Its a 2002 Mazda Protege, manual transmission. The car will not go into reverse/will not slide into reverse. All other gears are fine. Brake/Clutch fluid is full. Is this an internal transmission problem? Maybe clutch?

I figure that if I can't put it in gear while the engine is off. It is porbably a transmission problem.

[Edited on July 9, 2008 at 9:41 PM. Reason : more]

7/9/2008 9:35:55 PM

will it go into reverse when the engine is stopped?

If not, then there's gotta be a linkage issue.

7/9/2008 9:40:47 PM

^^
yeah late edit.

[Edited on July 9, 2008 at 9:42 PM. Reason : Thanks]

7/9/2008 9:41:36 PM

A lot of trannies have a detent that prevents you from going straight to reverse from fifth. I'm seriously wondering if you have a cable issue (binding or the like). I don't know if these trannies use cables (two of them) or a single striking rod with a hockey stick on the end.

If it's got cables, I'd check for binding in the linkage, which for the actual sliding-into-gear cable (versus the neutral side-to-side cable), usually incorporates a bellcrank; could be that the bushing is excessively worn, and there's too much free play to allow engagement of reverse. Or the cable could be binding or kinking (most cables PUSH to engage the bottom row of gears-2nd, 4th, and reverse).

If it's a single torque rod/hockey stick linkage, then the tranny's gotta come apart.

7/9/2008 10:37:04 PM

try going into R from each of the 5 gears

try wiggling it in R

try letting off the clutch slowly as you jam it into R.

7/9/2008 10:54:41 PM

more than likely its the cable end bushing on the transmission, there are two cables, one that moves the forks for all gears (the one that breaks) and the one that engages each gear, when the bushing breaks, there isnt enoungh free play to keep it from shifting into the forward gears, but there is a slightly longer throw for reverse and it won't engage


unfortunately, you cant just buy the bushing, the entire cable assebly comes as one unit, i made a bushing out of teflon and glued it in place on the last one i did

a good way to check is to just look at the top of the tranny where the two cables connect, have someone try to shift it into reverse, and see which way bothe cables are moving, then push them both in that direction while they are trying to shift, if it goes in, thats your problem

[Edited on July 10, 2008 at 8:19 AM. Reason : ]

7/10/2008 8:18:59 AM