FTO AUSTRALIA

Hey Guys...

New to all this forum stuff and the whole FTO scene. I've had my baby (Manual '95 GPX) for just under 3 months now; being a chick and all I don't know a hell of a lot about the 'mechanics' of it.
The reverse gear and ONLY the reverse gear plays up on me... Just wondering is anyone else has experieced this problem before. It spontaneously decides at the most difficult of times that it just doesn't want to go in. Doesn't matter if my car is warm or not. I've had the gearbox oil change and it seemed to ease it for a while but more often than not it still chucks a hissy fit. Has anyone got any suggestions on what it could be... it's driving me insane.

Thanks.

One important question, Man or Tip/Auto?

Manual ofcourse as mentioned above!

Opps sorry i missed that, well sounds like your synchros got a problem, now which stated your from (dam i hope i didn't miss read this too) so the right people can point you to the right direction.

FTO00W wrote:Hey Guys...

New to all this forum stuff and the whole FTO scene. I've had my baby (Manual '95 GPX) for just under 3 months now; being a chick and all I don't know a hell of a lot about the 'mechanics' of it.
The reverse gear and ONLY the reverse gear plays up on me... Just wondering is anyone else has experieced this problem before. It spontaneously decides at the most difficult of times that it just doesn't want to go in. Doesn't matter if my car is warm or not. I've had the gearbox oil change and it seemed to ease it for a while but more often than not it still chucks a hissy fit. Has anyone got any suggestions on what it could be... it's driving me insane.

Thanks.

I had exactly this off and on for the last 5 years. Reverse was a bit iffy occasionally. I needed to pump the clutch once, and then select reverse.

Then I got some gearbox work done (new differential fitted) and it got a hundred times worse. I was pumping and pumping like, err, well, let's not go into that. Suffice to say we couldn't select reverse for love or money.

Anyway, ...the good news is that it got totally 100% fixed, took minutes, and cost peanuts.

The clutch on the FTO is hydraulic. If there's a tiny air bubble in the clutch fluid, then the clutch won't compress quite as far in, and you get problems selecting gears. In particular, reverse.

The solution was to bleed the clutch fluid. At the front of the gearbox, there is a little bleed valve. It's relatively easy to reach. You can do it yourself, or get a garage to do it in minutes.

If you want to do it yourself, it's not a big deal. Engine OFF, handbrake ON. Simply pop the rubber cap off the bleed valve (assuming it still has a cap!). Loosen it with the correct spanner (don't use a shifting spanner - they are crap). Get someone to depress - and hold down - the clutch. Do up the bleed valve. Release the clutch. Do this a few times. Old hydraulic clutch fluid will make a mess as it comes out, so rags aplenty. Keep an eye on the clutch fluid reservoir at the back of the engine bay. Don't let it get too low before you top it up with new fluid.

I don't know what fluid to use... haven't refilled the reservoir yet! It's still on "low". No big deal.

Then take it around the block, confirm all is good and normal. Try pumping the clutch a few times. Then try selecting reverse, and see if it feels okay. It grumbled a bit and didn't select the first time or two, but then it was fine.

Give it a few days, and then decide if it's better. I haven't had a single "won't go in" incident since bleeding the system.

Good luck!

- Rich
www.ftowa.com

I had similar issues after a clutch replacement. But it was the clutch master cyclinder seals that had gone & the clutch arm wasn't actuating far enough. Heaps of trouble getting it into reverse & a little bit in first. $150 bucks & a bleed (fluid everywhere ) and I've never looked back.

Thanks guys, all sounds well... I don't 100% understand but I'm sure I can take it to someone who knows what to do. I'm in Sydney (west), so can anyone suggest a good mechanic that won't rip me off because I am a chick and is familiar with my car?
K

Head over to UAS (Unique Auto Sports) in Castle Hill. They'll look after you - they take care of a number of us.
www.uniqueautosports.com.au

Thanks Thanks Thanks. Will do before I drive it off a cliff.