A few months ago shortly after buying my 05 Z51, it began giving me problems shifting into reverse. I posted a thread then and checked solenoid and all linkages as a few other people had this problem with no luck. I lived with it for a while and decided to take it to the dealer with no other options. After 3 weeks they replaced the reverse gear and all related linkages. When i picked it up it was perfect, but 20 miles later and the second time i put it in reverse it it worse than it was beofre...ALOT WORSE . Now it will not go into reverse at all and it makes a horrible grinding noise when you try....Not to mention now it makes a constant whine in all gears driving down the road unless the clutch is disengaged. I immediatley took it back to the dealer hoping i can get this sorted out before the warranty expires...3 months from now. I have very little confidence in the dealer with these cars and was wondering if anyone has had a similair problem with their car....I think im going to start looking for a trade in though before these problems get worse. From my experience...trans problems are hard to eleminate without relpacing the entire thing.

 

Well, if they messed with the box and it fell apart 20 miles and 2 shifts later, its almost a given that they screwed it up! Certainly the "last one to touch it" principal applies here.

Of course its possible that the screwup is just something simple like not tightening the linkage - I certainly hope so - but if not I think I'd be leaning on them for a new transmission. That's probably something they'd have to talk to the GM district rep about, but if its been an ongoing problem there's a reasonable chance they'll go with it.

There shouldn't be a problem with the warranty for a problem that is well documented as starting before it runs out.

As far as my experience goes, I have an '05 Z51 and have had no problems at all with the transmission. Of course I'm going to drive home with my fingers crossed tonight!

Good luck!

 

Yes exact same problem here. 07 Z51 MN6 at about 4,000 miles I noticed a "whine" noise in all gears while moving but clutch in and it went away. I also noticed that when I put it in reverse it would grind. It progressively got worse and very annoying.Took it to the dealer (only because of the warranty) and at first they said they thought it was the "pilot bearing" in the transmission. Well after 4 days in the shop they said it wasn't the pilot bearing but had to be something internal in the trans. Also said the trans fluid was burnt and asked if I "ran" the car. Are you kidding ? 4 days to diagnose nothing ! Oh and also said there was nothing wrong with reverse and that I needed to give it a few seconds before shifting into reverse and not "jam" it in right away.They also told me that they didn't want to get into the trans until they had all the parts to rebuild it if needed. So 2 weeks later back into the shop. After 2 days they had the trans apart and said the nylon bushings were melted and needle bearings were pitted on 3rd gear ??? The technician apparently damaged the gear while removing it so they had to overnight a new one. 2 more days go by and now they say that when putting the trans back together the reverse gear won't go on. Imagine that. Now it's either the gear, bearing , or shaft that's bad. At this point I'm very frustrated and have little faith in them to properly diagnose anything. They said they would have a reverse gear overnighted and if that didn't work then I would need a new trans because the technician was "scratching his head" at this point. Well apparently the gear went on with no problems and got a call this evening that it was back together and running fine. I pick it up tomorrow and we'll see what happens. Anyway good luck with yours and good luck trying to have a dealer diagnose or fix anything. Also a few other forum members have had the exact same problem with this gear whine. Do a search on it and you'll bring up some others.

 

Thanks for the info...i did the search and...WOW...alot of people with the eaxact same problem. Its very dissapointing that the dealerships do not have real mechanics to diagnose and repair these probelms correctly though. First thing i noticed when i read the report from the dealer was "called GM tech support and they suggested replaceing reverse gear." It seems that the local technicians have no experience in actual automotive troubleshooting skills. So what do you expect when a GM rep is trying to diagnose a problem over the phone....its ridiculous Seems in most cases the end result was a new transmission...hopfuly i can persuade them to come off one if it is not repaired this time.

 

you need to shift into a forward gear first, and engage the clutch..
then it will shift into reverse smoothly..
hope this helps

 

Mine's a bit hard to get into reverse when sitting still. I've found a little rev up and shift on the down rev works pretty well. No grinding of any type, though. And you're not kidding on the amount of traffic re hard shifting, clutch, tranny or diff noise, etc. Good info to read.

 

I realize reverse can be a little tricky somtimes and usually needs to be shifted to 1st or 3rd, then reverse...this is normal it seems...but when i took mine to the dealer, the tech. could not even get it to go in reverse. I had been driving it for a couple of months and i guess i just got used to it and knew the sweet spot to make it work. There was definelty a probelm...but the bigger issue is that its worse now after the dealer "supposedly fixed it". The search on "gear whine" turned up alot of issues very similiar to mine...not going into reverse and grinding...along with constant whine in all gears unless clutch is disengaged. It seems that no one has actually pinpointed a difinitive cause for this problem either. Numerous problems and posts about it with many trips to the dealer...but have seen no one that had success having it repaired other than a new trans. If anyone had this previous problem and had success...please inform me as it might help if i can pass on the info to the dealership.

 

OK here's an update on my Vette. Picked it up today, FINALLY, and I am happy to say that there is no whine,no trouble or grinding going into reverse, and runs as good as new (for now). The list of what they replaced in the trans is literally a full page long. Every bearing was replaced as well as 3rd gear,reverse gear, and the trans fluid pump. A shaft, several seals, and a gasket. They showed me the parts that were removed and I personally spoke to the technician who worked on the car. He seemed very knowledgeable and explained everything to me in detail unlike the service manager was able to do. The technician couldn't pin down the problem exactly but said the needle bearing on reverse was bad and he thinks this created a lot of heat. It eventually melted a nylon bushing and burned the trans fluid. There was also another large bearing (don't know what it's called or what it does) that went bad for an unknown reason. The other gears were not discolored or appear to be damaged and the new reverse gear went right on like it should. They replaced every bearing anyway just in case. So overall I am happy with the outcome. The technician knew more than I originally thought and it seems he fixed the problem. They also said that they haven't seen this issue before and they service a lot of Vettes. The biggest problem they have seen on C6's lately is the "service active handling" light. Also I am happy to report that there was no damage to my rocker panels from lifting the car or anywhere else for that matter. They only put 9 miles on it (test driving) which is perfectly acceptable. So I guess I do have a little more faith in my dealer now. I hope this helps Chevelle71. I don't know how your dealer would react to this but if you need my dealers info so your dealer can contact them just PM me.

 

mine would not go into rev at all one mourning. 8000 miles, thought it was the solenoid too, dealer removed solenoid, still no reverse, gm auth. brand new trans no questions

 

Talked to the dealer today and said they are putting in a brand new transmission. Got a short version of the problem...said there was an issue with the transmission getting proper fluid...hence the fact that it worked perfectly for 20 miles then started acting up. Funny thing is, this had to be caused by the mechanic as it had no MAJOR issues until i took it too them in the first place. Anyway...hopfuly ill be shifting through gears again with no worries soon

 

This was the biggest headache of my life. My transmission was whining, more of a hum really. It seemed to happen most frequently when I would downshift into forth and accelerate. But it would also happen when just cruising in 6th sometimes.

After taking it in, they said my gears were blue from excessive heat and excessively worn. They told me my driveshaft (torque tube) was bent, and I actually saw this with my own eyes. How in the hell it was bent by a stock car on stock tires I have no idea. But worst of all, they said they weren't going to cover it because of suspected racing. (I retardly left my helmet in the back of the car)

The car had seen one track day, and about 10 passes. It had not been raced at all for over 3 months when the noise started. Eventually they ended up replacing the driveshaft and gears, and apparently the gear bearings that were causing the hum because that went away.

They told me they would cover the damage this time, but I was black listed for future repairs of the same nature, whatever the hell that means. They also gave me my car back insanely filthy and my driver's side tint damaged.

So I was pissed as hell, and totally disillusioned. The Corvette Experience was ruined for me. Either the service shop is criminal or Chevy designed a car that can bend its driveshaft right of the showroom floor. I barely drove it for a whole year. As far as I am concerned if you can't race it, there is no point in having it. I was very close to selling it.

About a year after the whole ordeal my right front wheel bearing started pulsating. I took it to a different dealer this time, and not only did they fix the bearing under warranty, but they also gave me an '07 rear diff. They actually replaced the rear diff first thinking it was the source of the pulse I experienced on the highway, but I wasn't going to stop them. As a bonus, now I don't have any of that low speed sharp turn grinding I had with my 05 diff.

So now, after more than a year hiatus, I am back on the forums, back in the clubs, and back on the road and track with my 05.

I understand that cars will have issues, they are just too complicated. It's how I was treated, the lack of intelligence and common sense at the service dept, and the way my car was treated that really turned me off from Chevy.

Unfortunately there isn't much of an alternative.

 

".. an issue with the transmission getting proper fluid .." - sounds like they forgot to put any in! But I'm glad they're taking care of it with a new box.

 

Yeah...my first thought too. Prolly will never now the truth though. Funny thing is i was joking about the mechanic frogetting the fluid while driving it there...of course i never thought that could REALLY be the case

 

Do you have the Z51? Don't they have an external cooler? Could there be a problem with the cooler and/or lines being clogged?

 

There are many possible causes to your transmission problem. Considering the dealership has already tried to repair the transmission for the same problem and failed....I'd push very hard for a transmission replacement.

Even your owner's manual cautions....."Racing or other competitive driving may affect the warranty coverage of your vehicle." Granted, some seemingly subjective warranty decisions (by a dealership) can be disappointing. You mention the dealership "suspected racing." I'm sorry, the fact is you were drag-racing the car.

IMO drag racing can be quite abusive to a car. I'm guessing you do have some idea how the driveshaft was bent...it was likely bent from repeated high RPM launches off the line at the drag strip. Should GM warrant damages caused under these circumstances? I personally don't think so....it would be nice if they did but I understand why they don't. I think you were very fortunate that the dealership covered the damage under the circumstances.

You note leaving your helmet in the car may have tipped-off the dealership you were racing the car (and jeopardizing your warranty by your own actions). I'm sure you would be honest and up-front with the dealership but some people intentionally defraud the dealership just to have repairs made under warranty. This is just stealing and the person committing fraud is a thief.

Anyone that wants to modify and/or race their car should be willing to accept the inherent risks and honest enough to accept the consequences of their own actions....'man-up.'

You mention "...It's how I was treated, the lack of intelligence and common sense at the service dept." It seems to me the service department had enough intelligence and common sense to accurately determine you were racing your car. As to how you were treated....IMO you were treated exceptionally well. The dealership/GM did repair your car under warranty when they truly had no obligation to do so.

 

I was reading this post on friday and as of last night I just cant get the car into reverse at all. I have an 06' z51 also, but with a procharger and 410's. All the other gears seem fine, doesnt grind at all....just will not let me put the stick into reverse, no matter how hard I push it...its the oddest thing I have ever seen.

this is my question... think its cool to be driving it, or should I wait out the holiday weekend with it in the garage? I dont want to make a potential problem worse.
Thanks for any help at all!!!