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I have a 2014 Z51 M7 with 21k miles. I backed out of the garage and pulled back in this morning. I tried to back out again and could not get into reverse. Engine on or off - could not get into reverse. Pulled negative battery cable - could not get into reverse. Reverse lockout fuse (#42 for 2014) is good. Connected negative battery cable - now I can get into reverse.
Questions? Where is the reverse lockout solenoid located? Does the solenoid take power to lock out, power to allow reverse, or power to change positions?
I will do my best to only back in to parking spaces for a while in case this happens again and I'll carry my 10mm socket wrench with me.
The solenoid is located on the very top of the transmission. The ECM provides a ground to energize the solenoid. The solenoid must be energized to allow a shift to reverse.
Last edited by laserdude2215; Aug 8, 2019 at 03:06 PM.
Reason: Spelling.
Thanks! So I'll call this a glitch unless it happens again.
I've had trouble getting into reverse before so hopefully mine keeps working. I test drove a C7 that was nearly impossible to get into reverse, no way I was buying that one. A solenoid should be an on/off type deal but I wonder if it could occasionally get hung up or stuck. For your sake I hope its OK because to reach it you have to pull the transmission.
I believe you meant item #4. Also, there is a special tool available which makes it possible to remove the solenoid after lowering the drive train a bit.
The lockout solenoid has a spring loaded over ride. If you push on the shifter hard enough the transmission will go into reverse. This is a design feature in case a failure occurs when the car is in a position where it can only be moved in reverse (like nose in to a parking spot against a building).
I found this out when I had my 97 C5. When on track shifting from 4th to 5th at 120 mph I was hitting reverse every now and then and getting a terrible grinding sound. Thought the solenoid was going bad turned out I was using too much force on the shift. Once I realized that never had the problem again.
Well, I played around a bit. I pulled the Reverse Lockout fuse and confirmed Laser's info that power is required to permit shifting normally into reverse. Seems that this keeps some minimum electronics active all the time. I was able to get the shifter into the 7 - R gate with the fuse out and engine running or engine off. But - I was not able to move the shifter to Reverse. I tried a steady pull as well as jerking the shift lever back. I quit before I damaged my arm or the shifter. I guess maybe the override spring mechanism is frozen since it has never been exercised in 5 years.
I'll just try to back into parking spaces for a while and hope this was a one time glitch.
M7 reverse lockout gremlin?
