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Old 02-07-2016, 02:30 AM   #1
MikeCStig
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Strange transmission behavior... should I be worried?

I have a 2003 VW golf 1.8 5 speed with about 170k miles on it. It's recently developed a strange little quirk. Sometimes when it's parked and I try to shift into reverse it won't go in. It mostly happens if I'm parked on an incline. My remedy for this is to shift into first and creep forward just a tiny bit (like inches) and after that it will slide right into reverse just as smoothly as it always has. Also, all of the forward gear changes are smooth as silk and there are no unusual noises, just this strange little reverse gear difficulty.
I've never encountered a problem like this before on any car so I'm just wondering if anybody might know what's causing this. Is it the start of anything serious? Is there a way to fix it? Any help is greatly appreciated.
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Old 02-07-2016, 11:33 AM   #2
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Re: Strange transmission behavior... should I be worried?

Are you setting the ebrake and leaving it in 1st gear when parked? Its possible being on the incline is causing reverse to bind so you have to roll to unbind it.
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Old 02-07-2016, 03:40 PM   #3
MikeCStig
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Re: Strange transmission behavior... should I be worried?

That's exactly what I do when I park. Pull the handbrake, shut the engine off, then put it in first gear. The handbrake works, but it isn't quite factory fresh so leaving it in gear is a way of making sure my car stays where I left it.
The car was driven by a teenager for a couple of years... he probably pulled it thinking 'if I pull this lever and whip the car around, all of my girlfriend's clothes will fall off' even though that's far from how it works.
Anyway, it occurred to me that I haven't changed the gear oil once since I bought the car and I didn't ask the guy I bought it from if he had ever changed it. I just want to be sure there isn't any real damage.
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Old 03-30-2016, 07:39 PM   #4
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Re: Strange transmission behavior... should I be worried?

Be sure there is adequate fluid in the trans. After that, realize that many cars with a few miles on them are going to have to be 'worked' into reverse. If you were able to drain the existing trans fluid and put in new stuff, it might help. Or it might not.
I have a couple of Ford Escort 5 speeds that I drive. Getting them into reverse easily usually involves letting the clutch out to make the gears spin, then putting it into reverse before it stops turning completely. A soft grind now and then is fairly normal too. My 64 VW beetle was the same way, once it had passed about 250k miles.

This isnt just on VW;s and Fords; it a common thing with non-new manual transmissions.
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