> >Occasionally I have trouble getting the car into reverse. This is
> >most noticable after the car has been idling in neutral for a bit
>
> Before trying to shift into reverse, put the clutch in, shift to 2nd,
> and THEN into reverse. Seemed to work pretty well (although I really
> don't know why). Perhaps putting the car temporarily in 2nd stopped
> whatever was spinning?
>
> Maybe this'll work for your car? Hope it helps.
>
> jim
> jatc@emx.utexas.edu
>
This helps on all cars (except maybe new Corvettes which I think have
synchronized reverse gears). Here's why:
If you have the engine running with the clutch out with the gearbox in
neutral, the clutch disc and pressure plate are spinning. You then press
in the clutch pedal; the clutch disc and pressure plate are still spinning.
Try to put the car into reverse and *crunch*, because the shaft that is
attached to the clutch disc is spinning (let's call this the input shaft).
Put it into a gear, any gear, and the input shaft will get synchronized to
the output shaft. Since the output shaft is stationary (because the car is
stopped, you don't put a moving car into reverse very often), synchronization
means that the input shaft is made to be stationary. You then shift into
reverse without letting out the clutch. The shaft is still stationary,
and reverse just smoothly engages.
Joe
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