"John" > wrote in message
om...
> Neil - how do you double declutch ? I've heard this term but never
> really understood what it is and why it would make a difference. I'll
> also do a Google on it to find out a bit more.
>
Double de-clutching is what drivers used to do in the days before
synchromesh gearboxes to give smooth down shifts. It consists of letting out
the clutch after one gear is disengaged and before engaging another and is
usually accompanied by a blip of the accelerator to increase the speed of
the input shaft to what it needs to be in the lower gear. (boy racers in hot
Minis and Escorts used to do it all the time)

The can't get into reverse problem could be as simple as when the clutch is
depressed the gears that need to mesh stop with 2 teeth coinciding and so
you need to let the clutch out briefly to move one gear relative to the
other

Hope that helps

Peter