I suppose you could park the car differently so you start out in first gear instead of reverse?

;0

I find the same thing with my 240D - always need to go into first first, then while the clutch pedal is down go into reverse.

Why are you guys going into second or third first?

Who is on first?

Ken300D

'
dunno, was always told to use 3rd then reverse. but i guess it will all work the same

ray m
 

You All Are The Greatest. It Makes Me Believe Thier Is Hope For Humanity To Have So Many People Be So Helpfull. This Is One Of The Few Helpfull Web Sites On The Internet I Think. Thanks Ya'll From Cajun Country.

My wife's 1969 VW Beetle has never had that kind of problem. It is always put into reverse after starting, to back out of the garage. Can't ever remember gears grinding. Definitely grinds if you try to shift into first or reverse before the vehicle has come to a complete stop, however.

Similarly, my BMW motorcycles never had that problem. Then again, they didn't have a reverse gear, either. ;) I think the R69S was available with 3 speeds and reverse for sidecar use but I've never met an owner.

Well, the MB 4-spd in the 240D seems to be synchronized all the way down to first - no problem shifting into first while still rolling.

Ken300D

It will not help the "clunk" (what I call it, it is not quite a "grind" on my 5 speed), but changing the fluid to Mobil 1 10w30 has made huge differences in smoothness and cold weather shifting...

My 240 is the smoothest shifting tranny I've ever owned.

Cheers,

Bill

a count of one second or two should get the gear stopped enough for a smooth shift.

if it doesnt you have a clutch dragging a bit, imho.

tom w

We had a Beetle when I was a kid. Don't remember it having reverse sensitivity neither but then I didn't drive it. My experience was with my VW Golf's, an 85 Mercury Merkur XR4Ti, and 74/76 Mercury Capris (my Dad's cars). All of these didn't really grind as much as "lurch" into gear, unless I first went into one of the forward gears.

Drove the '68 220D for twenty years starting in Dec of 1970 and had to use reverse the first thing every day winter or summer. Can not ever remember it having any issues going into reverse or any other gear for that matter. It definitely had the ATF for the tranny fluid, so if anything it should have had even worse issues about shafts rotating. Had also driven a fair number of other manual tranny equipped cars over the years and this was by far the best one ever for feel and ease of operation. Some of the other trannys would refuse to go into reverse or low now and then, but that was because there were no syncros and the gears were just hitting tooth to tooth.

yep. i agree with lycomming

tom w