as it was in my Yaris (Which had very short ratios generous overlap - Very unusual for a diesel!!), and I learned to just  stay in 1st for longer and run the Aygo's revs higher than I would in the Yaris.

That 3 cylinder engine is very revvy and gets smoother the higher it revs anyway so it shouldn't harm it.

I am pretty sure it's a safe mechanism too. Many cars have it.

Well I can always stay in 1st if I am taking off, but in situations where I am already moving and then I have slow down to 3-10mph, it gets tricky. Car won't let me shift to 1st, and moving in 2nd at 3-10mph is a pain at times, I need to rev high (2k or so) and slip the clutch a lot.

So you are saying revving the Aygo in specific is not that bad for it? Is it 'made' to rev higher compared to other vehicles? I just don't want to prematurely wear the clutch.

@flash22 As for your question, not sure honestly. I bought the car (used) not so long ago. Unsure if fluid has been changed recently, same as clutch cable etc.

[Cyker]

I mean it's not great for it, but in my limited experience of it, it seemed quite happy to rev up (I mean to be honest most of the power is at the top end of the 1KR anyway!). I tended to drive it at higher revs than my Yaris because it felt was smoother at higher revs. While I quite like the way 3-cylinder engines sound, the vibrations they give at lower RPM isn't very pleasant!

I wouldn't worry about the clutch - If anything, staying in 1st instead of switching to 2nd and slipping the clutch will be much better for it! Clutches basically don't wear when they're engaged, only when slipping. (And if it starts to slip at higher RPMs then it probably needs replacing!  )

Out of curiosity, have you tried blipping the throttle when down-shifting into 1st? Otherwise, since double-clutching works for you, I guess that's your main alternative.

You could also swap it for a Mk1 Yaris  

[Mastro]

On 10/21/2022 at 8:20 PM, Cyker said:

I mean it's not great for it, but in my limited experience of it, it seemed quite happy to rev up (I mean to be honest most of the power is at the top end of the 1KR anyway!). I tended to drive it at higher revs than my Yaris because it felt was smoother at higher revs. While I quite like the way 3-cylinder engines sound, the vibrations they give at lower RPM isn't very pleasant!

I wouldn't worry about the clutch - If anything, staying in 1st instead of switching to 2nd and slipping the clutch will be much better for it! Clutches basically don't wear when they're engaged, only when slipping. (And if it starts to slip at higher RPMs then it probably needs replacing!  )

Out of curiosity, have you tried blipping the throttle when down-shifting into 1st? Otherwise, since double-clutching works for you, I guess that's your main alternative.

You could also swap it for a Mk1 Yaris  

Ahm I tried blipping the throttle but doesn't do much. Double clutching works though so I might start using this technique.