2000 A6 2.7t, 150k miles, clutch within last 10k miles.

I've had my new/ used A6 for 3 weeks now. It runs and drives great except for squeaking front control arm bushings and reverse is impossible to engage directly without grinding. When I shift briefly into first and then reverse, it goes in easier, but still fights to go in.

Is there some kind of clutch adjustment that can be done, or is is common/ possible that the system needs to be bled?

The clutch was replaced by the previous owner who is my uncle (by a qualified Audi Specialist shop) within the last 5 to 10k miles. It has a short shifter too in case that plays into this somehow.

I need to do something soon because I had trouble getting reverse today at work when trying to back out of a parking spot. It seems to be getting worse.

Thanks

 

No adjustment. Need to fix the problem. Try bleeding.

 

I spoke with my Uncle who said that Reverse has always required more pressure to engage than the other gears, even when he acquired the car at 45k miles. The force required increased, according to him, after he installed the short shifter. This makes some sense based on the change in leverage going from a long shifter with longer throw to shorter shifter and short throw.

I have paid more attention to what it is doing over the last few days, and I do not believe it is grinding into reverse; it just takes more force than going into the other gears. Shifting into first, letting the clutch out slightly and then shifting into reverse definitely makes engagement easier, but this doesn't seem like something one should have to do in a modern car. I'm assuming based on this that reverse has no synchro or some indirect method of synchronizing engagement?

It could also be that I'm just not used to the feel of an A6 6 speed manual box. The only other manual transmission I've driven in the last 10 years is on my 46 year old Mini Cooper 3 synchro 4 speed, which is sloppy and loose in comparison.

I called the place that did the clutch (with RS4 disc and pressure plate upgrade), and they said it sounds like either a clutch slave going out (they replaced this when they did the clutch), or the synchro is starting to wear. As the slave is new, it is not actually grinding into reverse, and this is not a new condition for this car, I'm leaning toward the probability that I'm just not used to it yet.

I'm going to pressure bleed the slave one of these weekends for piece of mind in any case.

Thanks

 

All manual shifter cars these days have detent springs for reverse...maybe yours is just stronger.
Try comparing it with a used 2.7T car...there are enough of them around at dealer lots.

 

I'd have to find one that also has a short shifter to make a fair comparison. That, I would guess is going to take longer to find.

It is something I'd be interested in comparing if at some point I come across somebody with this combination.

 

Until you get the problem solved, I'd start it already in reverse gear to avoid the grinding issue.

 

I got the impression it wasn't grinding...just hard to go into reverse...

 

The mystery is why it is definitely noticeably smoother shifting into reverse after engaging first gear. This seems like more than just the added stiffness of a short shifter.

I have to do this when shifting into first gear on my old Mini (shift into 2nd gear and then first), but that's because it has no synchro in first.

 

Ok, just to be clear is it actually grinding or just very stiff and require additional force? You can adjust the shifter linkage which can cause this issue and may not have been adjusted properly when the short shift was installed. If it is indeed grinding like it is not disengaging properly then check the slave cylinder but if wasn’t fully disengaging then you would likely have this issue throughout the other gears as well. I would start by adjusting the linkage where it connects to the shifter.

 

It is not grinding (unless I try to force it too quickly into reverse after pressing the clutch pedal down). The main problem is that it seems like it requires too much force and is stiff going into reverse. What puzzles me is why is it easier to put it into reverse after shifting into 1st and letting the clutch out part way, then reverse? Short shifter stiffness or linkage misalignment would not change by doing the first gear, then reverse thing.

The slave was replaced along with the clutch last year. Gears 1 through 6 engage smoothly and easily all the time.