Car will not go into reverse

[Aikouka]

God, I don't know how many times I've tried to put that car into reverse. I've done it with the car started and with the car off. I cannot get the car into reverse. I looked at the shift cables underneath, and the left one ... if I remember right, it pushes in when you push the shifter to the right, and then I pull the shifter back, which causes the right shift cable to go forward. But then the shifter just shoots back toward the middle like I'm in 4th gear.

I have had this trouble since I bought the car. Yesterday when driving I was able to get it into reverse once, but I could never get it into reverse again. Thank god the only times I needed it, I was on an incline so I could just push in the clutch to go backwards.

Am I just making a mistake in shifting? Or is there something mechanically wrong with my shifter, shift cables or transmission? I already missed an appointment to get my car aligned because I couldn't get the car out of the garage. All this trouble with reverse makes me really wish I got an automatic instead of a manual.

EDIT: It goes into 5th just fine, by the way.

 

[Mike1992]

Your shifter cables must be out of adjustment, get the ol haynes manual out and adjust them.

 

[jjsacidy]

im not an expert on anything but some times mine wont go in gear all the way but the shifter will stick part way into reverse and grind. push the clutch in and shift to first, then go back to neutral, jiggle side to side, then into reverse ALL THE WAY. i hate grinding in front of people and feeling like a stupid fool

 

[Aikouka]

Your shifter cables must be out of adjustment, get the ol haynes manual out and adjust them.

Well, about adjusting them. I looked at the Haynes manual, and finally after looking around, I realized the adjusters are under the shift boot (I wasn't sure if it was at the transaxle or under the shift boot) and I see how to adjust them ... but what do I use to know when they're adjusted properly? Should there be equal threads on both sides? Or should the amount of cable showing be equal on both sides? The Haynes manual really wasn't very descriptive on this, and I've never adjusted the cables before.

Jj, I tried putting it into 1st and then putting it into reverse, but I couldn't get that to work. It's pretty much every time I try to get it into reverse, I end up shifting into 4th. To make sure I wasn't delerious, I let off the clutch a bit and my RPMs dropped and the car didn't go backwards (I'm on flat land, and the car always goes backwards when I let off the clutch a little in reverse.)

EDIT: Okay, I found this thread ( http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/showthread.php?t=88017 ) after searching (yes, I should've done it in the first place ... sorry about that) and I tried one thing they mentioned about manually (as in, at the transaxle itself) shifting the car into reverse. I looked at the way the shift cables move, and I was able to shift into reverse at the transmission with EASE. To make sure i was right, I turned the car to ON and the reverse lights were on.

 

[jjsacidy]

sorry the 1st gear crap didnt help, but heres what you need to look at http://vfaq.com/mods/shifter3.html cept maybe ull win the everythings gotta suck lottery like i did and ur up down shift cable wont even have an adjuster!

 

[Aikouka]

I just remembered something that'd be beneficial to know, and I guess it does mean I'm in need of adjustment. There've been times when I've driven that it's also been hard to get into 1st. But it only took me a good 4 or 5 tries (at the most) to get into 1st. And I also had some grinding problems with 3rd gear yesterday, when I could've sworn I put it into 3rd perfectly. Thanks for the great link, Jj!

 

[Mike1992]

Now your set, if only it were that easy for me :thumbdown Im taking the tranny in for rebuild next week, if I dont end up buying this used one 170 miles away. Still sucks