HELP!! No reverse after rebuild???

[EagleTalonTim]

Well..the title basically explains everything. I just got done rebuilding my AUTO tranny (W4) and all gears work except for Reverse??? I got the rebuild kit from IPT and I also installed the shift kit they offer. Any ideas on what may cause this and how to fix it??

 

[Gasolinebaptism]

linkage? or syncros.
Shit.. I'm a manual guy, I don't even know if there is a linkage type thing under the shifter or it it's all electronic.

 

[twicks69]

Here is a list of the standard fare issues to check with this problem:

Vehicle Will Not Move In Reverse
* Defective front clutch or retainer
* Defective low-reverse brake
* Defective oil pump
* Defective Pressure Control Solenoid Valve (PCSV) on valve
body or wiring circuit
* Defective pulse generator "B" or wiring circuit
* Defective torque converter
* Improper shift cable adjustment
* Low fluid level
* Low line pressure
* Malfunction in valve body
* "O" Ring for low-reverse brake circuit not installed
between valve body and transaxle case

 

[EagleTalonTim]

Thanks for the reply twicks! To add to my symptoms. I drove to work this morning and there is a few more things to add to my problem. At highway speeds, light throttle, there is a slight vibration in the transmission. You can hear it as well. It is like a humm. It almost sounds like the exhaust gasket blew. I also cannot get a good reading on the dip stick since it appears there is a white foam at the top of the transmission fluid. I figure it is a little low since at really low speed in first gear, it kicks out of gear and goes into "neutral" until I press the gas a bit. Any advice or help would be greatly appreciated!

EDIT : Also... the transmission fluid felt EXTREMELY hot when I checked the fluid level. Is this normal?

 

[rbwtrans]

I'd pull the valve body and check for valve movement and go back aver the shift kit instructons. I've run into several with valve body malfunctions that caused no reverse. If the valve body bolts get overtightened the casting will distort (especially near the filter) and cause valves to bind. Also, check your fluid level in neutral. Typically the fluid level is truely a little low when the stick reads full. I usually add about 1/4 in over the full mark. Also the o-ring on top is a common mistake that is made.

 

[EagleTalonTim]

Well....the noise was actually coming from the engine. I have dropped the oil pan and found 2 VERY small pieces of metal which looked like aluminum. There was also copper flakes in the pan....not alot, but noticeable. One of my torque converter bolts was loose as well..that could be the noise. As for no reverse, I think I know what I did wrong and all I have to do is pull the pan off the tranny again and pop out the valve body to fix the problem. I believe it could be some of my problem with the bubbles in the transmission fluid and the high heat. Once I get everything put back together, I will post an update. Still wondering about the copper flakes in the oil though.

 

[EagleTalonTim]

Well I hate to bring this back from the dead, but I am back at it again. I have the motor rebuilt now and I need to get my reverse working. It sucks driving around Walmart till a spot is open I can just pull out of. I did pull the pan on the transmission to ensure everything looked right and the valves still moved. The Neutral / Reverse valve moves with no problems at all and the O-Ring on the top of the valve body is still intact and in place. I even reseated it again with the transmission assembly lube.

To add to the No reverse, my first gear is slipping only when I let off the gas pedal. I drive all the time with my shift box so I can hold any gear I need for as long as I want. If I rev the engine to 3k rpm through a parking lot and let off the gas, the transmission feels like it drops out of gear and goes back to idle. The strange thing is when I give it gas while in first gear, it pulls with no problems.

And for those who may ask......Yes, My transmission fluid level is correct.

Any help would greatly be appreciated!

 

[HighPSI TSi Guy]

Did your reverse work before rebuilding the trans? make sure the low/reverse brake cover thing had the o-rings aligned?

 

[EagleTalonTim]

Low / Reverse cover thing? Sorry.... confused. If you have a picture, that would be good

 

[EclipZ]

There are a few mistakes you could have made that would cause the no reverse issue.

Make sure this o-ring is installed and not damaged.

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if that is fine, this is most likely the problem. You didnt line up the 2 o-rings on the outside edge of the center support, only 1 may be lined up! line the o-rings up with the oil passages here:

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[EagleTalonTim]

Looks interesting, but the internals of my transmission don't look like that What year is the transmission that's in the pictures?

 

[EclipZ]

it should, they are all pretty similar. that is a 2g auto trans.

 

[EagleTalonTim]

I would really hate tearing it all back down again I really don't remember seeing any alignment holes close to the spider gears. I was hoping it would be something in the valve body. I did replace all the balls in the valve body with the light weight ones. Would that cause a problem? When I get the chance and some more money, I guess I will have to pull the transmission back out and disassemble it again.

 

[EclipZ]

there definitely are oil passages there and if the center support isn't lined up correctly it will cause pressure issues/no reverse/extra wear on parts. reverse is all mechanical so it wouldn't be a solenoid issue. did you follow the instructions on the shift kit very closely?

there was another guy recently that had this exact problem and this was the solution. if you have a dsmlink forums account, look here = ECMTuning User Support Forums

 

[EagleTalonTim]

I did follow the shift kit installation very closely and took my time with it. I am thinking it would be best to take the transmission back out and double check everything again. I currently don't have a "go to work" job, so I can't afford to keep buying transmission fluid or replacing parts. Right now, I am working as a web programmer at home and still building my shift boxes.

 

[99SpyderGS-T]

Strangely enough I am in the same situation, no reverse after a rebuild. I rebuilt an auto AWD 4 yrs ago and then did an AWD conversion. I also put in IPTs kit at the same time. Shortly after the swap I switched back to the valve body out of the FWD tranny and the problem still exists. I switched em back and now just rarely drive the car.

I was online tonight doing some review before swapping in a used (untouched) AWD so that I can get some use out of the car. If I has some motivation perhaps I will tear down the rebuilt tranny sometime in the near future. Figured I would at least offer up my similar situation and the lack of results from switching TBs.

 

[EclipZ]

its likely the same problem i described above. its a common mistake and a simple fix.

 

[99SpyderGS-T]

Thanks for the reply EclipZ. I took picture of the entire teardown and rebuild (mostly so I could reference the before pics ). Going back to those pics seem to indicate that you are exactly correct. By looking at the holes, part number, and the scratches, I think that I needed to be one tick clockwise.

Before:

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After:

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Looks like I might just try to fix the current transmission instead of swapping. Tough decision...

Thanks again!

 

[EagleTalonTim]

Finally got reverse fixed Took 1 day to take out the transmission, realign the plate inside the tranny, and put it back together. If anyone else is planning on doing this, be sure to either have a front pump gasket or at least some gasket material to make the gasket. I bought some gasket material from Oreilly Auto and made my own gasket with a razor blade and a very small flat tip screw driver for the holes. Turned out perfect! What a relief!

 

[GDNF2ET]

Congrats on the fix !! The most important thing I learned was the power of pictures..Very smart taking before, during and after photos...

 

[EagleTalonTim]

I did take a bunch of pics so I could post a "How To" on here but my wife deleted all the pics on her camera before some wedding she went to All well. Atleast that is one problem taken care of so far. Only a few more things to fix before winter!

 

[99SpyderGS-T]

I promptly jumped right on looking at my transmission issue (11 months later) As expected above, same issue... You can see from an outline on the wall that I was counter-clockwise one position.

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[pb_evil]

What components need to be removed in order to realign the center support... In the service Mani its step 45 of 55 so just want to know how much is necessary to just re clock oil holes