Blatantly copied and pasted from Wikipedia:-

 

Quote

Synthetic oil is a lubricant consisting of chemical compounds that are artificially made. Synthetic lubricants can be manufactured using chemically modified petroleum components rather than whole crude oil, but can also be synthesized from other raw materials. The base material, however, is still overwhelmingly crude oil that is distilled and then modified physically and chemically. The actual synthesis process and composition of additives is generally a commercial trade secret and will vary among producers.

 

Yeah, 80's mineral gearbox oil no bueno.

 

There are hundreds of millions of cars on the road which have never had the gearbox oil touched.

 

Modern engineering tolerances combined with superior lubricants mean it isn't necessary.

 

Never confuse facts with belief, faith, unqualified opinion or whatever else is traded on the internet in place of facts.

AnnoyingPentium's reverse gear selection issue isn't related to the gearbox oil anyway. If it crunches it's probably the clutch sometimes not fully clearing. Changing the fluid and bleeding may help.

Right. Here's what I'm going to do, in their respective order:

 

1. Wait until I won't catch hypothermia doing any job to the car.

2. I shall adjust the linkages.

3. If that doesn't work, I'll leave it because it does go into reverse if put into first or revved in neutral.

4. That is all.

 

So, I'll report back with my results once it's less chilly baltic outside.

28 minutes ago, sepulchrave said:

Never confuse facts with belief, faith, unqualified opinion or whatever else is traded on the internet in place of facts.

I don't, I consulted an oil professional who gave me scientific fact, I went against all beliefs and faith (other than my own of course), unqualified opinion and whatever else is traded on the internet in place of facts, I used a fully synthetic GL5, like you say things move on.

 

Even you have put it won't do any harm so why worry about it, for the Fabia Mk3 it less than £16 for the oil as I needed more than one bottle, my time of course is priceless (unlike professionals) given the results it was worth the effort with only ego-placebo perhaps for me, but you know how difficult that is to avoid.

 

6 minutes ago, AnnoyingPentium said:

1. Wait until I won't catch hypothermia doing any job to the car.

 

 

Very wise

13 minutes ago, AnnoyingPentium said:

Right. Here's what I'm going to do, in their respective order:

 

1. Wait until I won't catch hypothermia doing any job to the car.

2. I shall adjust the linkages.

3. If that doesn't work, I'll leave it because it does go into reverse if put into first or revved in neutral.

4. That is all.

 

So, I'll report back with my results once it's less chilly baltic outside.

1. and 2., 100% (unless you like football, then 110%) but 3. and 4. depends even if you wouldn't touch a bottle of gear oil with a bargepole, just ask someone else with a similar car to try your car and see what they think.

 

Perhaps if you threw out the shagpile floor mats it might help with the pedal.

 

Edited 2 January, 20224 yr by nta16

33 minutes ago, nta16 said:

Perhaps if you threw out the shagpile floor mats it might help with the pedal.

 

Was like that without the floor mat during the brief time period that that my old drivers one warped itself.

I had this issue on mine and I resolved it by changing the fluid and bleeding the clutch its a quick easy job so might be worth a shot.

Went out this afternoon to run a few errands and when I got into the car, started the engine, pressed the clutch and went to select reverse, it didn't go, it felt like it was hitting a brick wall as it does when it presents this fault.

 

I took my foot off the clutch and went to grab a video of my attempting to put the car in reverse and... it was fine. 

 

Definitely sounds like the clutch needs bleeding, what you're effectively having to do is pump the pedal once before it will disengage properly.

As above, if it's shared with the brakes it might be a good time for a fluid change or if done recently it might be why the clutch needs bleeding.  I must admit for whatever (no good) reason I didn't think the clutch was hydraulic.

 

If it's too cold to consider doing right now you know what to do to get the gears.

 

This is ancient stuff, even my old car has separate reservoirs for brakes and clutch and I don't need to *double-declutch.  🤣

 

* I would if it had standard box as that was non-synchro 1st 

10 hours ago, nta16 said:

If it's too cold to consider doing right now you know what to do to get the gears.

 

Very, the blizzard I faced outside would agree with that. I'll keep it up until there's a time where I don't get hypothermia doing an odd job on the car... so I may need a few decades for global warming to kick in.

I managed to capture the issue present... if it's the clutch needing bled then it can wait for now.

 

Personally I'd say from that video it's inconclusive as to the actual cause, others may think differently, which is fair enough, but as it's intermittent and not causing you problems and you're not going to look at it until better weather you already have the possibilities, bleeding the clutch being a strong possibility.

 

If it becomes more frequent (and across the gears) you could perhaps note when it happens, engine/car cold, warm or hot, weather type temperature, engine running or not, handbrake on or off, car level or able to roll under its own weight, car moving or static. 

 

Thing with reverse, and first, you can sometimes have them 'off the cog' (or whatever the term is, I forget) so that could be in addition to your issue.

 

See how it goes.

 

First and reverse have no synchromesh so if the clutch is dragging slightly they will be extremely difficult to engage.

6 minutes ago, sepulchrave said:

First and reverse have no synchromesh so if the clutch is dragging slightly they will be extremely difficult to engage.

No synchro on 1st for this model then?

I think there's synchro on 1st on my wife's 2015 Mk3 and I still sometimes have to 'rock it in' to reverse or first but that might be all the computer programs fighting me thinking they know what I want to do, but they don't.

I also thought some of these models (not Ryan's or my wife's) have synchro on reverse?

I always thought it had synchro in first but not reverse. However, I'm not completely sure.

Just now, AnnoyingPentium said:

I always thought it had synchro in first but not reverse. However, I'm not completely sure.

At your age you'd probably soon know if it wasn't on 1st.  But 1st and reverse will be more noticeable if the clutch needs bleeding or perhaps fluid change but as it's part of the brakes no doubt this has been changed more regularly.

 

Even though my MG Midget is a 1970s car the original gearbox didn't have synchro on 1st, ancient for even back then, the 1st gear whine is distinctive and well known to those older than me as cars from the 50s and 60s were without synchro on first.  And even in the mid and late 80s some/many BL cars didn't have  a 5th gear but Skodas did.

 

From the SSP on 02T gearbox - "All forward gears are synchronised. 1st and 2nd gears have double synchronisers"

Double - did that make them operate better or worse and last longer or not and does that mean they're on Ryan's car?

 

Yes, that's what gearbox he has. No idea about the rest.

 

 

 

It's impossible for synchromesh to operate when the layshaft is in neutral and not moving, it can only work coming down from second to first and it can never work in reverse.

 

Think about it.

41 minutes ago, sepulchrave said:

It's impossible for synchromesh to operate when the layshaft is in neutral and not moving, it can only work coming down from second to first and it can never work in reverse.

 

Think about it.

Yes, I think we're at cross meanings and on direct tracks, perhaps laser to wide beam.

 

I didn't think the engine was even running in the last video, my comments were more general rather than specific to the video.

 

Having owned a couple of Spridgets for a number of years I know when 1st crashes or needs double declutch (not that I was any good at that) and the straight cut 1st that was on my present Midget was very loud, a mate said it was the loudest he ever heard (probably needed better gear oil 🤣 the boxes were originally specified for engine oil) and he was used to hearing the 1st gears in the 60s.  The excessive noise of the 1st gear was one reason I swapped the box, to the stodgy saloon Ford box, and the very busy roundabout less than a mile from home, plus 5th for motorway use.

 

As for the on / in reverse, I don't keep up with these things but I thought some newer cars had synchro on reverse gear, probably not VW as the company's too tight, and I've got a feeling there might have been one with it in the past.  Thing is if you have the bad habit of selecting 1st and reverse on the roll from say pulling or dropping out of a drive or turning the car around metal rods and cogs could still be spinning and if there's a clutch or box fault it could make it worse.

 

57 minutes ago, nta16 said:

I didn't think the engine was even running in the last video, my comments were more general rather than specific to the video.

 

It was running, the blower was drowning it out since I had it up full to demist my windscreen. Engine was warm as I had completed my 12 1/2 mile drive home from the train station. I had parked in order to drop something off at a relatives on a slight incline, when reversing in order to pull out from behind another car, it would not let me engage reverse unless I went into neutral and let go of the clutch before attempting the process again. 

 

The fault can occur on flat ground as well, even during warm and cold periods. The engine is normally warm however.

 

Hope this helps give background to the issue somewhat.