My mr's 2nd gear is a little cranky when cold, once it warms up though it seems to be just fine.
Though I havent done it on my mr yet I installed the bg synchro shift that rre sells in both of my 5 speed eclipse turbos, one 1g and the other a 2g. They both had the 1-2 shift grind problem. After the synchroshift the shift from 1-2 was seemless, even when cold. I definitely recommend switching to the bg fluid if your having problems, it makes a world of difference.