Randomly today I stopped being able to shift into reverse. The clutch feels fine, and all the other gears work fine, including fifth. The **** moves freely, but after pushing it to the right, it won't move back into reverse.

I can't seem to find anything on the forum that doesn't involve not being able to shift into fifth as well. What should I be looking for?

 

Hmm...I think theres a problem with the shifter. I say this because I installed my friend's short throw Mazdatrix shifter onto my car and I couldn't move the shifter into reverse. Take it off and check the bushings and make sure its installed correctly.

 

Alright, so I pulled the shifter apart and all looks good, except the middle boot is cut to pieces. Bushings are fine, not debris in it. But all of a sudden I got it to shift into reverse just working it into fifth and out to neutral. Feels like whatever mechanism blocks you from shifting straight from fifth into reverse stuck. I'm not too familiar with the shift linkage in these cars, is this something back in the tranny or in the shifter?

 

Theres no external shift linkage in these cars so I have no idea what it could be since I've never taken a transmission apart. You can look in the FSMs in the FAQ to further troubleshoot.