Shifting into reverse today and couldn’t find the gear, gear crunched. Shifter felt oddly loose… like a dislocated or double jointed thumb, had an odd twisting motion. Second try found reverse and was able to repeat the shift just fine, but now I am hyper paranoid that I am about to lose shifting.

Maybe the shifter always had this weird rotating out of joint feel when struggling for reverse, or is the symptom of an upcoming fail? All other gears feel normal. Anyone been here before me able to tell me to just drive the damn car and stop fretting?

 

I've owned 2 83 GSL 5 speeds and have struggled occasionally to get into reverse, even with low miles and perfectly the fine clutch.

When I have trouble, I first go into 1st and then right into reverse, easy/easier to find and notch into.

If you do find that you can't shift, it could be the hydraulics. One trick to limp home would be to get it into 3rd and stay there, it's short enough to allow a launch and tall enough to go a reasonable speed.

 

Will try the 1st to reverse thing next time I drive. One more lovable quirk to add to the list!

 

You can't own a 1st gen RX-7 without learning to drive without using the clutch. It was common to read about this even in the mid 90s on rec.autos.rotary so failure-prone SA/FB clutch hydraulics is about as old as the cars themselves...

It's easy once you get the hang of it. Good practice for rev matching. The only tricky part is having to start the car in gear.

When my left knee is giving me fits, which is more often than not lately, I only use the clutch to pull from a light and shift clutchless thereafter. Or I just drive my Volvo, which has this new technology called an "automatic transmission"

 

I just drive my Volvo, which has this new technology called an "automatic transmission" [/QUOTE]

My daily is an automatic Ford Transit. As my son says… you ‘drive’ a transit, you ‘operate’ an RX7.

 

Found the cause of the shifter that felt like it was ‘dislocating’ when trying to find reverse.

Was removing the old shifter today to install a short throw (Christmas present) and found that of the three bolts holding the shifter on, one was half way out and the remaining m two were completely out and nestled in the shifter boot.

Installed the new one nice and tight with a dab of threadlock.

 

reverse isn't synchronized until 1987, so sometimes its grindy/balky, but if its ever Mark Lynn Baker you have a problem?

 

Mark Lynn Baker? Even Google is puzzled.

 

i failed!

 

Hehehehe

 

Glad you got the issue sorted out. When I shift I to reverse, I always shift into 4th first and then into reverse. Goes right in every time. Give it a try and see if you like it. Hope it helps!

 

I always did first and then reverse, but I'm going to try fourth now.

 

Reassuring to know my Rx7 reverse quirk is "normal."
I too drive a Ford Transit and operate the Rx7. Very accurate comparison.

 

I've been doing the 4th to reverse trick for years now, it's the only way I reliably get into reverse even across multiple transmissions and it's purely habitual by now. More recently though I've been having issues again so I've found third to sometimes work better. Just have to play with it sometimes but one of the various forward gears will almost always make reverse easier to slot into.

 

For me, the "reverse two-step" has forever been to reverse my hand grip so that my thumb is pointing down. I just kind of slap it over and back to engage reverse.

 

Good to hear you sorted it out. Yeah reverse is not synchro, so have to rev match it somehow usually.

Good story. I lost my clutch back in 1984 (seized pilot bearing) at midnight in downtown Newark NJ in a really nice area (sarcasm) under the bridge as I was leaving a bar. I was able to drive home in second gear by running some lights until I got to the highway.