rover 45 diesel pg1 poppes out of reverse

[nicko500s]

im suprised this topic isnt on here already.
when i worked for British car Rental in 1997 to 1999 we our fleet was mostly Rover and i remember it was common for the 800 cars to pop out of reverse and my 800 vitesse had this problem now and then, these rental cars where sold on at 6000 miles so it wasnt a milage issue.

so now after a gearbox check and metal caged bearings fitted the car has done maybe 2500 miles and its popping out of reverse, this started in the last few days.
any ideas of what causes this?

[E_T_V]

Popping out of reverse isn't something that is common at all. I've certainly never seen it reported.

They almost always crunch into reverse - that is VERY common.

If it is jumping out I'd be looking at whether it was in gear correctly to start with (if the box is rebuilt wrong which is common 5th and reverse become almost impossible to select properly)

Also I'd be checking the engine mounts as the lower dog-bone mount on these is a common failure item causing the engine to rock a lot and potentially pull itself out of gear.

[nicko500s]

this is still a problem, now that its dark early i have noticed the reversing lights are not working at all, im wondering if reverse was not selecting fully would it stop the reversing light from engaging? it reverses if you dont go fast and hold it in... any ideas?

[E_T_V]

It does sound like it isn't going into reverse properly.

Check that the bolt that retains the idler shaft for the reverse gear is fitted and tight. (top of the gearbox).

Was it like this before it was rebuilt? If not it could be rebuilt wrongly. You can fit reverse upside down and you can build the box so 5th and reverse are impossible to select (are you having any issues with 5th?)

Otherwise check engine mounts and anything else that could affect it selecting (something dropped down the inside the gear gator stopping the gearstick going far enough).

[nicko500s]

it was fine before it was rebuilt and it goes in 5th no trouble, engine mounts seem good,
I will have another look when i fit the short shifter.

thanks etv

[nicko500s]

well its finlally broken, its strange, I was driving along and went to change gear and the clutch pedal went to the floor and got stuck/ wouldnt return, i pulled it up by hand and got out to check to see if the clutch hose was leaking or if there was something wrong with the clutch lever but all looked fine so i managed to drive it the 30 miles home but the pedal did keep getting stuck, sometimes when i pulled it back up it operated the clutch ok but other times it did not, when i got home it wouldnt work at all. I just looked at the clutch arm operating as a friend pumped the pedal, it is moving as if its operating properly although having not looked at it moving before i cant tell if its getting full travel?
even with the clutch pedal down it was still ingaged so when i tried to start it, it juddered and moved forward.
I stated the car and tried to drive it but the clutch pedal dosnt do anything and still gets stuck but not every time.
any thoughts greatly appreciated. im quite confused

[E_T_V]

The hydraulics aren't exactly problem free. If there is no fluid in the reservoir then you have a leak somewhere.

Also check for cracks in the slave bracket.

Also the arm gets seized on the gearbox too so check this too.

The system has no bleed nipple (stupid design!)

[nicko500s]

Thanks ETV.
i decided to remove it from the car as it was in a bad way, its nearly ready to come out, im taking the geabox and engine out together as it seems easier to get the gearbox back on when they are both off the car, i have done it before but i cant remember what we did with the exhaust, i think we undid it at the cat/soot thing but that leaves quite a bit of exhaust under the car to try to manouver to get the engine out.

1, do you have any advise on what to do with the exhaust when removing the engine and gearbox together?

2, do you think it would be easier to let the engine/gearbox down and lift the car over the engine? im doing it outside my house with an engine hoist.

[E_T_V]

1. Unbolt the downpipe at the turbo. Then there is nothing to worry about in terms of exhaust

2. I wouldn't pull the engine just to do the gearbox/clutch. Its not too difficult to remove the gearbox in situ so long as you have a hydraulic jack to support the engine (and you can even use the hoist to make refitting the gearbox a lot easier!

You could just detach the subframes from the car and lift the front end over the top but again that is a bit excessive for just a clutch change.

[nicko500s]

Thanks ETV, Im scared to try the down pipe bolts at the turbo as they look really rusty and would be just my luck they would snap off, as you may remember my car is popping out of reverse, you mentioned that this coud be due to wear in the dog bone engine mount on the bottom of the engine, i checked it about 7 months ago and it looked tight but i noticed movement in it when i was undoing the gearbox oil drain plug, i removed it and the bush slides out easily but dosnt look worn, i found a rover parts supplier who can get these for £75.20 but i wondered if you or anyone else knows if you can just buy the bushes, its the biggest one of the two that has the play in it. Xpart dont sell them separatly but they said there might be an aftermarket one?