1G Reverse locked out, other gears fine but shift around at higher RPM

[James92]

I did a pull, went into 2nd fine… went into 3rd fine. 4th grind… I let the rpms settle just a little tried to put it back into 4th and was magically in a higher gear, guessing 3rd but in 4th position - I pulled it into neutral and let the car settle then sheepishly put it into 4th, didn’t grind and went in smoothly.

Seems like it’s a high RPM issue, from what I read on here it could be loose nuts on the spinny rod thingy(sp?)

Low to mid all gears work great, I get home and realize.. I am completely locked out of reverse, nothing gets it to go in with the selector inside the cabin or onto of the transmission. All other gears work fine 1st thru 5th no issue. Reverse is completely locked out.

I’m not a transmission guy but have accepted that I’ll have to possibly pull it. I’ve never worked on transmissions nor ever pulled one before but am mechanically inclined and not afraid to do it… however, I’d like to know if there is any way to diagnose or fix this without pulling the transmission completely.

I’ve searched the forums but found a lot of reverse & 5th not working so before I attack this just looking for some advice on the matter.

 

[1990TSIAWDTALON]

Pull the End Cover off and you can see 5th and reverse with it still in the car. Check for loose End Nuts on both shafts you will see.

 

[pauleyman]

Marty is right the end cover may reveal something but that is just part of it. The end cover will show the synchro, and hub for reverse but the actual reverse assembly and lockout mechanisms are inside.

 

[19Eclipse90]

I’m not a transmission guy, either, but what about the reverse lights sensor? Pull that out and see if you can get it to go into that gear.

If it’s not shimmed correctly (switch is too “low” or too tight), it can block access to reverse. I can’t imagine that happening while driving but it’s easy to check.

 

[Stapl3]

If it’s not shimmed correctly (switch is too “low” or too tight), it can block access to reverse.

This got me in the past. Remove the reverse sensor, put a washer on it, reinstall.

 

[James92]

Ok I’ll pull the side cover, unsure of what to look for but I guess anything “out of place” when I get it off I’ll snap a picture of how it looks before touching anything and throw it up here.

I’ve heard of this reverse switch. Is it possible with loose end nuts on the shafts to shift the gearing momentarily then reseat and have the switch block it out of no where? Might be worth loosening and seeing what happens, I looked at it last weekend and it does look like there is a washer sandwiched between the switch and case BUT it could be wrong thickness, any thickness it should be to rule it out?

 

[Stapl3]

I guess if it's too thick the reverse lights just wouldn't come on. You could remove the sensor and see if the car will go into reverse as an experiment.

 

[pauleyman]

If car hasn't exhibited other symptoms its likely in the end case.

 

[1990TSIAWDTALON]

And if it is, it can be serviced in the car. Let's all hope for the easiest resolution. Its not hard to pull that particular cover for inspection. Have a catch pan under the trans, just in case anything tries to "escape" (and fluid).

 

[luv2rallye]

Some other shifting problems possibilities:

Shifter cables are not fastened down securely on the tranny.

Shifter cable bushings are worn at tranny end.

Shifter base itself is moving around or shifter bushings worn.

Select Lever Shoe may be excessively worn (https://www.dsmtuners.com/threads/97-gs-t-fifth-gear-grinding-help.376341/#post-152266167).

To check reverse: When it won't go into reverse, you can also let the clutch pedal up until it just barely engages and while holding it there, it may slip into reverse easier. If it does, your internal tranny reverse idler teeth have gotten so rounded from wear (instead of being properly pointed) that they are smashing directly into the tops of (instead of meshing between) its corresponding input shaft gear teeth preventing engagement.

Also make sure the tranny backup light switch has a washer of correct thickness under it (new is 0.037" but 0.040" works).

 

[James92]

Ok I will add that I have replaced all shifter base bushings and shifter bushings were all replaced from DSM 3D Creations about 4 months ago, their entire shifter line they carry I picked up and replaced it all.

I replaced the bushings on the tranny side with Brass ones from Extreme PSI.

I tried to slip it in with the clutch and no dice, feels the same but grabs all the other gears fine.

One thing I did notice when I went to remove the reverse switch was it had backed out a couple a hairs, I went to wrap the wrench around it and noticed it wiggle. Tells me it was loose to begin with. I pulled it out completely and the ball on it looks fine and tried to manipulate into reverse at the tranny and inside the cabin and still nothing.

So I think I’ve done all I can without removing anything. Next step I think is to remove the side cover and see what that tells me. Might be able to get to it this weekend or next weekend since Halloween and everything but wanted to update what I’ve found so far since getting home.

BTW I work out of town during the week 100% of the time so I only work on the car on weekends which is why I try to come up with a good plan of attack so I can just jump on it with good momentum.

Thanks to everyone for their inputs, hopefully I’ve cleared some things up as well, next would possibly be the shifter cables themselves but between you, me & the tree I doubt that’s what this is.

 

[luv2rallye]

Before removing the side cover:
While having someone in the car shifting thru all gears (you don't need the engine running), you watch the shifter cables at the tranny. The casings should not be moving around (eg. not going right/left or up/down). If they move, they are not secured properly which will cause the inner shifting cable (inside the casing) to not move far enough or move too far. Also watch the tranny shift levers to make sure they are moving correctly and far enough.

I hope your tranny shifter bushings are not completely brass metal. For years I had the "skateboard bearing mod" installed for the tranny shifter bushings (which are completely metal, no rubber bushing part in them at all like the factory ones have) and I kept eventually getting gear pop-outs because it kept wearing down my shifter fork. I rebuilt the tranny completely myself 3 times over 10 years time before I finally figured out the factory ones have a rubber bushing part in them to allow for a small needed wiggle movement inside the tranny (so the fork isn't forced to rub on one side of the synchronizer sleeve groove which wears the aluminum fork down eventually causing pop-outs when the fork gets narrow enough). See: https://www.dsmtuners.com/threads/stuck-in-gear-shift-fork.545203/#post-153899738.