Cannot get car into reverse gear

Rolandtheroadie

http://www.vwaudiforum.co.uk/forum/showthread.php/27907-Help-A3-Unable-to-select-Reverse-Gear/page2?

Post 14 seems to suggest reverse is something to do with the 1st/2nd issue. Once it went completely, reverse came back but the guy lost 1st and 2nd?

bigjl

BykerSands wrote: »

That fault took out first and second.

I know.

But the design fault with the selector forks affects all of them not just the one for 1st and 2nd

bigjl

arcon5 wrote: »

I agree with much of what you said. But on this point, if it was the clutch it is typically the fact it isn't fully disengaging, as such not limited to just reverse.

(You may or may not find this to be an interesting fact). Struggling to get it in to reverse though and having to go forward a tad is often down to the gear design in the box.. reverse are spur gears, rather than the typical helical for drive gears. Makes meshing a little harder and drive noisier, hence why its louder when you reverse as speed.

I didn't mean go forward slightly.

I meant put the car into a forward gear.

It lines things up so no crunch when going into reverse.

Not an issue in boxes with a synchro on reverse though, something I always liked with the later Ford gearboxes.

Thinking about it more and considering the weak spot with the selector forks that could be the problem rather than the clutch.

And is likely completely unrelated to the first gear problems which are more likely down to wear and tear and a less than caring first owner.

bigjl

Rolandtheroadie wrote: »

http://www.vwaudiforum.co.uk/forum/showthread.php/27907-Help-A3-Unable-to-select-Reverse-Gear/page2?

Post 14 seems to suggest reverse is something to do with the 1st/2nd issue. Once it went completely, reverse came back but the guy lost 1st and 2nd?

Had a quick read of that thread.

I reckon in that case the problem with reverse was perhaps part of the rivet failing and blocking the reverse selector?

Then when he heard the twang perhaps the 1st/2nd selector had come adrift completely and when it fell it knocked the bit of rivet out form its position causing the reverse gear issue.

Could explain things.

As I would assume the 1st and 2nd selector is at the top and reverse is at the bottom of the box.

straighttalker

First gear is always going to be temperamental if you're changing into it whilst moving.

peter12345678910

I am thinking that if the car was in Warranty they would change the clutch first and then the gear box if that did not work. Now the car is out of Warranty they automatically assume that it is the gear box that has to go, suddenly they assume the worst.

My second thought is how you use the gears?

Strider590

They won't do the gearbox at a dealership, it's skilled work and dealerships don't pay enough money to get skilled mechanics. There will be a company fairly local that does transmission work for all the local car dealerships and taxi companies/etc. The dealerships send cars there and then put their cut on the bill for the customer.

It's just a matter of finding said company in your area. In 2009 I had a recon box fitted with a new clutch and slave cylinder for £700.

bigjl

Strider590 wrote: »

They won't do the gearbox at a dealership, it's skilled work and dealerships don't pay enough money to get skilled mechanics. There will be a company fairly local that does transmission work for all the local car dealerships and taxi companies/etc. The dealerships send cars there and then put their cut on the bill for the customer.

It's just a matter of finding said company in your area. In 2009 I had a recon box fitted with a new clutch and slave cylinder for £700.

Nothing to do with skill.

Main dealers sub out a lot of work because it is not economically viable to do themselves.

There is no great skill involved in stripping down a manual gearbox.

And Autobox would be slightly different.

Another example look at DSG boxes when they first hit the market, if you had an issue it had to be done at a main dealer as there were no specialists around.

Now as trained techs leave the main dealer network with knowledge of what goes wrong with these boxes VW specialists now have those staff to use.