Gears Grind When I Shift Into Reverse
 

I Have A 1982 240-d Manual 4 Speed. When I Shift Into Reverse The Gears Grind. The Gears Seem To Keep Spinning. It Doesn't Happen All The Time But Most Of The Time,so I've Gotten In A Habit On Shifting In Reverse Befor I Start Th Engine. Could My Shifter Be Out Of Wack. Is It Low On Trans Fluid. I Adjusted The Linkage And That Didn't Help. Please Help I Can't Knnp Shifting This Way, I'm Worried About The Trans.

Try putting the car into 2nd gear first and then, without lifing the clutch pedal, shift into reverse. You are using the synchronizers to slow the input shaft. I found this to work very well on my 240D. If the gears still grind, then it's possible the clutch is not releasing fully or the pilot bearing is bad(I doubt it). Good luck.

Yup. On the BMW I use 3rd or 4th, but it shouldn't really matter which gear you use. Keep in mind that reverse is unsynchronized.

I agree. I quickly learned that trick after I got my manual tranny.

it also could be a pressure plate finger worn through. when they begin to break off the clutch wont ever fully disengage.

had that on one of mine

tom w

Reverse sits on its own shaft (counter-shaft), which likely stops spinning altogether in forward gear after the lubricant warms, but tends to slowly spin when first starting the car, so, as John & other's said, without a synchronizing ring&gear, trying to go into reverse with the counter-shaft spinning, you get some grinding. If John's trick of going into 2nd with the clutch in & then keeping pedal depressed as you go to reverse works, go wiith that. Another thing that might work is to just hold the pedal in and the transmission main shaft should stop it's slow rotation, which is what is basically driving the reverse gears (counter-) shaft.

Same problem
 

My 81 240D manual has the same problem. I find that waiting for a few seconds after starting, and then shifting into reverse very s-l-o-w-l-y will usually work. But I'm going to try the 2nd then reverse trick now as well and see how that works.

- Peter.

My '83 240 is the same way. Agree with the above statements....2nd gear, hold clutch in then reverse. Been doing that with mine and it works fine.

Cheers,

Bill

There is a lesson here...
 

"Everything happens slowly in a 240D"

=) =) =)


-John

ray m
 

Thanks alot. I'm going to try it and get back late tonight. Thanks again

ray m
 

does anyone think changeing the trans fluid would help. I don't know when it was changed last . I've had it for only 2 yrs. are there any vacume valves on a manual trans that could be effecting it. Is the only way to permanently fix it to change the clutch. someone said. Thanks, I'm fishing for ideas

ray m
 

Thanks alot.

Oh how true.:D

Cheers,

Bill

Same thing with mine 2, i always shift it into 3rd then reverse. Reverse is a weak gear, as you all can tell. so either wait for ever then shift into reverse or just shift into 3rd then reverse... works great

Every German manual I have ever owned (have never owned an MB manual) was that way. They just don't like reverse, I think. I always went into 2nd then reverse. Then I got into the habit of 2nd before going into 1st on my VW Golf for the same reason (tranny's "reluctance" to go into 1st). All the Japs I've owned have had smooth as silk trannys. Too bad you can't take the best of what each has to offer.

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