Hey all, I have a two questions about my 2000 9-5 Aero:
1) Half the time when I try putting the car into reverse to park it, I can't move the shifter into reverse. It feels blocked. If I let the car roll very slowly (i.e. if it's on a slight hill), reverse gear meshes quickly. If I move the shifter back to neutral and then raise and lower the clutch to spin up the input shaft, I can also engage reverse (and get a bit of a gear grinding sound as the reverse gear slides in). Also, once in a while (maybe 1/10 times I park), putting the shifter into reverse while the car is stationary creates a grinding sound like the one that's audible when the input shaft is spinning; as the shifter slowly moves into reverse, it makes a sound/sensation like the teeth of one gear are rubbing the teeth of another and slowing it down to a halt before the selector fully enters reverse gear. If I move the selector into reverse to slow down that spinning gear/shaft before moving it back into neutral, when I then bring it back into reverse a few seconds later it feels like the gear is spinning back at its normal speed (its speed before I slowed it down). Anyone know what's causing me to be blocked out of reverse so often, and what causes the grinding sound/feeling?
2) If I lift my foot from the gas at the same time as I press down the clutch, the revs "hang" where they were or even blip up slightly. I've read about this phenomenon as being a result of the ECU consuming unburnt fuel rather than ejecting it right into the exhaust. Any way I can reduce this effect besides flashing the ECU? It's most annoying since I have to wait a few seconds when I up-shift (notably from first to second) to rev match, and avoid using the clutch early to bring the engine RPM down. Is it bad to just slowly ease the clutch up early to get in gear faster, rather than waiting for the RPM to drop by itself?
Thanks very much in advance for your help, it's much appreciated!
1) Half the time when I try putting the car into reverse to park it, I can't move the shifter into reverse. It feels blocked. If I let the car roll very slowly (i.e. if it's on a slight hill), reverse gear meshes quickly. If I move the shifter back to neutral and then raise and lower the clutch to spin up the input shaft, I can also engage reverse (and get a bit of a gear grinding sound as the reverse gear slides in). Also, once in a while (maybe 1/10 times I park), putting the shifter into reverse while the car is stationary creates a grinding sound like the one that's audible when the input shaft is spinning; as the shifter slowly moves into reverse, it makes a sound/sensation like the teeth of one gear are rubbing the teeth of another and slowing it down to a halt before the selector fully enters reverse gear. If I move the selector into reverse to slow down that spinning gear/shaft before moving it back into neutral, when I then bring it back into reverse a few seconds later it feels like the gear is spinning back at its normal speed (its speed before I slowed it down). Anyone know what's causing me to be blocked out of reverse so often, and what causes the grinding sound/feeling?
2) If I lift my foot from the gas at the same time as I press down the clutch, the revs "hang" where they were or even blip up slightly. I've read about this phenomenon as being a result of the ECU consuming unburnt fuel rather than ejecting it right into the exhaust. Any way I can reduce this effect besides flashing the ECU? It's most annoying since I have to wait a few seconds when I up-shift (notably from first to second) to rev match, and avoid using the clutch early to bring the engine RPM down. Is it bad to just slowly ease the clutch up early to get in gear faster, rather than waiting for the RPM to drop by itself?
Thanks very much in advance for your help, it's much appreciated!