Tough to get into reverse recently

[notny41]

The last couple times I've driven my car the thing is nearly impossible to shift into reverse. It is like someone put a plate in front of the linkage. Then if I muscle it a few times she'll slide in. Then I can shift out of rev and back in (although not very easily).

From what I've been told it is a four speed toploader.

Any suggestions or is this one of those..."your not going to be able to fix this one on your own"... type of things?

 

[Pbum5]

Hey man,

Withthe clutch engaged Try to put in in 1st and 2nd a couple of times before putting it into reverse. It can help line things up in the tranny and makes it easier to get into reverse.

If that doesn’t do the trick it sounds like you linkage needs an adjustment..

 

[MitchGT]

does it grind at all, or just not move? Can you put it in reverse when the engine isn''t running? If it goes in all right without the engine running, but then gets difficult while running, then your clutch might be misadjusted. I would definitely recomend playing with the linkage before dropping the tranny.

 

[notny41]

It seems like engine running or not it is hard to get into rev.

No grinding. Just seems like you are running into a wall where it used to kind of ploop in before.

I have heard some grinding at one time when I would put it into reverse.

Tonight when I was driving it, I was downshifting into 2nd to slow the car for an upcoming stop sign and I must not have gotten it fully into 2nd and it popped out of gear into neutral - scared the **** out of me. Can't remember if it ground gears that time but I don't think so. But I am used to it just going into each gear without much issue.

It has always taken forever to go into first when you are coming to a stop sign. I just figured that was normal. Synchros just taking a while to line up or something.

 

[dennis112]

Since both first and reverse are harder to engage, definitely try adjusting your clutch. Push down on your clutch pedal with you hand and see how far it goes until you can feel some resistance. Should be less than (or very close too) an inch.

If adjustment doesn't cure it, it is possible that your pressure plate is getting weak. No matter what, your tranny is telling you that it doesn't like something.

 

[ashford]

try squriting white lithium spray lube up into the shifter from down below. look for rust , crust builup etc. check for a bent linkage or for rubbing binding etc.
also check linkage adustment. to do this take a 1/4 bolt thats about 4 inches long or a 1/4 drill bit and insert it thru the the cut out on the shifter thru all the arms on the shifter to the other cutout. that lines up all the arms in the neutral positionon the shifter. now all the arms on the tranny should be in the netrual detent, if not adjust them so they are.
and last check the tranny fluid level.

 

[2nd Mustang]

My top loader is hard to shift into first and reverse at times. It used to pop out of third and fourth while coasting which required some internal tranny work. In my case, with the engine off and not pressing in the clutch pedal, I can usually shift through the gears, BUT, sometimes it won't go all the way into first or second until I press the clutch pedal in, which tells me that my fairly new clutch, which has been adjusted twice, just isn't cutting it. It shifted like butter when first installed, but now have same issues like you. Good luck.