Reverse gear on C5 2001
 

Recently I got into my vet and tried to put it into reverse with no luck. gears 1 to 6 work fine but the shifter is very hard to move past the 5-6 gear position. It will go over there BUT it takes 2 hands. Once into reverse it works fine. I don't like forcing it that much as I'm afraid one time something is going to break. I haven't had any work done on the car recently. Any ideas what may have caused this and how to fix.

shifter worn or out of alignment ??? (stock shifters are junk !!!!)

Mine occasionally feels this way, sometimes it's easy though. Running a C6 shifter with TMOD lower box, and I think the shifter alignment is pretty good.

So after some of my own research I decided to buy a new reverse lockout solenoid assembly (whole assembly, not just the solenoid part) and will replace it. Fingers crossed for my car.

Put your car in 1st gear let out the clutch a little to roll it forward a tad... then go to reverse...

:iagree:
Old school suggestion. That's what I do when mine acts up. Learned that 'trick' many manual cars before.

Moved to C5 Tech.

Think it's time to take it in and get the experts to look at it. Nothing else has worked for me.
Thanks everyone for your suggestions.

Sounds like your reverse lockout solenoid is stuck on or is being commanded on when it should not be. When the car is not running does it go into reverse? With the engine off and the car stopped you should be able to feel the reverse gear detent when you shift into reverse and you should be able to shift through all the gears. Then you can try the same thing with the car running. If it then becomes hard to get into reverse and you can't get past the detent that will tell you the solenoid is on and blocking the gate. If shifter goes past the detent and you still can't get reverse it might be a problem with the clutch dragging. There are no synchros or reverse. In any event after you bring it to the experts let us know what they found.

Thanks Pdbrain!
That sounds logical. I'll give it a try shortly and let you know the results.

That was a great suggestion Pdbrain but unfortunately no difference. Once I get it over to 5-6 detent , I can get it across into reverse detent BUT it takes 2 hands to get it across THEN it pops up into reverse no problem. But thanks again, that was a great suggestion.

I'm almost 100% sure it's the solenoid. This happened to me. There is differently some work involved if u tackle it yourself.

Thanks helga203 ! where is this solenoid located? Is it a big job for the dealer to fix?

The reverse block gate solenoid is on TOP of the trans. It is possible to access it with the trans in the car but its working blind.

Here are some pictures for you.. The box type housing on top has a solenoid on it. That is the lock out solenoid:

https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v...psglucb8vn.png

https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v...ps0tcbgqbv.png

Bill

yes the deal can fix it. Bit if you try it its differently going to give you a challenge
As you can c it's on top. You would have to lower the whole cradle some to get to it. If u don't have the tools don't even try it.

Wow, that's quite a job Is there anyway that the solenoid could be tested to ensure it's the problem.
Thanks for getting back to me.

How does the solenoid work??? If it receives power does that then allow you to sift over into reverse and with the opposite, if NO power does it prevent you from getting into reverse?

When the engine is OFF, the solenoid is NOT powered and you can shift into reverse at any time easily. If the engine is ON and you are going than less than (I think its 2mph) the solenoid is not powered and should shift into reverse easily.

As soon as the car is rolling the solenoid is energized (by the PCM) and blocks the 5th/6th gate to the reverse gate. You can CRASH through the gate as you have already experienced but it takes some effort.

If you can not shift into reverse with the engine/ off key off, the gate is stuck in the blocked position. They are well known to stick.

BC

Quick update. I thinks things are fixed. I thought I would check all the fuses and found #19 engine ignition was blown. I replaced it and now I have NO problem getting it into reverse. I'm hoping that's all it was, but the next few days will tell.
Thank you all for your input. It's much appreciated.

Heres the wiring for fuse #19

It's interesting that the fuse fixed it. Was your skip shift solenoid working? Fuse 19 feeds the skip shift solenoid as well as the evap vent solenoid. I would have expected your check engine light to be on. Also a blown fuse 19 would keep the solenoid off and not blocking reverse. Maybe it was somehow jammed and applying power freed it. It may still give you trouble in the future.