Reverse grinded once. Clutch issue?

[sebass]

So today when i parked my car and tried to put in in reverse it would not go with clutch all the way down. When i forced it it grinded and went in. It happened few times before. This does not happen with forward gears. Not sure if car was parked in weird way or maybe my clutch is slowely going out? Anyone can shed some light on it ?

[GasSavers_Erik]

Make sure your floor mat hasn't folded up under the spot where the clutch pedal hits the floor.

If you have a hydraulic clutch, check your fluid level. If the fluid gets low, you will not be able to disengage the clutch completely.

[JanGeo]

If it has been damp out your clutch may be dragging a little, I usually put it in a forward gear to stop the clutch disk from spinning then shift right into reverse ... No grinding that way.

[sebass]

Cool but i'm asking what is causing it not going in first place and then when i force it grinding. I'm pretty sure clutch was all the way in but maybe i didn't pull lever all the way enough to the right and back. I dunno. I was reading that when clutch is going out grinding starts occurring but that is in all gears not just reverse. Happened few times. It could be human error. BTW i think i was told it clutch is hydraulic and its very soft too.

[JanGeo]

When a clutch wears it gets closer to the top, disengages at the top of the pedal travel and would drag less when pressed to the floor. The hydraulic clutch is different, if you have air or a leaking master or slave cylinder then you need to pump it part way down then let it all the way up quickly then down to the floor quick to get it to fully disengauge. You should not force it into a gear, not shifting easily means something is not right. If it shifts ok with the engine not running then the transmission and shift linkage are ok and you have a clutch problem.

[kamesama980]

I don't know about the VX (making the leap that the car you're asking about is the one in your profile) but most vehicles don't have a synchronized reverse. that means that ANY difference in speed or position can result in grinding/difficult to engage. the sides of the teeth are usually angled to prevent the latter but nothing to be done about the former.

try holding the clutch in for a second or two before shifting into reverse. I've had it happen that if you push the clutch in and immediately shift to reverse, the parts inside the transmission are still spinning making the engagement sound bad.

Or it may be that your clutch hydraulics are on the way out, reverse is usually the first to show problems because of the lack of synchros.

[JanGeo]

Exact ally which is why I pop it into a forward gear to use the syncro to stop the clutch from spinning then quickly shift it into reverse.

[sebass]

I'm still not 100% sure i understand what is causing it and how to remedy this? As you can tell I have no idea how clutch works based on what i just said. Anyhow i've been recently paying attention how i put reverse in and so far so good. It's not griding anymore. What i do is make sure clutch pedal is all the way to the floor way down and also make sure i take gear shift stick all the way to the right before i pull it back. I think the later is the key not the clutch pedal all the way in. That's at least my perception of it. Also i will give a try putting it in first gear first if it happens or if it gets worst.

So is this clutch getting worn issue or user error or what specifically?

Thank you guys for your input. It's always greatly appreciated!!!!

[JanGeo]

You push the clutch in until it hits the floor and can't go any further ... All the time!

[IndyFetch]

I agree with the members above. Try putting it in 1st before reverse to stop the synchros from spinning. If it goes in, you know the clutch is dragging and needs adjustment. I believe the reverse gear has no synchro of its own.