Gears slightly stiff

Over the last few weeks I have noticed that that the gears seem to be stiff now and then, not all the time though. Sometimes in the morning and when going into 1 and then from first to second. This is not all the time and other times she can be nice and smooth.

Has anyone had this before and will a gear box oil change help?

I used to get this with a bmw. sometimes when cold it literally would not go into 1st. I found sliding it into 3rd and then out and sliding into 1st made it go into 1st straight away no problems and when the engine warmed it was fine.

If I could have been bothered with that car, the first steps I would have taken to see for any improvement would have been (mostly because you should change these anyway and its cheap)

change out the gearbox oil

change out the clutch fluid, not sure if c3's clutches share their clutch fluid with the brakes? - the BMW did.

So its getting a nice service and shouldn't cost more than £20.. and you've ruled those two things out before looking more in depth.

The issue is likely a combination of old gear oil, worn linkages and the weather. If the issue goes away once the box warms up (after approx. 15-20 min driving) then its no real cause for concern. You may want to look at how much play there is in the gear linkages, but mine have a lot of play and are still servicable so take it with a pinch of salt. Also changing gear oil is never a bad thing, and could really help. There is a good chance the box still has the factory oil, in which case change it as it should be at least every 50,000 miles (regardless of what Citroen say officially). Also if the oil isn't factory its possible its the wrong oil as most manufacturers use a different grade of gear oil to Citroen which can cause issues and excess wear.

A couple of tips I have learnt from driving crash boxes (no synchros) is that when shifting into 1st from a standstill, hold down the clutch pedal and pause for a few seconds to allow the input shaft to slow completely and then you should be able to shift into 1st easier (or at least with more mechanical sympathy as there will be no synchronising needed). Also when shifting up gears, take your time between gears. I don't mean to disengage 2nd, have a cup of tea, and then go into 3rd, but there should be a couple of seconds between leaving one gear and entering the gear up. Lastly for downshifting, learn to rev match! Your gearbox, clutch and engine will love you for it and its really satisfying when you get it right.

Sorry know this is getting to be an old topic. But I just replaced the gear oil in my car as it's coming up to 100k. Got to say it's made a world of difference to the gear change. It's now just like a gearbox in its prime that's fully worn in. Smooth easy changes etc.

If you're starting to rack up the miles or years and find the gear change not always the best, fresh oil will make a noticeable difference. Gear oil doesn't just lubricate and cool, it's thick so it slows down the gears on changing down to match better, it cushions those bits that move and allows a better change.