On my 95 z a4 there is no 1st gear on the range selector the car has 1st gear but wont let u put it in manually. Is there a block in the trans? plz help it sucks. thnx

 

You car most likely came with 2.73 gears in the rear end. There are some posts that tell you how to get 1st gear but in my case it doesnt apply. I removed the center console and it does not have a 1st gear position at all. If the previous post I have read are acurate yours may have 1st gear position and all you have to do is cut some plastic piece.

Do a search, I read those post a long time ago so I am not sure if they are still there.

Marvin

 

just wondering...why did GM put a "block" on manually selecting 1st gear??

 

There is a drive-by noise test that requires the car to pass a certain dB level while driving by in the lowest selectable gear. Since the car wouldn't pass in 1st, they made 2nd the lowest selectable gear.

On my car you just remove the top part of the console and you can clearly see a plastic tab sticking out blocking 1st. Just cut it off and you are set.

 

Instead of spending all that time taking the console off and yada yada, just pull back harder on the shifter. It should go into first. Mine does, and STAYS in first unless I move it. Mine has the block and 2.73 gears. Don't waste your time cutting a piece of plastic, just pull back a lil harder.

 

You are my He-Man hero

I'm HUGE (I fit in my Z with a little lube) and I thought I was gonna rip my whole shifter off when I tried forcing it into 1st. I pulled the center and used the saw blade off my leatherman. 30 seconds and TA-DA!

PS mine is a 2.73 rear too.

 

I'm huge too(6'6" 298 lbs) and my shifter isn't hard to get into first. Take what you normally use to move it, now take it times 2. That's about all it takes. It's not like I have my feet pressed against the dash, clenching onto the shifter and pushing and pulling at the same time. It takes very little effort.

 

Well, I'm just a big puss

Serious, I took the console off and watched what I was pulling against. So much stuff was bending/deforming I decided to cut the block off rather than break my shifter. I doubt (now) that I would have borken anything important. At the time I had owned th car about a month and didn't feel like pushing my luck.

6'6" in a camaro? I feel your pain I'm only 6'4" and I have to crane my head around to see street lights if I am first at the intersection. Hmm...this gives me an idea!

 

I sawed mine off a long time ago, but after a converter and a set of gears, you won't need to downshift it anymore.

 

Has anyone of you big boys yanked the whole shift lever handle and console off trying to get 1st gear yet?

 

Thanks for the reply's! My car doesent have this block even though it does have 2.73's..maybe it was something on the LT1's...I was just wondering, what there reason was putting a block on some of them, and now i know! thanks again.