I have a problem with reverse thats really starting to tick me off. The reason the guy sold the car was because of the reverse issue (he was origional owner). When shifting to R I always go:

1. Cluth in
2. 1st gear
3. Reverse
4. Clutch out

Somtimes I can do that all day long, others it will NOT go into reverse. I havent replaced the tranny fluid yet but all other gears shift fine so I doubt its that. Im going to try to rebleed/flush the clutch tonight and hope that helps. Its just strange that sometimes it goes right in, others its like I might as well not even have the clutch pushed in. If it was just that it needed bled, wouldnt it not want to go into 1st (or any other gear) either?

 

Hydraulic problems should effect all the gears. Don't discount what a good transmission fluid can do. Have you checked the old fluid?

 

I havn't yet checked the old fluid. I was going to change it last night, but I literally went to 3 different parts stores for a particular fluid i want and all three were sold out. Im going to run the 50/50 gear oil/ATF. heard nothing but good things. Do you think that there is a chance that could be the problem? the guy said it worked fine last year, but this year, no dice.

 

12a transmissions don't have a syncro in the reverse gear. It's very common for them to "clunk" into reverse. I wouldn't worry at all if all the other gears shift fine.

I go from 5th to reverse. Worked better than 1st to reverse when I had my 12a transmission.

Put some new 80w90 gear oil/ and your choice of ATF to clean up the inside. 50/50 mix. Run that for a week. Then put straight gear oil in.

 

if the thing "clunked" into reverse id be happy. it WILL NOT go into reverse at all. I could pull on the shift lever so hard towards reverse that it would snap off before it would go it. other times, it goes right in. does this sound fluid related to you guys?

 

ive tried 1st to R, 5th to R, R, 2nd to R, 3rd to R, 4th to R, 1st to 2nd to 3rd to 4th to 5th to R, 3rd to 5th to 2nd to 4th to 1st to R, FU 12a tranny to R to R to R to R to R... you get the idea.

 

Ahhh, gotcha. Misread that. I would definitely change fluid before doing anything else. Chip away at possible solutions and cancel things out 1 by 1.

 

BTW. Im doing right now what everyone else does and that pisses me off. Instead of just changing the fluid, im asking questions about if you guys think it will help. Im going to change the fluid regardless, and I also have another tranny I could put in if I have to (i dont want to). I guess im just wanting someone to either say, "yes the fluid change could definatly help!" or "No, this happened to me, save some time and put a new tranny in."

 

so other than changing the fluid, is there anything else i can try before just putting in a different trans?

 

Heres what I would do:

1. Change fluid, maybe twice to make sure its all clean in there.

2. Make sure the hydraulics are bled very well. A sticking clutch could be a culprit here and maybe not affect the forward gears much.

3. Pull tranny and see if it does it outside of the car. Good time to at least change
the pilot bearing and throwout bearing and maybe the clutch.

 

thank you. this guy always to his car to a mechanic. judging from the body work he did. i dont the tranny fluid was ever changed... plus when he took it there for the tranny, all he said was to get a new one. didnt even look at it... some mechanic

 

None of my 12a trannys will go straight into reverse. Move the shift lever to the point where it stops going into reverse then let the clutch out a tiny bit, and it slips into reverse without any fuss. By holding the lever you are sliding the gear faces together, then a bit of clutch out allows them to rotate into their happy gear mesh place.


Isaac

 

My 12A box ALWAYS gave a hefty "chinggggg" sound when selecting reverse and my current S5 TII box does the same 2 in 10 times come to think of it.

 

i tried this and nothing i even tried moving if forward a little bit to move the gears then tried reverse and nothing. but other times i dont do anything and it clicks right in. Its got a mind of its own.

 

Sticking reverse is usually the first sign of the hydraulics going out. It's the hardest gear to get into by design (so you don't accidently hit "sixth gear" on the highway and toss your driveshaft), so naturally it's the first one to show the problem. However, I would think that if your hydraulics are going out, then you'd be getting stuck IN reverse as well. Does that ever happen to you?

 

that has never happened. i dont have time today to change my tranny fluid. but i did flush and bleed my clutch. the old fluid was BLACK i cleaned the slave out, flushed it, and bled it perfectly. I made sure i got NO air coming out the bleeder. ITs bled GOOD. Im not saying they arent going bad, its a possibility. Ill keep you guys posted, thanks for all your help

 

You seem to be continually bleediing it. Do you have a tiny leak in your clutch master, slave or line that lets some air back into the system? Like everyone is saying, once it's bad due to air in the line, it would stay that way untill re-bled. You should be able to have someone push down the clutch while you watch the slave move the clutch arm. Reverse is inheriently sticky. Years ago, I began reversing my grip. That is, turn my hand thumb down and with it in "N", just kind of slap it over and back. You also might have something out of joint internally.

 

today was the first time i bled it, i just got the car friday. the fluid was so bad im thinking it was origional from 1982, ew. it still hasnt helped, im going to change the fluid tomorrow but I dont think thats going to fix it. its just really strange that yesturday it worked really good almost all day, today not luck at all. does it sound like clutch hydrolics or internal transmission problem? also, he told me last year reverse worked fine, which is why i dont think its the actual tranny.

 

Pull the boot and shift lever up and check the bushings in the tail section, perhaps yours is abnormally worn?

Isaac

 

ill do that tonight too if it isnt poring down rain. your also supposed to put oil in there, whats that for? regular engine oil or gear oil?

 

after i check the tail shaft bushings and change the tranny fluid ill start with the hydrolic bits. I think before I change the master though since it so tough to get in there ill just change the slave and try that, then master.

 

If your car goes into 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, or 5th with no problem then your hydraulics should be fine. If you had a bad clutch slave cylinder it wouldnt go in gear without grinding. Something else is your problem..

Definitely change the fluid cause It WILL make a difference.

Your supposed to put some gear oil in the shifter housing. Fill just above the shift rod.

 

+1 Make sure that is full and make sure the bushings inside the shifter housing are not broken.

 

well thats good to hear! when i flushed the system and re bled it the clutch felt even better than it ever did. ill take a pic of the black fluid i got out it... cant believe it. But yes all other gears work fine, ill change the fluid tonight, check the tail shaft bushings, and add gear oil in the tail shaft shifter housing. Ill keep you guys posted. Im actually hoping that the tranny fluid is low or something. I just feel like even if it had old/crappy fluid it in reverse would still work, just not smooth. Right now trying to get it into reverse I might as well not even have the clutch pushed in, its feels exactly the same.

 

just curious, what is that oil for other than just lubing the shift lever? or is that just what its for?