Hey guys. Looking for someone who knows the 308 transmission and clutch well. (84 euro QV). My transmission is a little hard to get into reverse. It used to catch a tooth or two before falling in, but now it seems to be slowly getting worse, and pretty much a grind at this point. It feels as if the clutch is not releasing and the trans is still spinning, even when the car is parked. It is only reverse, and no other gears seem to have a problem. Is there anything to adjust that could affect this, or is it a synchro going out or something? Any thoughts/recommendations would be appreciated. Thanks -Toby
+1 -- If you are stationary, in Neutral, engine running, clutch pedal up, try pushing the clutch pedal down and selecting one of the forward gears -- then quickly move the shift lever from that forward gear to select Reverse. If that works a lot better than just trying to select Reverse directly from Neutral = pretty strong sign that your clutch system is not dis-engaging well.
Thanks for the feedback. That’s one I haven’t heard before. What is the level of effort to fix that if it is the issue? Is it a transmission tear down?
As Steve has mentioned the clutch needs to be set correctly first. When at idle in 'neutral' the entire gear box is spinning away. There's also no synchro ring for reverse. If the clutch does not fully decuple from the flywheel then the gearbox stays spinning and makes grabbing reverse extra fun, also isn't good for the gears. With the clutch correctly set then you can check and see if the shift rod and bushings need attention. The 308 uses a cable system and not hydroloc hence the need for periodic checking of the clutch engagement.
Certainly ensure that the cable and linkages are adjusted properly per page E3 of the 308QV/328 WSM as the first thing to "fix" (if this is the trouble), but there are some other things that can cause this sort of poor-disengagement issue: 1. friction disk female spline center rusted/frozen onto the clutch shaft male spline. 2. warped friction disc. 3. friction/drag in the clutch shaft pilot bearing. Link here for the 308QV/328 WSM if you don't have a copy: https://www.dropbox.com/s/izplbjlkn5xdp1s/308QV_328_workshop.pdf?dl=0
Thanks. All great thoughts. I am happy to see a lot of “clutch” issues. I could replace a clutch if necessary. I can’t fix a transmission. A transmission issue will be much more in depth and expensive. A clutch issue doesn’t scare me.
UPDATE: Thank you all for your input. I did try adjusting the cable a little tighter today, and that did seem to resolve the issue. The pedal was down about 3/8 from the brake pedal, which I had not noticed before. After adjusting I think it is maybe down 1/16. I may adjust it just a bit more after driving, but it was good to see it was a relatively easy fix. Thanks to all who responded.
Excellent, also the gearboxes are built like tanks. I've put well over 700hp thru them with no issues. I wouldn't do a drag race clutch dump though. But it'll take deliberate force and abuse to cause problems with the internals. Fluid changes, proper clutch adj and not riding out resting ones hand on the gear shifter when in gear and you should have no trouble. Resting hand on gear shifter when going down the road... Bad bad thing to do. It places thrust load on the selector fork and synchro aka baulk rings and causes premature wear and thermal damage to the gears.
Good to know. Thanks. A transmission repair is not something I want to pay for. Hoping to avoid at all costs.
You really don't. Last one I had to go thru needed two selector forks, main shaft, all bearings and 3 synchros; oh and differential plates, bolts.. that was a couple yrs ago when parts were difficult but not impossible to locate... Still cost north of $15k Rare case of letting things sit for decades after neglect. Today... Not even sure I could source all the parts needed. Maintenance boys and girls, that'll save the heartache.
