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Clutch & gearbox

Crunching or grinding when changing gear

Crunching often means the clutch is not fully releasing rather than the gearbox being worn out — which is worth establishing before any gearbox work.

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Symptoms drivers describe

  • Crunch going into gear, often first or second, or reverse
  • Worse when cold and improving as it warms
  • Notchy or heavy gear selection
  • Gear lever movement feeling vague

Possible causes

  • A clutch not releasing fully due to hydraulic or release-bearing faults
  • Worn or stretched gear linkage and bushes
  • Old, contaminated or incorrect gearbox oil
  • Worn synchro rings inside the gearbox
  • A worn dual-mass flywheel affecting engagement

What you can do

  • Note which gears and whether it is worse cold
  • Do not force the lever — it accelerates wear
  • Ask for the clutch side to be tested before gearbox work is considered

How we check it in the workshop

We check clutch hydraulics and pedal travel, inspect linkage and bushes, check oil level and condition, and road test through every gear.

Is it safe to keep driving?

Worth investigating early. A simple hydraulic or linkage fix now can prevent gearbox wear later.

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How we can help

Clutch Replacement in IverCommon signs of clutch wear can include a high or slipping pedal, judder and difficulty selecting gears. Symptoms often build up gradually, and catching them early may save the flywheel as well.Read more Gearbox Repair in IverNot every gearbox complaint needs a gearbox. Linkages, mounts, clutch hydraulics and oil condition cause many of the symptoms drivers assume are terminal.Read more Clutch & Gearbox Work in IverTransmission work is our bread and butter: clutches, flywheels and gearboxes on cars and light commercial vehicles.Read more Gearbox ReplacementWhen a gearbox is beyond economical repair, a good replacement unit fitted properly restores the car for far less than most people expect.Read more

Clutch & gearbox

Other symptoms in this group

Clutch slipping or revs rising without accelerationA slipping clutch is no longer transferring all of the engine's torque. It normally shows up first in high gear, uphill or under load.Read more Car judders when pulling awayJudder can be transmission or engine related. Whether it also happens while driving at steady speed helps separate the two.Read more Car will not go into gearWhether it will not select from rest or fights you between gears tells us whether to look at the clutch release system or inside the gearbox.Read more Clutch pedal soft, spongy or stuck to the floorA change in pedal feel is usually hydraulic. It often appears before the clutch stops working altogether, so it is worth acting on.Read more Engine revs but the car does not moveIf the revs rise and the car stays put or barely pulls, drive is being lost somewhere between the engine and the wheels.Read more

Want this looked at properly?

Send us your registration and describe the symptoms — we will tell you what the next step is.

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