It is never pleasurable to acknowledge a sound on your car that you don’t know where it comes from. You may be questioning what to do when you detect a reversing gear noise that continues on your smart fortwo? Any gearbox trouble can be serious, but before making sure, it is better to do a few investigations. Our team has made this paper to help you eliminate it. First, we will see what the sources and the different gearbox noises can be on smart fortwo, and second, what are the solutions available to you.reverse-gear-noise-smart-fortwo

Classical reverse smart fortwo noises and some tips to protect your gearbox

Why does the reversing of my smart fortwo make a different noise from my other speeds?

De facto, adding all gears, bearings and pinions into a gearbox is a difficult action. The noise made by the reversing of your smart fortwo is logical. It can be explained in a fairly simple way. In fact, the gears used for conventional speeds (1st to 5th or 6th) are so-called “helical” gears (oblique gears) . The use of such a pinion makes the noise caused by the gears much less important than with spur gears chosen for the reverse gear.

Tips to reduce wear on your clutch and gearbox

  • Don’t give a big boost:
    Certainly, if you kick the throttle hard when you are in reverse or when you put the car in the revs, you risk to burn your clutch or gnawing at the gearbox pinions.

  • Never reverse while the car is in motion or vice versa:
    Reversing the direction of operation of the gearbox during operation is a very bad practice. In fact, the pressure you will exert on the gears will be significant and you will generate a premature wear and tear of the gears. You can even break the gears of your gearbox at speed by doing so. It will therefore be completely common if you hear a reverse noise on your smart fortwo if you shift gear under these conditions.

Several smart fortwo reversing noises and their causes

Finally in this section, we will move on to what you are probably most excited about in this content, to learn about the origin of reversing noise on smart fortwo. Here are the 3 typical sounds you may be victim of.

I listen to a grinding noise when starting in reverse gear

If you acknowledge a grinding noise when you start in reverse with your smart fortwo, it may be the engine mounts that are tired. In fact, when the engine is in reverse gear, due to the pinions we saw above the vibrations generated by the gearbox are higher and it is therefore plausible that due to their wear the silentblocks no longer absorb the engine vibrations well. In this situation, do not hesitate to check out this content for more info about strut mount noises on smart fortwo.

An increased reverse knocking noise on smart fortwoX

If you are subject to a knocking noise when you are in reverse with your smart fortwo and this noise tends to amplify as you gain speed. It is plausible that you are confronting a serious trouble that needs to be fixed very fast before wrecking your entire gearbox. In fact, an intensifying rattling noise means that the gears are damaged. If they are, debris will spread to the rest of the box and damage other gears in short order. Take your car to your mechanic quickly or browse this content about gearbox noise on smart fortwo for more information.

I listen to a noise when I go in reverse

Listening a noise when you shift into reverse is normal and connected to the gears and sprockets used in the gearbox. If, on the other hand, you have the feeling that your smart fortwo reverse gear makes more noise than before, it is plausible that filings have been produced and are moving around in it. It is therefore time to empty the box.