Clunking noise while reversing

[Moe]

Hi all,

Last spring when getting my 1980 Spit 1500 out of the garage for the first time since winter. Car started, put into reverse, let the clutch out bit of a bang as the car moved off!!!

 

Ever since on occasions when reversing and only reversing I get this repeated clunking noise as the car moves backwards. Haven't worked out if it every revolution of the wheels etc yet or where exactly it is coming from.

 

Any thoughts on what I might have broke/damaged?

 

I am thinking might have broke a tooth on part of the reverse gear or do you think it might be a gearbox mount or something?

 

Any thoughts on stuff I can rule out before having to pull out and open the gearbox?

 

Am I likely to see anything with the gearbox in the car taking the top cover off? It is an overdrive box which I don't think will help.

 

Everything seems perfect in the forward gears, just hope no broken bits lurking in gearbox waiting to wreck it!

 

Cheers.

Moe.

 

 

[ian.osprey]

The initial clunk could have been the clutch freeing off after a winter of inactivity.

I had a tooth missing on reverse, but for me, it was every time I tried to reverse, and it wasn't a clunk, the gear box leapt about with horrific bangs!!

On another occasion, I also had a rotational clunk in reverse, but only when reversing with a lot of lock on, and only right lock. At the same time, I noticed that the inside of the front right alloy had gouges out of it. Turned out that the spot welds on the lower wishbone 'saddle' had come adrift, letting the lower wishbone move around and foul the wheel.

[Mike Crewes]

Moe

 

It's very difficult to diagnose noises on the Forum.  Have you had a professional, or other member have a listen?  Not sure how close you are to Paul Robinson, Northern Ireland AO, but suggest you give him a call (number in The Courier Area Directory).

 

Regards

Mike

[KevinR]

As Mike says, difficult to diagnose unless you are present to hear it.

 

My Spitfire used to suffer knocking from the prop shaft strap joint which was hitting the handbrake cable quadrant piece.

I had to re-adjust all the handbrake settings to get the quadrant positioned so that it didnt clask with the strap joint.

An easy but time consuming fix.

[Cookie]

If it's a repeated clunking it could be a chipped reverse idler cog in the gearbox. Had that happen on a Sitfire 1500 myself many years ago. I reversed hard in an autogymkahna, there was a loud bang and then every time I put it in reverse there was a clock clonk clonk on each revolution of the gear shaft as I'd chipped a tooth off of the reverse idler. It also damaged the layshaft cluster. The 2 parts cost as much as a recon gearbox so an expensive problem!

 

Note I say it could be that, it could also be a multitude of other issues. Start with a check of all the UJs...