Reverse Gear not going into gear? MT
 

First off, I am a noooob at driving MT so bare with me.

I noticed a few times that when i initially start up the car from a cold-start(after giving it a few mins to warm up[for me i wait til the rpm drops]) sometimes i have the clutch pedal depressed all the way and i have the reverse lift tab lifted all the way and when i try to shift it into reverse...it doesn't let me and I feel as if I were to apply just a little more force that I may damage something.
The most recent time I can remember this happening(does not happen all the time) is when I was parked on my driveway that has a slight to significant slope. I am not sure if this may be a factor. In this case, even when I'm letting the car coast backwards I cannot shift the gear into reverse without really shoving it in there.

Can anyone shine some light!
Thanks! :)

Shift into 2nd first then go into reverse.

If 2nd doesn't work try going into different gears before you go into reverse. I forgot the exact reason why this usually works. I think it has something to do with the syncros.

Let out the clutch for a moment and try again. Usually a quick shuffle gets things going.

It is looking like the wrong fluid was spec'd for these cars, causing all kinds of synchro issues.

Mike

Its completely normal for a manual transmission car to do this.. Its caused by the teeth not aligning for the reverse gear, so you just put it in 2nd and then into reverse as was stated earlier..

My 04 STi would do this all the time. I'm sure someone will roll in here and give you a full technical reasoning with whats causing it.

I used to shift into 3rd or 4th before shifting into reverse for the other cars I had. But I never had to do that for this car somehow. But even if I had to, I believe it's normal.

Yeah, the cold doesn't help the tranny at ALL in this car. Sometimes if it's under 40*F it'll be a royal pain to shift into second for the first 5 minutes. I've had this issue with reverse as well, just as people have said... re-clutch or go into second and try again!

I know it can feel 'wrong' because of the resistance at first, then it magically working with no apparent reason but I am sure there is a mechanical one!

if you are on a slope, you can also just let the car roll very slowly while letting out the clutch slowly and stuff will then line up. Happens to me often as I park on an incline. I go to work early in the am so if I can't get it into gear the first time, I usually just let the car's gravity do the work anyway.

Stop putting the car in reverse while moving! You can only engage it when stationary!

Don't move and if its still hard put it in 1st or 2nd, then try reverse

If you really want to know why you sometime cannot put the car in reverse check this out:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manual_...ission#Reverse

The long and short of it is that reverse gear is usually built differently than the forward gears. It is not always meshed like the forward gears and usually has no synchro. So if the shaft happens to stop in a position where the reverse gear won't mesh then you can't put the car in gear. Just bump the car forward the tiniest bit and you'll be good to go ( if this is indeed the problem ). I have experienced this with every manual I have ever had.

I usually shift into reverse when i am stationary, but even then it wouldn't let me shift so i tried to give it a rolling start and then shift into it but didnt work either. I also released the clutch in neutral of course and then tried to clutch in and put it into reverse but nothing. So far I haven't had the problem again yet but I am going to try putting it into second and then putting it into reverse.

Thanks again everyone for your suggestions! And now my noobness has learned something new :) I will let you know if it happens again and if your suggestions work!

Stop being touchy feely with the car and apply a little force when you shift.
You're not going to break anything.

Ok, I see your reasoning, but avoid going into reverse if the car is moving. Clutch in/out or go into different gears first is the way to resolve this. Sometimes you have to try a few times. As others have said, this is typical for MT; it's not specific to the twins.

Agreed, avoid shifting into reverse while the car is moving. Just bump the car forward an inch in first and stop, you should have no problem then selecting reverse. Just have to get the gears to move a little so reverse will mesh.

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