Nearly Put Into Reverse While Driving On Dual Carriageway

[marlasinger]

First post, and already feeling stupid, so please be gentle.

Could do with some advice/opinions on how much damage I've done to my car.

I was on the dual carriageway doing about 60mph. I wanted to overtake, so went to put car into 4th gear, except...don't know how it happened...but I pulled the gearstick straight down where Reverse is. Horrible grinding noise, and after that I really struggled to change gears...it just wouldn't go in any of the gears easily. I managed to get it home (only about 2 miles away), and when I parked up, I tried to move it through the gears. When putting it into reverse, it made a horrible grinding noise and wouldn't go it.

Turned the engine off, waited a bit, started it up and it seemed ok in all gears. Moved off in 1st but the engine was juddering and the car was barely moving. Tried moving it through the gears again, and it struggled in all of them and made grinding noise in reverse (almost like something was spinning, and something else was rubbing against it).

I've left it now...nothing else I can do, until tomorrow when I will get the garage to take a look.

I've googled it and can't find anything, except that apparently you can't damage a car by sticking it in reverse while moving forward, because of a reverse lockout? Well I've clearly damaged something mine.

Does anyone have any idea what I've done? Am I looking at something that is basically going to write off the car?

Feeling like a grade-A moron and kicking myself for not paying attention.

Thanks for reading,

marlasinger

[Wiz201]

I'm no expert but it sounds like you've knackered the gear box.

[marlasinger]

I feared as much. That's my bank balance screwed then.

[Cyker]

Yikes! There should have been a safety mechanism specifically designed to stop you going straight from 5th to R so smeg knows why it didn't save you there!

It's not possible to put it in reverse while going forwards but if the lockout is somehow bypassed you can grind up the gears pretty bad and it sounds like that may have been what's happened here

Might be able to get away with changing the gearbox oil to flush out all the debris, but if they've been ground out really bad then I'm afraid it might need a new gearbox :(

Might be worth starting to look at local breakers yards for a replacement, and a competent mechanic/garage to fit it...!

[Mike169]

Sorry to say this but i think your best option is not to mess about with the gearbox you have but just to get a garage to supply and fit a recon gearbox and don't forget to get the clutch changed too as you will only have to pay for the item itself and not the labour involved of having the gearbox removed/refitted at a later date, false economy not to do this.

[marlasinger]

I know a pretty decent garage, so will get them to look at it this morning.

I'm feeling mighty, mighty stupid and embarrassed at this. I still don't know how it happened.

Thanks for the replies.

[Mike169]

Hi Maria

Don't chew yourself inside out, we all make mistakes be it in life or with our cars, just don't forget to have your clutch changed if that gearbox comes out, and i heavily suspect it will, yes it will be more money now but save you a lot more at a later date.

Regards Mike169

[MikeSh]

I know a pretty decent garage, so will get them to look at it this morning.

I'm feeling mighty, mighty stupid and embarrassed at this. I still don't know how it happened.

Thanks for the replies.

Hey, you had the guts to admit you fluffed it - much kudos to you.

A lot of people would claim the box 'suddenly went wrong' or 'my partner was driving it ...'

Probably an expensive mistake, but as other Mike says, we all make them. Sometimes we get away with it :)

[FROSTYBALLS]

These things happen .... and not just to females. It took a fair bit of courage to admit you may have made a mistake, so as the two Mikes have said, don't tie yourself up in knots over it.

[marlasinger]

Thanks guys. :D

The recovery guy came out this morning....he had a go at driving it up the road, and said it looks like the clutch is gone and that you can change gears, you just need to use a little force. He said I could drive it up to the garage while he followed me, so I did that, but first I couldn't even get it into gear, until he told me to turn the engine off, put it in 2nd and then start the car. Worked ok but I ended up keeping it in 2nd all the way to the garage. Took a while to move off from junctions and the clutch pedal was vibrating but I got there in the end.

The mechanic also drove it around and had a go of the gears, and he seems to think it's the clutch too. He said the car drives (aside from the vibrating pedal) once it's in gear, but it's just hard to change gears.

So....maybe I've just burnt the clutch out? Can you burn the clutch with one lousy gear change? I could have sworn I rubbed it against Reverse and that's when it made the horrible grinding noise....but I just don't know now. I'm sure the clutch seemed fine before my mishap.

Anyway he will ring me on Monday with the damage.....he says a new clutch will cost around £250.

[Wiz201]

I'm not sure its just the clutch that's the problem here if you are struggling to change gears still. Like the others said, I'd just bite the bullet and replace both parts. Expensive mistake but hey, we've all done stupid mistakes.

[marlasinger]

Got my car back from the garage - they said it was only the clutch that needed replacing.

I've driven it around, and it seems fine now. I'm still puzzled over the whole thing, but I will certainly be driving a lot more carefully in future.

[FROSTYBALLS]

At least you have it sorted - just keep an eye on it for the next few weeks.

[Wiz201]

oh brilliant. I avoid the problem of gear changing by having an automatic ;)

[orangezorki]

oh brilliant. I avoid the problem of gear changing by having an automatic ;)

Was going to say this myself. I know they are more expensive, but autos are the ultimate luxury item in a car, IMHO. I even love my current Suzuki Swift, even though it suffers from what I term SAS.*

David

S**t Automatic Syndrome: Where manufacturers shoehorn in a old 4-speed automatic into an otherwise nippy and economical car, decimating fuel economy and making it slower.

[Wiz201]

oh brilliant. I avoid the problem of gear changing by having an automatic ;)

Was going to say this myself. I know they are more expensive, but autos are the ultimate luxury item in a car, IMHO. I even love my current Suzuki Swift, even though it suffers from what I term SAS.*

David

S**t Automatic Syndrome: Where manufacturers shoehorn in a old 4-speed automatic into an otherwise nippy and economical car, decimating fuel economy and making it slower.

My Yaris performs well with the MMT automated clutch gearbox, my sister was following behind me to Watford and I frequently left her behind on the country roads, she was driving a suzuki Jimny with a 4 speed automatic. We got permanently separated on the motorway as I tend to put my foot down lol.

[orangezorki]

oh brilliant. I avoid the problem of gear changing by having an automatic ;)

Was going to say this myself. I know they are more expensive, but autos are the ultimate luxury item in a car, IMHO. I even love my current Suzuki Swift, even though it suffers from what I term SAS.*

David

S**t Automatic Syndrome: Where manufacturers shoehorn in a old 4-speed automatic into an otherwise nippy and economical car, decimating fuel economy and making it slower.

My Yaris performs well with the MMT automated clutch gearbox, my sister was following behind me to Watford and I frequently left her behind on the country roads, she was driving a suzuki Jimny with a 4 speed automatic. We got permanently separated on the motorway as I tend to put my foot down lol.

SAS QED!

I love Suzuki for building no-frills budget cars that add up to far more than the sum of their parts. But compared to the MMT the SAS will slow things down immeasurably. Add to that the fact that the Jimny has the aerodynamics of a brick and is powered by a single asthmatic hamster...

David

[Mike169]

Maria, it's great you have got your car back and that it only needed a clutch, just about the cheapest repair you could of got away with especially as it was suggested you have it changed anyway if it was the gearbox at fault.......bet you'll never do the same thing again!

[Wiz201]

I agree with Mike, we all thought your gear box was buggered lol.