I think I may be on my way to a major transmision problem. Here is the scenario.

02 MCS
The other night I parked my car in my driveway (which is probably a 10-15% grade) and I noticed that my car began to roll backwards after I shut it off. Not only was it rolling backwards...I could feel the engine turning. Just so you know, I always use my ebrake...even when parked on flat surfaces.

I also noticed today while I was putting my front wheels back on that I could freely turn the wheels even though the car was in gear. I took it out of gear and put it back in gear and it did the same thing.

I have not noticed any oddities with the car while driving. Still seems to make power fine and gear changes seem normal.

Any help would be appreciated.

 

If you heard the motor turning when it was rolling back that doesn't sound like a tranny, but rather low compression in the engine??? Does it run/idle OK?

Are you sure you were in 1st or reverse? If you left it in too high a gear, it might have rolled.

Also, without a limited slip, the jacked wheel will turn (unlike a limited slip which will lock the wheel.

 

I'd be a little worried about your e-brake if it can't hold your car on a hill with the car in gear. I'm pretty sure the engine can't hold a grade that high alone. That's the 1st thing I'd check. You should be able to really lock the rear wheels up if you yank it up as hard as you can.

Being able to spin a a wheel freely when your on jackstands is perfectly normal. The other wheel will actually spin backwards w/o an LSD. I think everything is working normally.

 

The car holds fine with the ebrake on. The new development is that the car now rolls while in gear with the ebrake OFF.

As far as the wheels (front wheels) turning while the car was jacked up and in gear...I am used to fairly frequent wheel changes as I rotate mine often and I also take my snow set on/off as needed. With that said, I have never had the front wheels turn while tightening the lugs. I always leave the car in gear while parked.

As far as low compression goes, I don't know if there are any other early signs of problems. Like I said the car is running great. I have not noticed any loss of power. I have not had any idle issues other that the typical MCS intermittent rough idle problem.

Sean

 

If it were a compression issue, wouldn't it be painfully obvious?

 

Don't worry about it, based on the statement above I'd say everything is fine.

 

You may be right, but I just can't help but find the sudden change a bit disconcerting.

 

Hey Grip - if you don't mind the switch from a DS/W to a DS/B, I'll make you a helluva deal on a nice '04 MCS, loaded.


Seriously, it doesn't sound like anything major with your car - maybe it's just now getting properly broken in??

 

I guess. I just thought that manual tranies were supposed to hold a gear better than this...and the change seems sudden. Well, sudden in that I just noticed it one day out of the blue.

I will say in the past many months I have done quite a bit more high rev upshifts as well as getting in the habbit of rev matching and doing propper down shifting. Maybee all those extra revs have just loosed it up a bit.

Sean

 

If your clutch was badly in need of adjustment, it would exhibit these symptoms. Also driveability would be poor, but the gear changes would be smooth.

 

Your car "holding" on a hill has nothing to do with the trany or the clutch (unless the clutch is slipping in which case the engine would not be turning over). What your describing could only be caused by low compression in the cylinders. If you think it is a problem, have a compression check done. Even if you don't have a problem it would give you base numbers to compare to as the car ages. Just my .02

 

Disclaimer: I dunno poop about car mechanics.


However, I would think that when you park a manual without the ebrake, you're relying on the engine's natural friction to hold you and if it's not enough, your car will just roll off. Just cause it's in gear and turned off doesn't mean the engine is somehow "locked".

After all, isn't this the same principle that allows you to do a "rolling start"? That is, if your battery is dead, you can often start a manual transmission putting the key in the "on" position, then pushing the car and popping the clutch quickly in 1st gear. The motion of the car will start the engine moving when you pop the gear.

The first car I ever owned as a teenager, I had to start like this more than a few times.

 

The service tech at Schomp said that it is perfectly normal. So I guess I'm okay.

 

Great, now stop worrying and have fun.

 

Will do. I have a track day with the local club on Friday. Its my first ever track day! I am so stoked!

 

My 04 will do the same thing on enough of a slope. It will only move about 6 inches then it will stop. I will always pull the E brake to make sure.