my clutch has a grinding noise when i try to put it into reverse....from first. THe grinding dies out after a while...or i can first reput it into first...then reverse and there will be no grinding.

THe clutch is way way stiff as well....so stiff my food begins to hurt if i get stuck in traffic.

The clutch engages very roughly as if it the freeplay is too little to none.

Is this signs of a bad clutch?...or simply an adjustment issue?

Sorry for the late post but I say that the cause of your gear grinding when entering straight into reverse would be a bad/worn PILOT BEARING. The pilot bearing is located in the center of the rear crankshaft. It is a simple sealed ball bearing that allows the input shaft from the transmission to enter through the center of it.

As the pilot bearing wears it starts to drag a bit thus not allowing the transmissions input shaft to slow down enough before you place the shifter in reverse. The reason the noise is not heard when going into first is because the forward gears have syncro gears that allow the meshing gears to turn at the same speed making the gear change a nice, smooth movement. When you place the MT in reverse the reverse gear has no syncro's thus it can not slow down the speed or match the speed of the input shaft thus allowing for the gear grind/noise you hear.

To further explain why your method of placing the MT in first before going into reverse eliminates the noise is because when you go to first you slow down the rotation of the input shaft down enought that the reverse gear does not grind when you put it into reverse.

Next time you do the clutch you will also be replacing your pilot bearing thus eliminating the reverse gear grinding. For now just continue with you "shift to 1st gear" method, so far it has worked for me like a charm. Hope this info helps!!!

Sincerely,
--
Julio Meza

1979 264GL B27F 124K --> BW55->M46, CLS, IPD Sway, 81+ Dash, Gauges

1979 262C B27F 159K --> Restore Project w/Possible V8

1984 245DL 211K -->Wifemobile

It could be a cracked clutch fork. How many miles is on your clutch?

it has about 40 k on it so far. The previous owner had it done...and at the point i bought it it was like this...no change except...it used to make a bretttt noise...like a vibration almost...when shifting...that went away.

What's a clutch fork btw?


my car is a 82 kjet...

This web page has a good diagram of how a typical clutch works: http://auto.howstuffworks.com/clutch3.htm

The clutch fork (also called a release fork) is the lever that presses against the throwout bearing, which in turn presses against the clutch plate springs, releasing the clutch plate from being held tight between the plate and the flywheel. In this illustration it is next to the throwout bearing, and both the fork and the throwout bearing are colored red. If the clutch fork develops stress cracks, you will press very hard on the clutch and you won't get the full release action of the clutch no matter if you have the right amount of freeplay in the pedal or not. So if the guy before you replaced the clutch and didn't inspect the fork, you could just be inheriting his problem. A stress crack in the fork will only get worse until eventually you'll be jamming it in out of gear because you won't have any clutch at all. It's not the only possible problem for you, just one of a few possibilities. You could just have a bad cable (have you tried lubricating it on both ends?), and I don't know what else.

hmm...possible possible..

The PO was a older lady and gentlemen and i always wondered if they rode the clutch too much and burned it out. But i think your explanation of the clutch fork is more likely. Since the noise of the brzzzt went away....something is changing internally. Clutch fork sounds about right :(


Thanks for the help....i really appreciate it.