Getrag 6 speed (160) struggling to put in reverse!

Evening.

Am I the only one having trouble getting it in reverse?

I found out if I put it in 4th first and then into reverse, it goes smoothly.

Mgrene

Maybe try an oil change 1st but could be syncro mate

Maybe try an oil change 1st but could be syncro mate

Oil change has been tried without luck :-/

How does the shifter feel, does it feel loose? I had trouble engaging reverse for a while then lost reverse all together last year, got very worried but it turned out the bolts on the underside of the car under the dust boot that hold the shifter in place had come lose, i tightened them up and good as new, hope its a simple fix for you like mine

How does the shifter feel, does it feel loose? I had trouble engaging reverse for a while then lost reverse all together last year, got very worried but it turned out the bolts on the underside of the car under the dust boot that hold the shifter in place had come lose, i tightened them up and good as new, hope its a simple fix for you like mine

Thanks Matt I will check that out.

Can you in the meantime answer me if it is accessable without stripping the "whole" underside of the car.

If that's not the issue, then check for a dragging clutch as that can make reverse hard to engage and will eventually wear out all your synchros.

I agree with V8KILR, if it grinds going into reverse unless you select a forward gear first it's most likely a dragging clutch not fully releasing. There is only a very weak syncromesh on reverse gear. (It's unusual to have ANY synchro on reverse, the Getrag uses a small one to stop crunching if all else is well). Does it crunch into reverse unless you select a forward gear first? It needs fixing before the box is expensively damaged!

Thanks Matt I will check that out.

Can you in the meantime answer me if it is accessable without stripping the "whole" underside of the car.

Hi mate, nothing to remove other than the dust boot which is rubber and pulls off, the 4 bolts should be accessible (much esier on a ramp but not vital), its always woth checking but as I said only if your gear level feels very loose and not tight when waggled or selecting gears

Okay guys.

So i have checked the four bolts underneath the car and they are not loose, i have also checked if the slave cylinder is leaking which it doesn't.

The main cylinder looks okay too and are not missing any oil.

I had a go with the shifter without the engine on and it shifts smoothly. Not sure if it counts when the engine is off?

I have read somewhere that you can actually test if your clutch is draggin by turning the engine on and put it in first gear and hold the clutch to the floor while rev. If the wheels start spining the clutch is dragging.

I think I will try and run that test

Do you know what clutch is in it? If it goes easily into reverse with the engine off it's 99% sure to be a dragging clutch. Does it crunch as it goes in with the engine running? Or just hard to get the lever into reverse? If the latter there's still time to save a rebuild!!

Its an Exedy twin plate.

No it does not crunch at all. It feels like the transmission is doing some sort of lock-out. I can put it in reverse but it takes some presure on the shifter to do so.

I bought the car three years ago, and as far as I remember it has done like this all the time.

What does it take for me to remove the dragging (if that's the problem). Is it "just" a matter of disasamble the clutch and put it all back together, or will it be easy for me to see the problem once the clutch is off

Check the bushes in the alloy cradle... These perish and can cause shift issues.

Also is it a stock shifter or aftermarket? I've had some with cheap ass Ebay kits and the plate at the bottom of the shifter has a little part in it that can bend on the Ebay kits not allowing you to put into reverse easily.

Clutch drag, bushes or short shifter - All will likely cause this issue.

Is it difficult to get it out of gear at high RPM? This is another sign of clutch drag and WILL kill your box.

Get your bushes changed as this will make a big difference on all gear selections if they are worn.

If you have a short shifter...bin it

If it's clutch drag you are probably looking at a new clutch and flywheel assembly. I have had the least

trouble and the best operation form OS Giken clutches.

Whether you can repair your clutch, if indeed that's the problem will depend on how much is worn or

damaged, the price of spares and whether you can actually GET spares for it.

I can get Giken spares for 10 year plus old clutches, right down to the tiniest bit.

Thanks guys.

A friend of mine who has more experince with this than me will drop by my garage tomorrow and check it out.

It is a short shifter yes.

No it is not difficult to change gears at high rpm.

I am planning to change the clutch anyway next winter (imo the Exedy really sucks) but would be nice if it could hold this summer

I guess that the bushes is something that I easily can check also.

Thanks again, will keep you posted.

Like Keron I was going to suggest the gear shift bushes in the cradle might be knackered. I had the same problem in my old NA until I changed them over.