I have an 81 4 spd vet. I have no problem with the gears. But....when I put it in reverse there is a slight grinding. If I put it in first gear first and then put it into reverse there is no grinding. Any thoughts? Should I just ignore it or is it a sign that something bad is about to happen?

Thanks.

 

It's normal. Reverse is not synchronized. In the '69 owners manual it even states that you should put it in 1st before reverse.

Shannon

 

Thanks. I am glad to hear that this is normal. I am going to stop worrying about it.

 

Make sure you push the clutch pedal ALL the way to the floor too. :cheers:

:seeya Jeff

 

:iagree:

 

My '71 Owner's Manual says:


"Shifting into Reverse, when the car is stationary, is made easier if you momentarily engage another gear before selecting Reverse."


:cheers:

 

My 71 does the exact same thing.

 

Two seperate issues here. The grinding is because the input shaft on your tranny is still spinning. Either the clutch is not fully disengaging, or you have to wait a few more seconds for it to stop spinning after being disengaged.

Once the input shaft has stopped spinning, it could be hard to get into reverse due to it not being synchronized (as others have said). In this case, going into first gear will "synchronize" it and align reverse for an easy shift.

If your input shaft IS still turning, going to first gear will cause the shift cone in first to exert pressure as you push on the shifter, and it will slow the input shaft down enough to engage the gear. Then you're in a position again to go into reverse easily.

Try this test: push the clutch all the way in and get the car into reverse. You should now be able to hold the clutch in, and go from neutral to reverse freely. Now put it in neutral and let the clutch out (put your emergency brake on so the car doesn't move). This will engage your input shaft, but the main drive gear will be disengaged since it's in neutral. Now press the clutch in, count to 10, and try reverse again. If it's grinding, the clutch probably hasn't fully disengaged. You can triple verify this by pressing on the gas an listening to see if the grinding noise gets faster, another sign that the clutch hasn't fully disengaged.

The solution could be as simple as clutch rod adjustment. Otherwise it could be slop in the linkage, worn clutch, etc. If you're confident you can get it into gear when you need to, it's just an embarrasing noise. If it gets worse, you'll have trouble getting into first gear, then it become dangerous.

 

On my four speed I have found it easiest to shift into reverse from second gear. From second you just pull the lockout handle and it slides right in there without any issues. The only grinding I have ever had was because the shaft was still spinning.

 

Fireball and everyone else,

Thanks for all the great feedback. I tried the things suggested and I appear to be A-OK. Thanks again!