Can't Engage Reverse - Any Help Please?

[snowytop]

1997 1.9 diesel    5 speed  

 

Hi can any one help please?

 

The old Gals decided she doesn't want to go into reverse.

All the forwaed gears are fine, they select fine and drive fine, and if you're lucky enough to get reverse it selects and drives fine as well.

 

Most of the time when trying to selct reverse the stick stops short of engaging. (no problem with the lifting button)

you have to keep running through the forward gears and eventually it might select reverse.

 Under the bonnet - when it doesn't want to go in , you can't select it by pushing by hand , its solid.

 

Sometimes if you stop the engine it goes in quicker.

 

Its been getting progressively worse for a few weeks but is now really bad.

 

If anyone can offer some thoughts or advice please it would be appreciated.

Thanks.

[BrianH]

Have a look with an assistant if the reverse lights come on, If they don't i'd see if you can remove the switch and see if it improves (i'd suspect its fallen apart and blocking the selector from moving in the right direction, your persistance may be working just as it moves about). It may also be worth checking the gearbox oil level if you haven't already (the fill plug is on the front, with the car level remove it, and the oil level should be level with the plug hole).

[snowytop]

Hi Brian

Thanks for the reply

I would never have considered looking at the reversing light switch,

I know the lights did work when it engaged gear (seen it at night) but  i'll check for definite tomorrow if it still is.

 

Any thoughts why it seems to engage easier when you turn the engine off, move through the forward gears and then try for reverse?

 

I'm completely at a loss what to do next.  thanks for your help.

[chrispb123456]

Maybe clutch dragging (not fully disengaging) as you say it goes in easier with engine off

Also check security of selector cables

[snowytop]

Hi Brian and Chris

I've tried out some of the suggestions you made but haven't had much luck yet.

The Reversing lights only come on when the gear is actually selected, they don't light at all when the selection attempts fail.

 Could the switch still be faulty?

I haven't been able to check the oil level yet.

 

As far as I can tell the clutch doesn't appear to be dragging, but even with the engine stopped it is still difficult to select -possibly 8 or 10 attempts needed running through the forward gears first.

I've taken out the centre console and the cables are secure at that end, but I can't see hardly anything at the engine side - it's all by feel.

 Is there any way of gaining better access?

 

I've also had a go at adjusting the cables (without the proper tool) hoping that might cure it, but guess what,  I can't tell any difference

 

Any further thoughts or suggestions would be very helpful.

Thanks.

[BrianH]

If you can't shift the selector itself then the cables are probabbly not the cause of the issue anyway, Access isn't great though at the same time its not the worst to work on. The bit you mention about it being bad even without the engine running suggests its not the clutch dragging causing the issue either (if this was the cause i'd expect you to be seeing it effecting most gear changes not just reverse). I believe you should be able to remove the switch for the reversing lights by unbolting it (if i remember correctly from when the clutch was replaced in mine its mounted on the top of the gearbox under a plastic dome top).

 

Only way i can think you will be able to tell if its the switch is to take it out and see if it improves the issue at all, it may be debris stuck under it, a dodgy switch, or may well be something else entirely. The gearbox oil i've known to cause shifting to get difficult when it gets low on other cars with the mtx gearbox when no other obvious symptoms are present (the gearbox oil level shouldn't be dropping though, so if it has gone somewhere you need to find where its gone and sort that).

[snowytop]

yes i see what you mean now,it won't engage manually from under the bonnet so that must rule the cables out - good thinking.

 

I'll remove the switch and give it a try without it, keeping my fingers and everything else crossed of course, when I'm off work next week, because I don't get home till late, but if it is something else entirely would it be worth investigating the selector shaft and mechanism? Do you think thats a likely prospect or are we talking deeper in the box?

 

Is it possible to remove the selector assembly from the gearbox in situ.?  There doesn't seem to be enough room, but I do understand that sometimes it can be deceiving.   Do you have any idea what could be removed to improve access.  I thought I'd remove the battery tray to give better access,  but that idea didn't turn out quite as I planned, lol.  there seems to be a mounting bolted to it.

Thanks.

[chrispb123456]

Removing battery tray will give better access to cables and essential if you want to remove the turret but you need to support the gearbox as it will drop if you don't

The selector shaft upper support bearing can get dry and cause difficulty getting any gear there is also a pinch bolt that can come loose and can drop out into the box maybe that is the problem, does there seem a lot of slack in the gear lever? have you got someone to operate the gearlever while you look at the cables for any excess movement..

[snowytop]

Thanks Chris,

There doesn't really seem to be much slack in the gearlever and they all engage easily when driving. 

 

To check the movement I put my hand on the mechanism from under the bonnet while someone operated the gearlever, everything went well untill reverse, the mechanism moves into position but appears to be stopped JUST short of engaging the gear, so I pushed on it but it's solid - it feels as if it's either up against something, or not slotting into something. 

 

I suppose it can only hit something internally which is why i was wondering about removing the turret, - do you think there is anything on that turret that could cause this?

 

On a brighter note the lads in work think its hilarious, the car park is on a very shallow slope, so I drive up the slope and then roll backwards at a snails pace into any space i can reach - within the lines or not.  It's seriously embarrasing but you have to laugh don't you.

[snowytop]

Just thinking about that bolt coming loose, if it came partially out do you think it could hit something to prevent reverse being selected?

 

Or if it was loose would you not be able to engage the other gears?  

 

Any thoughts?

[BrianH]

The usual result of that bolt coming loose is a hole in the gearbox casing (ie a ruined gearbox), Not sure if its possible for it to hit something as I've not seen whats in the area on the diesel version but it would be worth a look if its suspected to be possibly loose. What Chris has said about getting someone to work the gear lever for you should give a clue where the problem is happening.