Can’t shift into Reverse

[Deleted member 69311]

To make this quick.
(I removed the shifter cover to see if I get get to the shifter boot

Car off - Can perfectly shift into 1st gear and Reverse.

Car on - Struggle to get it into first gear smoothly, Can’t get it into reverse. I literally have to force it in.

The new clutch is 2 months old. I have zero gear grinding. The car shifts perfectly normal 2nd-6th gear.

Where can I start to look to see if something is in the way, or damaged?

For some reason M6G won’t let me post the video I recorded. I’ll keep trying.

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[silverbullet85]

What clutch do you have?

 

[NGOT8R]

I’m not sure if this is your problem, but the reverse shift fork has plastic shift pads on it. I read somewhere a while ago, that someone else had one of the shift pads break and it caused major damage to their tranny.

When I changed mine out, I simply used a heat gun to soften them and pulled them out of their mounting holes.

 

[Deleted member 69311]

What clutch do you have?

OEM

 

[Deleted member 69311]

I’m not sure if this is your problem, but the reverse shift fork has plastic shift pads on it. I read somewhere a while ago, that someone else had one of the shift pads break and it caused major damage to their tranny.

When I changed mine out, I simply used a heat gun to soften them and pulled them out of their mounting holes.

If that was my issue, would it be the same regardless if the car is on or not? Everything goes into gear just fine when the car is off. The problem is only when the car is on.

 

[NGOT8R]

If that was my issue, would it be the same regardless if the car is on or not? Everything goes into gear just fine when the car is off. The problem is only when the car is on.

I can’t be sure about that, but it’s the only negative thing that I’ve read about regarding a reverse issue.

 

[Johnny Rockit]

Just my opinion but if the clutch is not completely disengaged and dragging slightly the synchro will prevent grinding when going into gear. Once moving under power and shifting it will seem fine if rev match is on. I am leaning towards ballooning pressure line from master to slave or it needs bleeding. Just a wag though.

 

[shogun32]

Seconded, your clutch is dragging.

 

[Vlad Soare]

If it goes into gear just fine with the engine stopped and won't with it running, then it must be the clutch. It doesn't disengage completely.

 

[Coosawjack]

Check fluid reservoir and pump clutch pedal 50 times or so.......sounds like you might have air in the line??

GOOD LUCK!!

 

[Deleted member 69311]

addressing those who are saying it might be air bubbles. If there were air bubbles, would it affect all the gears? I only have issues with 1st and Reverse. The other gears are perfectly fine! It just feels like something is in the way of the reverse gear slot. Maybe something under car, like linkage? If the linkage was bent, would it not shift the same even if the car was off?

I’m going to take it apart from the top today and see what I find.

 

[NGOT8R]

addressing those who are saying it might be air bubbles. If there were air bubbles, would it affect all the gears? I only have issues with 1st and Reverse. The other gears are perfectly fine! It just feels like something is in the way of the reverse gear slot. Maybe something under car, like linkage? If the linkage was bent, would it not shift the same even if the car was off?

I’m going to take it apart from the top today and see what I find.

You won’t see much removing the shift knob and boot looking in from the top. To save you a bit of trouble, here are pics of how things look on the inside the shift rail engages the reverse shift fork.

 

[Vlad Soare]

If there were air bubbles, would it affect all the gears?

Yes, it would, but not necessarily to the same extent. First and reverse are more sensitive to an incompletely disengaged clutch than higher gears are. If the clutch disengages, say, only 97%, that may be enough not to show any symptoms in the higher gears, but not good enough for first or reverse.
Whether it's air bubbles or something else, I don't know, but I'm pretty sure it has to do with the clutch.

 

[Gloucesternige]

Just my 2 cents here.. When selecting first or reverse you are stationary, all the other gears you are not, unless you are saying you can get all the other gears stationary, engine running?

Have you tried letting the pedal up a touch, say an inch or so and see what happens. I have seen issues in the past where the clutch can drag when the pedal is all the way down as the centre is being pushed too far in. Did this happen straight away after the new clutch went in, or since then?

 

[KingKona]

Car on - Struggle to get it into first gear smoothly, Can’t get it into reverse. I literally have to force it in.

Normal.

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