Reverse Going Going...gone

[Tall_Alex 1]

Evening all.

 

My beloved 1990 205 has always been a little tricky getting into reverse; notchy and frequently jumps out of gear. The other day I tried to change into reverse and well, nothing happened. It feels exactly like the 5th > reverse block that you have in most manual cars (I've never thought to try in the 205, but it probably has this feature). Tried going into all forward gears and had encountered no issues, but reverse stayed blocked. I'm 6'6" with long legs so it wasn't such a huge problem. Anyway, i've been trying at every set of lights since (only when there's been no-one behind me!) and very occasionally it'll go in as if nothing's wrong, but 99% of the time it's a no-go.

 

First has always been a little notchy too but always seems to engage in the first or second attempt. Something is probably leaking onto the clutch (squeaks as you let it out but my first car did that for years and it never seemed to cause any grief). Car fastidiously maintained, (I'm the second owner) but given Peugeot's reputation in New Zealand that may not mean well maintained. Quite possibly has the original clutch and I have no idea of the fluid level as checking looks tricky.

 

It has a TU engine so therefore a MA gearbox if i'm not mistaken.

 

Just posting to see if there are any obvious, 205 specific gearbox quirks. My first thought was clutch but it doesn't seem overly bad feel-wise (mind you, I do double-declutch a fair bit so that probably doesn't hurt). So now i'm wondering if it's a linkage...but the thing that makes me uncertain is the fact that it failed completely; can linkages fail completely?

 

 

Thanks in advance for any help you can offer :-)

[welshpug 1,656]

does it go in if you turn the engine off?

 

checking oil level is easy, just remove the level plug

 

 

where is the clutch bite point?

[Tall_Alex 1]

Oh and I forgot the latest development that prompted me to post this thread; I drove about 10 miles and about 7 miles in, there was suddenly a bizarre whining seemingly coming from below the gearstick (the transmission tunnel if you will). Noise lasted maybe 2 miles and then stopped abruptly. Pitch went up and down with transmission speed. Not much else to say. Was really quite odd. Probably makes the whole thing even more confusing.

does it go in if you turn the engine off?

 

checking oil level is easy, just remove the level plug

 

 

where is the clutch bite point?

I'll go and check both now :-)

[Tall_Alex 1]

does it go in if you turn the engine off?

 

checking oil level is easy, just remove the level plug

 

 

where is the clutch bite point?

1) Still won't go into reverse, even with engine off

2) Sounds easy, Haynes made it sound like hell

3) 2-3 inches from floor

[Tall_Alex 1]

Oh yeah I should probably mention I get a noticeable amount of generic gear noise (i.e a sort of whining/grinding, essentially the quiet version of the noise you get reversing in any older manual car) when i'm in neutral. Goes away if you engage the clutch.

[BERTMAN 40 1 Cars]

Tried tightening your clutch cable?

[Tall_Alex 1]

Tried tightening your clutch cable?

Now that is a good suggestion! That was my first instinct; looked for it in Haynes a while back and seemingly no mention of it. I'll look harder. Is it the gearbox or the shifter end?

 

Thanks for the suggestions guys!

[welshpug 1,656]

gearbox end, 10 and 13mm nuts on it, check the clutch section of the manual, there's usually a dimension specified for the manual adjust cables.

 

somewhere around 100mm rings a bell so a little higher than what you currently have by the sounds of it.

 

if the box is a little noisy I would change the oil and make sure you get the correct 75w80 grade, you can inspect the old oil for debris etc to gauge a rough indication of the condition of the box, if it quietens down with fresh oil you may be lucky, however the MA gearbox doesn't have the best reputation for longevity.

[BERTMAN 40 1 Cars]

If the problem has been getting steadily worse then the cable has probably stretched and might be worth just replacing it. It's not a difficult job so won't take long. The only other point worth mentioning is that the clutch lever itself (on the box) has a tendency to weaken around the 'hoop' that the clutch cable connects to. It bends out of shape and gives the same effect as an untightened cable. Worth double checking that as you're playing in that area.