Reverse Gear Grind.... :(

    Hi All,


    At the risk of sounding stupid, paranoid, ocd, idiotic, etc..... here goes.


    I installed my alpha shift knob a few months back (the one with the top that unscrews for storage), and ever since, i find it very hard to shift the sling into reverse. Took it out today and when backing into the driveway, I struggled getting it into gear. Thought it was in, let off the clutch and gave it some gas and $&@));/&;@;&48.!:@/....... it started to grind. Threw it in nuetral.... put it in first..... went back to reverse and it went into gear. Now, for the questions....


    Did I do any damage??? Which is my biggest fear. This is the second time it has happened.


    Also, could it be giving me problems going into gear because of the new shifter??? I don’t mind going back to the original shifter if it will make it go into gear easier.


    Thanks for everyone’s help in advance, and if this is a stupid question my apologies. This is my second manual shift vehicle in my 30 years and I never grinded gears in reverse or in forward motion before. Thanks!!!!

    No, you didn't hurt anything.

    The shift knob may be different, but it isn't the issue.

    Slingshots and other manual cars have reverse "issues" as you describe. The easiest thing to do, is to roll it a tiny bit forward in 1st and then go back to reverse if you are having issues the first time.

    Owner of Slingshot #263 that has some stock parts left on it. :D

    Quote from slingshoter1

    Also, could it be giving me problems going into gear because of the new shifter??? I don’t mind going back to the original shifter if it will make it go into gear easier.

    .


    Could always be something however the Aisin A5 transmission in the Slingshot is known to frequently have a finicky reverse ... not all, but enough (and there are a ton out there) that it is a known idiosyncrasy....


    First check your clutch fluid reservoir and make sure its full but if you have one that is touchy get in the habit of clutching in and going to neutral, then clutch out and clutch in again to go to reverse ..... seems to work in other vehicles with the same transmission .....


    ....

    :REDSS: The ghost of SLingshot past ......

    Thanks all. Greatly appreciated!


    I’ll sleep a bit better tonight knowing that I didn’t do any harm.


    I think the worst part was my 4 year old son in the front seat that said “oh daddy, that didn’t sound good.” LOL. It hurt the ego some too.

    Lol. Kind of funny you asked that. I may or may not... work for the candy company that slingmods used in their install video. Lol.


    So the first thing I did was to see how many m&m’s would fit into the compartment. Milk M&Ms were somewhere around 22. Peanut was 5. Hahahahaha.


    As of right now, there’s $20 in cash - gas money if I ever forget my wallet or just need a cold coke.

    Quote from slingshoter1

    The wife is ragging on me too. She keeps saying she heard the grind from inside the house. She’s a shit stirrer. Hahaha.

    My old saying for that situation is to smile and say, 'they'll make 'em out of rubber next year'.



    Quote from slingshoter1

    As of right now, there’s $20 in cash - gas money if I ever forget my wallet or just need a cold coke.

    Can't get much coke for $20.


    Like @Orangeman said, double clutch it and make sure you snug it in to reverse nice and tight.

    Remember folks - this isn't a rehearsal, this is The Show!8)

    Edited once, last by SlingLow ().

    Occasionally I will need to let out on the clutch in neutral or in first to roll it a tad to slip it into reverse. Usually, if I'm trying to force it (only does it occasionally, not an every time occurrence) and let out on the clutch I can get a little grind. I avoid that just for that reason. Like others, I'd be greatly surprised if you did any damage. Continue to do the same as you have, it will catch up with you though. Everything in the Aisin A5 transmission is built pretty tough, but repeated gear grinding over and over will damage over time.


    I'm surprised that no one has mentioned the possibility of the clutch slave unit being weak. There is some heat there, and I know of a few that have had them give fits. The slave unit is inside the housing, so it's difficult to see if it's not working properly or is leaking. I know I have read on here about others, but if memory recalls.... @Bill Martin had this issue and his clutch was out more than once before they found the issue. He was going to upgrade the clutch, but ended up having it out of there 2 or 3 times only to find that the slave unit was the only problem. Other's worked on his SS too, I think @dangerdarrell was there and others. Wish I could remember who, but those guys were there when it happened and can shed more light on it than I can. Bill will sometimes mention he's the only person that's had his clutch out multiple times and it's still the stock one.... :00008356:

    Quote from Goats_Hogs

    Occasionally I will need to let out on the clutch in neutral or in first to roll it a tad to slip it into reverse. Usually, if I'm trying to force it (only does it occasionally, not an every time occurrence) and let out on the clutch I can get a little grind. I avoid that just for that reason. Like others, I'd be greatly surprised if you did any damage. Continue to do the same as you have, it will catch up with you though. Everything in the Aisin A5 transmission is built pretty tough, but repeated gear grinding over and over will damage over time.


    I'm surprised that no one has mentioned the possibility of the clutch slave unit being weak. There is some heat there, and I know of a few that have had them give fits. The slave unit is inside the housing, so it's difficult to see if it's not working properly or is leaking. I know I have read on here about others, but if memory recalls.... @Bill Martin had this issue and his clutch was out more than once before they found the issue. He was going to upgrade the clutch, but ended up having it out of there 2 or 3 times only to find that the slave unit was the only problem. Other's worked on his SS too, I think @dangerdarrell was there and others. Wish I could remember who, but those guys were there when it happened and can shed more light on it than I can. Bill will sometimes mention he's the only person that's had his clutch out multiple times and it's still the stock one.... :00008356:

    I’m stil havin nightmares and @Slingrazor has PTSD :00008172:

    I might not be right but I can sure sound like it

    The clutch actuator is crap! You are correct @Goats_Hogs, we worked on @Bill Martins and mine at @Slingrazors house. Bill's engine was pulled a total of five times I believe before it had to go back to a factory clutch and new actuator. My upgraded clutch change went relatively smoothly but the actuator gave up on the way to Maggie Valley last year. Had about 1500 miles on the new higher compression clutch and 20k on the actuator.
    I have replaced a lot of clutches over the years but this was the first internal hydraulic actuator I have worked on. I don't care for them!

    Bill's clutch was being changed because it felt like it was slipping and Bill his sling was having engagement issues.
    Bottom line with his clutch that created a great learning curve.
    We found a leaking slave cylinder and replaced.
    After we installed new clutch we couldn't get it to disengage.
    Numerous bleeds.
    Installed a shim behind slave cylinder to increase throw.
    Finally gave up and reinstalled original clutch that works better than before.
    Finding
    Slave cylinder and bleed fixed original issue.
    The clutch purchased had a friction plate that was bent in the spline area. This caused the plate to bind when compressed by the pressure plate.
    The bad friction plate is what caused the engine to be pulled and installed multiple times.
    Hope this sheds some light.
    First thing I would do with clutch engagement issues is check the fluid level, then change the fluid. Push you clutch all the way in and side step it to let it snap out (engine shutdown). This helps push possible air out of the slave cylinder.

    Quote from dangerdarrell

    The clutch actuator is crap! You are correct @Goats_Hogs, we worked on @Bill Martins and mine at @Slingrazors house. Bill's engine was pulled a total of five times I believe before it had to go back to a factory clutch and new actuator. My upgraded clutch change went relatively smoothly but the actuator gave up on the way to Maggie Valley last year. Had about 1500 miles on the new higher compression clutch and 20k on the actuator.
    I have replaced a lot of clutches over the years but this was the first internal hydraulic actuator I have worked on. I don't care for them!

    BTW - I think they suck too - with my new auto tranny I’ll never have that problem again. Imma havin more problems with my old broke down ass than I ever had with the Sling :D

    I might not be right but I can sure sound like it