# Shift seems frozen

**URL:** <https://community.cartalk.com/t/shift-seems-frozen/44589>\
**Category:** Maintenance/Repairs\
**Tags:** pontiac\
**Created:** [February 16, 2010, 4:29pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/shift-seems-frozen/44589 "2010-02-16T16:29:33Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![kschaffer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/bb73d2/32.png) [@kschaffer](https://community.cartalk.com/u/kschaffer)\
**Post date:** [February 16, 2010, 4:29pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/shift-seems-frozen/44589/1 "2010-02-16T16:29:33Z")

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I have a 1991 Pontiac Grand AM with a manual transmission. Recently it has been colder than normal for a longer period of time. The last week or so my gear shift seems to be Frozen. It is extremely difficult to take it out of gear and into gear until i’ve run it for a bit.(sometimes I have to use both hands to get it to shift) then it seems to loosen up. I do not have this problem once it is warmer or I have “worked it out”.

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**Author:** ![VDCdriver](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/vdcdriver/32/30_2.png) [@VDCdriver](https://community.cartalk.com/u/VDCdriver)\
**Post date:** [February 16, 2010, 4:37pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/shift-seems-frozen/44589/2 "2010-02-16T16:37:56Z")

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Have the transmission oil changed and replaced with synthetic transmission oil.  
The synthetic stuff does not thicken up at low temperatures the way that conventional trans oil does.