MY CAR WONT GO INTO REVERSE

[Camshaft213]

i posted on this a few days ago with no help, i need to find something out before i take it to a shop.

1-4 work fine, 5th works fine but is sticky getting in. reverse will not engage, it just grinds. i have tried putting it in reverse with the car turned off, no luck, i have tried putting it in 1st then reverse, no luck.

someone plz advise

 

[Mike98GT]

How long has this been going on? if you rock the car back and forth, will it go into reverse then?

 

[vvzer0incvv]

I have a problem getting into Reverse too, but everyone i have asked state the same thing "Its a Ford" LOL What i do is one of two things:

1) put it in first and let the clutch grab and roll forward an inch or two then go into reverse(this works all the time)

2) Sometimes i go into 5th and then reverse, this works sometimes but not all.

The way i was explained this is that reverse doesn't have sycros(sp?). I could be totally wrong but i thought i would share. Good luck

Jeff

 

[holler]

make sure you do complete "double clutch" when you shift into reverse. Clutch in, shift to 1st, shift to neutral, clutch out completely, clutch in, shift to reverse and go. I find that helps then just shifting to 5th to reverse with the clutch in the whole time.

 

[n0v8or]

holler's approach has worked for me. If your transmission whines while moving in reverse (most do), it has one or more straight-cut (as opposed to helical cut) gears. All it takes is a couple of burrs (from accidental attempts to engage reverse while rolling forward) to make engagement a lot more difficult. I've found the damage usually repairs itself with normal use (the burrs wear off).

 

[CottonBurnerz]

Sometimes it does that to me also.. I just rotate the steering a little wheel and vola!

 

[jeff1414]

Mine does it to i just push on the brake and goes right in

 

[Camshaft213]

you guys dont understand. this hasnt been occuring over a period of time, my reverse has worked perfectly for the last 40k. it just quit working all the sudden. i tried the above suggestions to no avail. do you think i need a new 3650 or can this one be fixed? like i said 1-4 works fine and 5 is a little sticky. how much can i acquire another tranny for? i was told i can get a used 3650 for like $500...

 

[jbrown]

you dont have an after market shifter do you? I didnt tighten down the stop bolts all the way on my steeda tri-ax and a bolt rattled lose one day and wouldnt let me get into 2nd, 4th, or reverse.

 

[Camshaft213]

no i have the stock shifter. is it possible that its my shifter thats messed up and not my tranny? thats what im praying for...

 

[Smeech]

The shifter may not be even putting it into reverse... mine does the same, you have to make sure the shifter is pulled all the way down otherwise it'll grind (my reverse lights were on too). I had the same problem, did exactly what holler said except for the 5th gear part, and it worked... sometimes it's hard to get it into reverse, and I have to yank a little harder.

It could be the shifter isn't letting it go far enough into reverse, you say 5th is sticky, this might make sense...

 

[Camshaft213]

hey guys i tried hollers dbl clutching thing about a zillion times and it finally worked. i find that if i go to 1st, then reverse, then neutral, let out the clutch, then back to reverse, it works, sometimes.... i guess ill just drive it till it blows up hehe

 

[oogtdude]

i have always went into 1st before reverse on all stangs..to avoid clunk

 

[Wikkdgt]

I just gently apply pressure to put it in reverse and at the same time let out on the clutch just a hair and it falls right in place. This also works when I drive my tractor-trailer.

 

[n0v8or]

Does it grind while you are trying to move the shift lever into reverse, or when you engage the clutch? The double clutch move is meant to address the first condition.
5th and reverse use the same shift rod, but different internal actuators.

 

[Ron Jeremy]

I ALWAYS put my Mustang into 1st gear. Then I take it out of 1st gear and put it into Reverse. The Mustang GT's and V6's do NOT have any Reverse Synchros. That's why you have to do this to get the transmission to go into reverse. I am not a mechanic and I don't understand what a Synchro is or what it's function is. Why didn't Ford put Reverse Synchros in the 99-04 Mustang GT's and V6's? Was it to save money or was it because the Tremec transmissions which they use which are built by Tremec (which used to be owned by BORG WARNER) are designed to not have any reverse Synchros in them? Also, do ALL transmissions in all cars have reverse synchros in them? Which other vehicles besides the Ford Mustang do you know of that do NOT have reverse synchros in the transmission? I would like to know all these things.

Also, I would like someone in here to explain to me what a Synchro is and what it's function is. Thank you.

 

[n0v8or]

Most cars do not have or need reverse synchros because the car is not rolling (and therefore the output shaft not turning) when you mesh the reverse gears. Here is a bad example, but the best I can think of early in the morning:
Visualize a spinning propellor, like that of an airplane or boat. That represents your transmission output shaft, and is spinning whenever the car is in motion. Now visualize another shaft, with a 2-tined pitchfork at the end. The idea is to get the propellor to engage the tines so as to drive the second shaft (the pitchfork handle in this case).
If you just shove the pitchfork into the spinning propellor, I think you can appreciate the results. You need to get the pitchfork spinning at the same rate as the propellor first, plus in proper alignment. So, how? Most aircraft propellors have a pointed center hub for aerodynamics. So let's add an extension to the pitchfork shaft with a spring-loaded matching cone. The propellor shaft center hub engages the pitchfork shaft cone just before the tines reach the spinning propellor. The hub and cone are surfaced with friction material, and act like an engaging clutch. This clutch (sychro) spins up the driven element to match the speed of the propellor, and the tines mesh with no clash of metal (grinding of gears in a transmission).
No doubt a REAL mechanic could provide a better explanation.
In the "old days" (the 50's), first gear had no synchros either. You had to come to a complete stop (output shaft not turning) to engage first without grinding your gears.

 

[n0v8or]

Just noticed I spelled "propeller" wrong about 47 times. Sorry.
I also forgot to mention that some transmissions have a "brake" for reverse gear which is similar in design to a synchro (and to the coaster brake on a bycycle). Otherwise you would have to wait for the reverse gear to stop spinning before you could complete the shift. To answer an earlier question, the TR3650 transmission has a full synchro reverse gear.

 

[96redstang]

synchros

 

[Ron Jeremy]

If the 3650 has a reverse gear synchro, then WHY did the Ford mechanic tell me that there is NO synchro for reverse in the 3650 transmission? Was the mechanic referring to something else here when he said that?