Cant shift out of reverse

paulheger · 07 May 2018, 13:24

Hi Guys,
Thus this sounds familiar to somebody?

When in reverse, with running engine, sometimes I can't shift back to neutral or other gear, because the clutch is not operated by the servo/control unit.
It happens mostly after driving. E.g. comming home after a ride, shift into reverse on driveway, back up and then it won't come out of reverse.
When we shut the engine down we can shift back to neutral, start the car and all works fine again.
It never does it when the car is just started, always after a ride.
Problem was there before I put in the new engine.

sb001 · 07 May 2018, 16:09

Just to be clear, you never have a problem shifting INTO reverse, just trying to shift out of it?

68autobug · 08 May 2018, 06:44

It seems that the control valve isn't working when You move the gear shifter.... I haven't heard of any one having that problem before....
as it is working so You can select reverse....
even more odd that it only happens in Your shed!!! not when parking etc...

Lee

paulheger · 08 May 2018, 11:08

Quote from: sb001 on 07 May 2018, 16:09
Just to be clear, you never have a problem shifting INTO reverse, just trying to shift out of it?

Correct: It only happens trying to shift out of reverse.

Quote from: 68autobug on 08 May 2018, 06:44
that it only happens in Your shed!!! not when parking etc...

Not only in the shed, also when parking, but always after a drive.

I do like trouble shooting, but this is getting strange.

sb001 · 08 May 2018, 22:54

Does it help if you rev the gas when trying to shift out of reverse?
I am thinking two things here- #1, the idle speed in gear is too low and causing problems trying to shift out but it is OK in neutral trying to shift INTO gear. However I would think this would affect the other gears as well.
#2, it's possible that the contacts at the base of the shifter are out of alignment such that it allows you to shift into reverse but has trouble shifting out of it (i.e. pulling the gear stick back does not make the contacts touch to activate the control valve and disengage the clutch.) And it doesn't affect the other gears.
Other than those two options I;m out of ideas- if it was having trouble shifting into reverse as well as out, or if the other gears were being affected, I might have a few more options. I CAN tell you that when my clutch diaphragm developed a small tear in it, it seemed to affect reverse more than the other gears BUT it did make it extremely difficult to shift INTO gear as well as out, AND it affected the other gears, so I don't think it's that. I'm eager to hear the diagnosis!!

68autobug · 09 May 2018, 04:13

Now that is really strange.... Cannot get out of reverse when parking after a run... it doesn't crunch going into reverse?

The only thing I can think of is the contact points, not working when You try to go OUT of REVERSE....
which would mean the points are burnt on one place, which is where You try to go out of reverse... VERY ODD though...
The worst case would be something in the gearbox or the selector...
I wonder if the cause could be the nylon bush on the gear shaft under the gear shifter??? it is worn enough to stop the points being selected to go OUT of reverse, remembering that reverse is in a completely different position... DOWN & forwards....??
or the only other thing could be a worn reverse lock out plate under the gearshifter....

LEE

paulheger · 16 July 2018, 22:36

Finally had some time to look into the issue. Problem was caused by to much distance between the sensor (contact) in the gear shifter.

sb001 · 17 July 2018, 05:47

Glad you got it resolved!!

68autobug · 17 July 2018, 09:45

Quote from: paulheger on 16 July 2018, 22:36
Finally had some time to look into the issue. Problem was caused by to much distance between the sensor (contact) in the gear shifter.

That was a really odd problem that I haven't heard of before... Great to see You have found it..

Lee in Australia

muirfollower · 20 September 2018, 20:14

ok, I'm hijacking this to ask a dumb question. When your bug is turned off, i.e. ignition off, can you (or should you be able to) shift the autostick into different gears?

Andrew

Dave · 20 September 2018, 21:07

Yes, just like a regular manual box, mine does.

68autobug · 23 September 2018, 05:23

Yes, like a manual gear shifter but the clutch needs to work when the gear shifter is moved and the electrical points connect as you move it...

Good to see You know the what the problem was...

sb001 · 26 September 2018, 15:52

Guess what folks! I am now having the exact same problem as the OP here!

This has happened twice now in a week- drove to work (about a 40 minute drive), no problems at all shifting in forward gears between Drive 1 and Drive 2 while driving, BUT when I got to work and pulled into the parking lot and stopped, I tried pulling the gear shifter out of Drive 1 to shift into reverse to back into my parking space-- lo and behold the shifter would NOT pull out of Drive 1! I was blocking traffic so I tugged and tugged and finally jerked it out of Drive 1 (and ground the gears a bit in the process.) Then it went into reverse just fine so I backed into my parking space, but then again sure enough when I tried to pull it back out of reverse and into neutral it would NOT pull out of gear again!

This time I simply shut the car off so I could pull it out of reverse, then I turned the car back on and it shifted into AND OUT OF every gear just fine!
Considering the OP's resolution to this problem I guess it's time to check my contact gap!

This brings up a question though-- should you be able to actually rotate the upper section of the gear shift lever freely even when installed on the car? I did this before turning the car back on and am wondering if this somehow brought the two contacts into closer proximity with each other.

Take a look at this diagram:

The upper part of the gear stick lever (#2) just goes through the adjuster sleeve and is not really connected to anything else. See how the adjuster sleeve locknut (#10) is on the bottom side of the adjuster sleeve (#6)? From what I can tell that locknut should thread down over the bottom section of the shifter (#11) and then the adjuster sleeve screws down over the housing and tightens up against the locknut, which keeps the upper and lower sections of the shifter together. But there is nothing I can see that would prevent you from "twisting" the upper section of the gear stick around once it's installed- the bottom part of it (with the upper contact protruding just a bit) just rests on top of that spring (#7) inside the bottom section of the shifter. Is this correct? Can all of you freely rotate the upper part of your shift lever around while installed on the car?

If this is the case it should not theoretically bring the contacts closer to each other since the upper contact will always be riding on that spring.

paulheger · 27 September 2018, 12:33

Upper part turns freely when installed, does not change the distance.

The problem with mine was not solved.
Yours seems the same, but only with me it only happens while in reverse and wanting to shift out of reverse. Indeed, killing the engine free's the gearbox from reverse. With mine it is always blocked in reverse now.

It seemed fixed for a couple of times after readjusting the senor in the stick lever. Then was back again, tried to re-adjust, but this didn't help anymore.
Did not have time to sort it out yet, and as it only happens in reverse to me, my driving became a work around (don't back-up...)

If I can find some time this weekend I will join you in the search...

sb001 · 27 September 2018, 21:59

Hi Paul, I feel your pain I once had a chevy cavalier that the reverse gear went out on, I had to drive it for a couple weeks making sure to either park facing uphill so I could roll back, or park away from the store so no one would park in front of me. Wouldn't you know it the day before I was to get it fixed some yahoo decided to park right in front of me with numerous other parking spots available-- I had to push roll the car backwards out of the spot.

Anyway, your issue is interesting since it was fixed at least temporarily every time you adjusted the contacts- seems that it still has to be the contacts or the way the upper gear shifter section is sitting in relation to the lower part-- I can't think of anything else that would allow you to go into reverse and all the other gears just fine, and ONLY prevent you from pulling the shifter out of reverse! I wonder if the wire attached to the lower contact has come loose from the contact, or broken inside the housing? Perhaps it simply still touches the contact or the other section of wire when you shift down and forward but then is separated again when you try to pull the shift lever back out...?