Here's a new one
#1
Pro
Thread Starter
Here's a new one
So I'm in the garage about to take the vette out for a Sunday drive. It's a convertible, manual trans, top down, doors locked with the fob in pocket. I reach over the door to turn the acc. on and the car starts. Lucky for me there is nothing behind me but the neighbors house. So here I am yanking hard on the e brake and trying to pull it out of reverse, no luck. All this is happening while I'm hanging over the door. Car crosses road and heading for neighbor's house. Finally I get to where I can jump in and stop the car about 5' from the house. Totally freaking out at this point but no damage to car or property. Anyway, the thing now is there is no reverse. I removed the console and the shifter seems fine. I think when I was yanking on the shifter I either broke of bent the linkage for reverse. Jacked the car up and could not see anything. BTW the car drives and shifts great but no reverse. Will probably go to the dealer to get it sorted out. Also forgot to mention, no reverse lights when I put it in reverse. Laughing about it now but hope its not to costly to repair. Any suggestions or comments are welcome. And no, I don't know why I leaned over the door and hit the start switch, that will never happen again. I hope.
#3
Le Mans Master
Member Since: Jan 2006
Location: Down south in Dixie
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I wish I could help you there biker. Happy you weren't hurt. I would also find out why the thing started at all. It shouldn't have started until the clutch was depressed. Good luck.
EV, I almost got this typed before you ask about the clutch.
EV, I almost got this typed before you ask about the clutch.
#5
Le Mans Master
Hope this doesn't turn into one of those big safety recalls like they've had on some other cars. Seems like most of those were jumping forward though.
It'll be interesting to see what the dealer says is wrong. Glad nobody was hurt or nothing was damaged.
It'll be interesting to see what the dealer says is wrong. Glad nobody was hurt or nothing was damaged.
#7
Melting Slicks
I seem to recall a thread hauntingly similar a year or so ago, but don't recall the outcome. I am not a mechanic but it seems the safety switch/relay(?) for the clutch is bad... Glad you are OK!
#8
Pro
Thread Starter
I will surely report the outcome or at least what they come up with. Can't see the clutch being bad, only has 10k miles on her, but you can never tell.
#11
Instructor
I think there's a switch on the floor behind the clutch pedal. When you press the pedal all the way down it "makes" the switch, which in turn allows the engine to start. That switch could be "made" all the time, causing the start with no clutch depressed. I don't think it's causing your no reverse though. Glad to hear no one was hurt and no damage to anything. Good Luck!
#13
Team Owner
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St. Jude Donor '15
"In honor of jpee"
I presume this is an '05 (or why have it in reverse)? From what I can see of the posts above, there is more than one thing going wrong because as said, a) it shouldn't have started and b) unless it was accelerating, you should have been able to pull it out of reverse. I wouldn't get back into the car for other reasons, such as until it gets fixed. Not only can I imagine bad scenarios, my first thought was that people usually start the car in the garage. If the driver's side was next to the wall, you would have been in bad shape walking/running along next to it as it got past the opening.
Finally, a couple of questions: do you have anything connected that is NOT stock? Or, has anything recently been replaced in the engine, in the dash, accel pedal, shifter, etc.?
Finally, a couple of questions: do you have anything connected that is NOT stock? Or, has anything recently been replaced in the engine, in the dash, accel pedal, shifter, etc.?
#15
Team Owner
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St. Jude Donor '15
"In honor of jpee"
What exit feature? I'm not familiar with it. If you mean, the wheel telescopes in and the seat goes back, that happens with the ebrake being set, not the trans in reverse to my knowledge. It may be different for an '06 vs. my '08.
#17
Drifting
I had a 64 and was working on the turn indicator which was not working right, took the steering wheel off and welded a small piece of metal back to where it should be because it had broken off. We put the steering wheel back on, pushed the turn indicator to see if it would click, and the car started. It was in gear, so it was lunging a bit and quit doing so once the clutch was pushed in and the brakes were applied. It did bump into a boat on a trailer in front of it, but fortunately it hid some pads on the trailer. After checking, it appears that the coating on one of the wires had worn of and it must have contacted metal when the turn indicator was moved.
#18
Drifting
If it was automatic I would say a bad safety neutral switch.
Last edited by myfunz; 05-04-2015 at 12:51 PM.
#19
Race Director
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#20
Either the clutch pedal button on the floor board has been jumped out, is faulty, or someone turned off the need to push the clutch in to start the car during a tune.
As for the reverse lights not working, could be a fuse, the connector bad, or could just be the reverse switch on the trans gone bad.
As for repairing it, pretty much a snap to trouble shoot and do it yourself, but if you are going to get into the habit of taking the car to the dealer to fix it every time, better start the saving account for repairs now (get at least 10K in it).
As for the reverse lights not working, could be a fuse, the connector bad, or could just be the reverse switch on the trans gone bad.
As for repairing it, pretty much a snap to trouble shoot and do it yourself, but if you are going to get into the habit of taking the car to the dealer to fix it every time, better start the saving account for repairs now (get at least 10K in it).