Reverse Grind

[AcesWild85]

Ok, my bud's got a gen II SHO ( I don't know what year) with a 5 speed manual. Every time he goes to shift it into reverse, it grinds like crazy before going in. We've tried putting it in every gear before reverse and it still does it. I heard this problem is common among gen I & II SHO's so I was hoping somebody could offer some insight. My guess was a bad synchronizer but, then again, I don't know anything about SHO's.

 

[SHO_Driver]

No synchro for reverse in the SHO. That's why you have to shift rapidly into reverse from a forward gear. Shouldn't be that bad if the clutch is good.

 

[ShoMeWhatIWantToKnow]

the syncronizers are bad, i have seen this in a lot of FORD vehicles. both shos did it, festiva did it my bronco 2 did it and my 88 Gt mustang did it. I usually got away with putting it in 5th before reverse. If you put it in 1st, 3rd, or 5th its suppose to syncronize the gears. If this doesnt work you might need new syncronizers. I have also noticed it goes into reverse if you let if idle for a few seconds so the rpms drop lower and the car can go into gear easier.

 

[jedhead]

No syncro's in reverse. Most likely the clutch or throw out bearing is bad.

Bob

 

[RogueSHO]

not only no syncros in reverse, but if you try to shift from 5th to reverse it shouldn't let you. maybe the clutch is still dragging, is the pedal to the floor?

 

[jasonty]

Mine does this too. All I do is put it in first, go forward a few inches, and then it slips right into reverse. wink

 

[Blue-By-U]

I had the same problem on my 89. When I got my clutch done at 90k, my SHO mechanic said 2nd gear is the only one that lines up with reverse. I always throw in into 2nd then reverse...NO grinds, EVER.

 

[sdpatt]

The trick of selecting another gear with the shifter before trying to select reverse only works for gears 1-4 (5th has a reverse lock-out gate to prevent sliding directly into reverse) and then only if the clutch is completely disengaging. Try to pull up on the clutch pedal with about 10 pounds of force to take any slack out of the clutch cable. If this does not affect your condition, your throwout bearing and/or pressure plate fingers are worn and will need to be replaced.

FWIW, I use 2nd gear before selecting reverse.

 

[Speedy_91_SHO]

or if none of that works, turn off the car and select reverse, then start again. Then start saving for a new clutch, PP, and TOB

 

[AcesWild85]

Ok, so I guess we'll try double clutching and if that doesn't work...throwout bearing or preasure plate fingers. I hope double clutching works. Oh well. Its his tranny, not mine.

 

[sdpatt]

AcesWild85:
Ok, so I guess we'll try double clutching and if that doesn't work...throwout bearing or preasure plate fingers. I hope double clutching works. Oh well. Its his tranny, not mine.

You apparently didn't read what I wrote about double clutching to get the shifter into reverse. It will make it harder and defeats the trick of selecting another gear first.

 

[AcesWild85]

no I read it, but if it works...hey, its easier than replacing anything. I'm sure you're right but we wanna try all the free (potential) fixes before buying any replacement parts.

 

[sdpatt]

Soooooo young grasshopper, you choose to learn by following the long and difficult path. Your course and its grinding earfull should lead you to the forge to make the bread of knowledge. With this bread, you can feed the tree of your wisdom. And with the lessons of the years and the stretching of the limbs of knowledege, you too, will grow greater roots in the knowledge of the SHO.

 

[JoeHoe_SHO]

sdpatt:
Soooooo young grasshopper, you choose to learn by following the long and difficult path. Your course and its grinding earfull should lead you to the forge to make the bread of knowledge. With this bread, you can feed the tree of your wisdom. And with the lessons of the years and the stretching of the limbs of knowledege, you too, will grow greater roots in the knowledge of the SHO.

"Snatch the pebble from my hand" "when you do, you will be ready"

"On Gaurd! I will SHOw you my Wu-Tang Style"

I think double clutching is bad anyway...when I go to pass someone in 3rd, I clutch, match RPMs(to save driveshaft or whatever) and go from there

 

[AcesWild85]

The Force is weak with this one frown

 

[ritmusic2k]

I think double clutching is bad anyway...

How do you mean 'bad'? It is a given that double clutching reduces wear on the transmission, namely on the synchros. Do you mean that it's not as fast? What angle are you looking at this from?

Oh, and I just noticed that you're in Rochester. I just moved to SoCal from there this past September. They finish building that bridge over the Genese yet?