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I found some older threads on what sounds like this issue but besides being very old they also seemed to go down several rabbit holes and not always coming back out. I'll list the threads below for reference. I'm wondering if enough time has passed that this has become better understood and there is a more focused set of possibilities for it.
The car sometimes just cannot be coaxed into shifting into reverse if the engine is running. Turn it [and the key] off and it shifts into reverse easy-peasy. Turn the key back on and it still shifts into reverse easy-peasy. Start the engine and it's back to original symptom -- sometimes will shift easily into reverse several times, even days, and then will just as suddenly be impossible to shift into reverse with the engine running. When it does go into reverse its a clean shift -- no funky feel or sounds.
It has a Creative short-throw adjustable shifter and shifting into various other gears before trying reverse seems to have no effect.
The previous owner said that the tranny fluid has been flushed and refilled with synthetic - I assume he was talking about the clutch master cylinder - so perhaps he was trying to fix this issue.
The clutch feels smooth and all other shifts are crisp, quiet and clean.
Anybody have this exact experience and, if so, what did you do to troubleshoot and fix it? Or are familiar with it and know what needs to be done?
Thanks in advance,
Howard
Seattle/Redmond, WA
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The threads were:
Could be shifter rail bushings and/or sagging transmission mount. You aren't going to find many definitive 'here's my shifter problem and here's the solution' threads. There are multiple things wrong with the way the shifter is set up and the materials used. Plus some hokey mods that the PO could've been into or reasonable things done wrong. Start with tge simple ones and work your way through it.
Yup, start with the ones isis mentioned (motor, tranny, diff, carrier bearing, shifter bushing, plus a fluid change with Redline or other high quality product. Flush the fluid in the master too. Do all of this, you will be shocked how much shifting will improve.
Thanks fellas. It'll take me a while to digest all of this. In the meantime, are you talking about something different than the Creative steel bushing kit I already have installed?
Usually when they shift into 1st/reverse easily when the car is off but not when the car is running it's a clutch release issue. If the clutch isn't fully disengaged it's still putting a load on the transmission (spinning) The slave has to push the pressure plate in enough to lessen the load on the transmission so it will slide into gear. The usual cause is air in the line between the clutch master cylinder and the slave cylinder so it needs to be bled out.
I did some searching for the correct bleed procedure. What I found was from 2010 and the pictures and links didn't work. Also, a Sears p/n for a special tool that will fit on the bleed valve was referenced but not given. I've got a downloaded 2009 Service Manual that I'll look at tomorrow.
Usually when they shift into 1st/reverse easily when the car is off but not when the car is running it's a clutch release issue. If the clutch isn't fully disengaged it's still putting a load on the transmission (spinning) The slave has to push the pressure plate in enough to lessen the load on the transmission so it will slide into gear. The usual cause is air in the line between the clutch master cylinder and the slave cylinder so it needs to be bled out.
This was my first thought too. Always start with making sure it is well bled with good fluid. If the PO mentioned synthetic tranny fluid, he was talking about the fluid lubricating the gears which is entirely separate from the clutch fluid.
I'm wondering if enough time has passed that this has become better understood and there is a more focused set of possibilities for it.
It's either a clutch hydraulics issue, or it's internal to the transmission. I don't know of a way to differentiate between the two, so most folks ensure the hydraulics are squared away first, since that's obviously easier than tearing into the transmission.
Originally Posted by WoodyFromBama
The car sometimes just cannot be coaxed into shifting into reverse if the engine is running. Turn it [and the key] off and it shifts into reverse easy-peasy. Turn the key back on and it still shifts into reverse easy-peasy. Start the engine and it's back to original symptom -- sometimes will shift easily into reverse several times, even days, and then will just as suddenly be impossible to shift into reverse with the engine running. When it does go into reverse its a clean shift -- no funky feel or sounds.
I would say mine is more consistently a pain in the ***, but the symptoms are much as you describe them other than that. It's been that way for years, and at this point (since everything - mechanical and hydraulic - has been replaced on the clutch side) I'm inclined to think that in my case it's something internal to the tranny.
Originally Posted by WoodyFromBama
The previous owner said that the tranny fluid has been flushed and refilled with synthetic - I assume he was talking about the clutch master cylinder - so perhaps he was trying to fix this issue.
I would think if he said he changed the tranny fluid that he means he changed the tranny fluid.
There's a thread that I'm pretty sure was on CF.com where a guy rebuilt reverse without removing the transmission from the car. I'm trying to find that thread; I'll post it up if I do.
Before we could do anything definitive about the problem the clutch pedal started occasionally staying down when depressed. Fortunately it could be pulled up by hand and would work for a while so we used that bit of good fortune to get it over to a repair shop that specializes in Corvettes and Vs. Turns out, the oil pan had been seeping [for no telling how long] and though not enough to draw our attention from oil spots on the ground it was enough being blown back that over time it soaked and ruined the clutch. Humpteen dollars and a re-sealed pan and a new LS7 clutch later it is working great and never fails to shift smoothly into any and all gears. Took the "opportunity" to install a remote bleeder while everything was opened up.
Obviously my preference would have been to be able to fix it with a fluid flush or mc/slave replacement but in this case that would have just been a waste of time. Sometimes you just can't simply wish the expensive solutions away.
08-30-2017, 07:01 PM
Difficulty shifting into reverse... 
I'll list the threads below for reference. I'm wondering if enough time has passed that this has become better understood and there is a more focused set of possibilities for it.
