What gear in park?
Instructor
Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 234
Likes: 0
From: San Francisco CA
When I started driving my father told me to always park in reverse. I never understood until I re-built my first tranny; an old Ford. All the forward gears are on the main spline and reverse was a gear that was in a housing welded to the case. If you parked in reverse NOTHING could move the car.
This makes no sense. If the car cannot move in reverse then reverse gear is worthless. Might as well call it "Park." 
Pro
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 700
Likes: 2
From: Spring Hill Florida
U R right
You are right it makes no sense but put it in reverse and trying moving it. Even being pushed by a truck the rear wheels will not turn, forward or backward.
Instructor
Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 234
Likes: 0
From: San Francisco CA
I can make the rear wheels turn with the car in reverse. It's quite easy.
1. Start engine
2. Put transmission in reverse
3. Release clutch pedal
4. Voila
Now when I shut the engine off, and remove the key, nothing in the transmission changes.
Yes it will be very difficult to make the rear wheels turn at this point. But that has to do with the force required to turn over the engine, not because of some gear that's welded to the transmission case, or whatever you saw during your rebuild.
The only significant difference among the gears is the gear ratio (and obviously direction, in the case of reverse). The owner's guide recommends reverse gear because it has the highest gear ratio.
