Went to back out of the garage and the car will not go into reverse. No grinding noise or anything. 1 thru 6, clutch etc work fine. I have tried adjusting the shifter and replaced the reverse lockout solenoid. Still do not have reverse. Any idea on the next thing to check?

 

Did you check the solenoid wiring ??…with the connector removed see if you have 12 volts on the pink wire…if good now take a 12 volt test light connected to power…now probe the light green wire…light should not illuminate if below 3 mph…if it does either the light green wire is shorted to ground or the solenoid driver in the PCM has failed closed.

 

In addition to @C5 Diag 's ideas...

• With car on, engine OFF, can you get into reverse?
• If you remove the reverse lockout solenoid, can you get into reverse? Both with engine off and on.

 

Thanks for your reply. This is what I have tried.
1 Adjust shifter multiple times - shifter appears to shift into reverse but car does not move. No grinding, no load on the engine when clutch is released
2 remove solenoid and try shifting into reverse - shifter appears to shift into reverse but car does not move. No grinding, no load on the engine when clutch is released
3 bench test solenoid - it clicks but does not move actuator
4 Replaced solenoid - shifter appears to shift into reverse but car does not move. No grinding, no load on the engine when clutch is released
5 next step check wires at solenoid

 

Thanks for your reply. This is what I have tried.
1 Adjust shifter multiple times - shifter appears to shift into reverse but car does not move. No grinding, no load on the engine when clutch is released
2 remove solenoid and try shifting into reverse - shifter appears to shift into reverse but car does not move. No grinding, no load on the engine when clutch is released
3 bench test solenoid - it clicks but does not move actuator
4 Replaced solenoid - shifter appears to shift into reverse but car does not move. No grinding, no load on the engine when clutch is released
I will put the car back on jack stands and test the wiring per your suggestion. Should it have thrown a code if the wiring or PCM is bad?

 

Dosen't sound like its a solinoid or wiring problem. Removing the solinoid lets the shifter get into the reverse gate. If you push the shifter up into reverse and nothing happens it's either the linkage or an internal transmission problem.

 

Moved to C5 Tech for further discussion.

 

Agreed, if the issue persists with reverse lockout solenoid removed then you can rule out its wiring.

I would guess it's not linkage related since gears 1-6 are all accessible. Also I can't say I've ever heard of a manual shift linkage issue with C5s.
Otherwise, I agree it's sounding like something is wrong inside the trans.

 

Mine did that. Required a transmission rebuild.

 

Same thing happenec to me labour day weekend 2012. The rear wheels ended up locking up. I suspect i had broken a shift fork which jammed up the gears

 

The most common cause of this issue is a loose bolt in the clamp that connects the shaft in the shifter box to the linkage. It's very common and is very easy to overlook, even if your looking at it. When the bolt is loose, it will loosen up over time as it heat cycles, you'll have trouble getting into first or reverse. It will become more and more difficult until it becomes impossible to get into gear.

To confirm, clean the shaft and the clamp with brake cleaner. draw a line that connects the shaft and the linkage. This will allow you to see the shaft slipping inside the clamp. The shaft will slip when you are right at the end of it's rotation, it will not slip until the very end. At the very end you'll see the line separate; illustrating the shaft is stating farther than the clamp/ linkage are rotating. This is why it feels like your moving the stick far enough to get into reverse but you're still not getting into reverse.

Remove the bolt, clean with brake cleaner and apply a small amount of RED Loctite then reinstall. You will not have this problem again. @mwilder

 

I had the problem and the bolt securing the slip collar for the linkage shown above was allowing the connection between the shofter and the linkage to slip. It didn't seem to be retaining torque, not sure if the bolt was working loose or what.

I replaced the factory bolt with a stainless standard hex head bolt from Ace hardware. Bolt is in the bottom right of the image below:

 

I tried this and noticed the shaft was slipping when I moved past the 5-6 gate. I removed the fastener, cleaned the shaft etc. and retighten still no reverse. I am heading to the hardware store for a new bolt. Any idea if the actual clamp is replaceable-orderable? Still feel it is something in the shifter or linkage since it happened so quickly without noise or warning. !-6 still work fine so definitely not clutch or slave.

 

It's' common for these bolts to get loose and cause this issue. The bolt heat cycles which means it gets hot and cold as the car does, as it heats up it expands then cools and contracts; this allows it to come loose as the cycle repeats. You don't want to go over 25ft/lbs or you'll crack the clamp, this is why I always recommend cleaning the bolt and the threads in the hole with brake cleaner and applying RED Loctite for final install of this bolt.

There is more pressure required to move the stick to the far edges of it's travel; first or reverse. This is why it only slips at the very ends of the travel, like you said as it passes the 5/6 gate. This also happens with first in the exact same way, when it gets bad it will happen to both but it's usually such a problem that it is addressed before that happens.

The way to confirm that this is your issue is to remove the bolt, clean the threads and reinstall it. Instead of reinstalling the bolt with the stick centered in N, this time reinstall the bolt with the stick just a hair towards the driver's side; 1\8in maybe. Tightening the stick when it's a tiny bit off center will tell you everything you need to know. When you tighten the stick down with it cheated towards the driver's side it give the shifter assembly a little more travel towards the passenger's side, and visa versa. Sometime an 1/8in will solve your problem, sometimes it may take a little more. When you go too far you'll get into reverse, but it will be hard or impossible to get into first. The opposite is true as well.

The box below the shifter that the shaft is coming out of wears over time, that's why I rebuild them. As your box ages and accumulates miles it wears out, the bushings inside as well as where it mounts to the tube. As this wear creates slop the precision of the shifter goes away, it dampens much less vibration and even creates vibration that you will feel / hear in the cabin. This slop also creates this situation with first or reverse. You may be able to adjust the stick and get reverse back, but you'll probably have this issue again sometime down the road again because of the wear in the box.

If you want to upgrade your box I have a lot of options, I try to make them as affordable as possible. You can expect the shifter to feel significantly smoother and more precise than it felt the day the car was new. Also, you won't have this issue again (unless you forget the RED Loctite perhaps).

 

Thanks for all the info. I will try your suggestion on moving the stick off center before tightening and cleaning and or new bolt install. BTW I checked out your lower shift box and shifters. That is really nice work. Hoping to find reverse soon before giving up and going to RPI for repair