Hi everyone. 1998 Caddy won't go into reverse (dont know the history, only just bought it) "OK, Why did you buy it then?" I hear you ask... because it was cheap and I thought it was just the linkage, and that I'd be able to fix it.

There is indeed loads of play everywhere, and I have actually bought all the bushes and stuff ready to do it, but I got underneath and put a mole grip on the selector shaft just before it goes into the gearbox, so now I am by-passing all the play, and i can put the selector precisely where I want it, but I still cant get it into reverse. (This is engine off, but it makes no difference) I can go through all the forward gears with my mole grip, no prob, but reverse has just vanished without trace. I should also tell you that it HAS gone into reverse a few times, so I know it does (did) work. Also there are no funny noises and the forward gears work fine (albeit with a little bit of pot luck as to whether you get 1st or 3rd, due to the play I mentioned earlier.) my fear is that the play in the linkages has actually been caused by a previous owner bashing away at the gear lever, to overcome what is actually a gearbox fault. There is some sort of mechanical interlock to stop you accidentally going into reverse when you de-select 5th, and I wonder if this interlock mechanism has failed? Does anyone know, for example, if the gear lever should go FURTHER to the right than 5th to get it into reverse? Sorry for the long post, but wanted to give you all the info up front. Hope someone can help.

Ta very muchnessly, Mark :-)

The interlock is a simple one, and it only requires you to go into neutral from 5th and to the centre (i.e. in line with 3rd and 4th) to allow you to then select reverse.

Reverse is IN LINE with 5th. The gate internally is a simple 3-line one, with gears up and down.

From your description sounds like something untoward has happened inside the box to cause the gate/interlock to fail. If you just can't get it to go where reverse should be (is that what's actually happening?), then that would sound like it.

Boxes are easy enough to come by, though, and easy enough to change. Or you could split the one you have and fix it - they are simple enough.

but first try removing the reversing light switch and trying to get reverse with it out.. I have seen a couple of the switches get jammed up and do the same thing.

or it could have some bits of speedo drive stuck in there maybe lol.

took the reversing light switch out, but no joy I'm afraid. Also tried with the engine running and backing off the clutch a bit to spin the cogs, tried lifting the gear lever, pushing it down a bit, but there's just nothing, you know that tell tale 'k-chunk' when you pull the lever hard over, that says "now I'm ready to go into reverse"... well that just doesn't happen. So it's a gearbox out job then.. dunno what I'm so scared of.. changed the engine and box on my mini when I was still at school (mind you that was 32 years ago, when i was young and stoopid! now I'm old and.. yup, still stoopid! ) I didnt like the sound of the bit in the Haynes manual that talked about poking things in the diff to stop the crown gears getting lost!

Would you bother with the expense of a recon'd box, or just get one from a scrappy and hope?

Mark

If it was me, I'd take it apart and see what's wrong - you know that aside from reverse, the box works OK. It sounds like it's the interlock/gate that's the issue, and that's easily fixed. Once the box is out, there's not that much more to do to take it apart. Reverse itself is just a lever and the gear which slides on a shaft, so nothing really to it; if you did need bits, I think I have some here anyway (although not the gate, but that should be easy enough to sort out).

However, if I was going to replace it, I'd just get a secondhand box.

A bit of cardboard (rolled up) placed in the driveshaft hole once you've removed one is essential - the diff gears are spherical, so they will move out of position if you're unlucky, and then you WILL need to split the box to put it right. Yes, it's happened to me, weekend before a rally, so had to do it all again as it was the only box I had at the time...

It does sound to me like selector bushes are FUBAR, or the selector it's self is ronnied. Try and source a linkage from a scrappy for a 1.9D if you can.