I have actually noticed the exact same thing on the '98 CSVT I just bought. Terry, here's what happens - when you are letting up on the clutch in first gear with very light throttle (RPM probably in the 1500-1750 range, as mentioned) you'll hear a VERY soft grinding sound right near full release of the clutch pedal. It still feels smooth, as far as I can tell it's just a noise. If, on the other hand, you give it slightly higher throttle - say about 2000 RPM - you don't hear the noise. I haven't noticed it shifting into higher gears but that could just be due to the extra road noise. It's fairly hard to hear unless the window is open.
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