1979-1993 & 94 Conv [Subscribe to Daily Digest] |
RS outlined the possible issues, I'll just flesh out some of the items.
If the tranny just won't go into reverse, but doesn't grind significantly, then it's just a matter of putting it into another gear and moving the car a few inches to get things in the transmission aligned differently.
If you get a grinding when trying to put it into reverse, then, as RS says, either the clutch shaft bearing is shot or the clutch is dragging. A clutch not disengaging fully and a bad clutch shaft bearing produce similar symptoms. Check for the dragging clutch first.
Two common causes for a clutch not disengaging fully are:
...a badly worn hole in the clutch pedal where the clevice from the clutch master cylinder attaches. The fix is to remove the clutch pedal, drill out the hole and install a bushing. Pretty cheap and fast.
...Weak master cylinder. If the seals in the master cylinder are worn, you don't get full pressure to disengage the clutch. If it is difficult to shift in any other gears, then the clutch may be dragging. A dragging clutch will also cause the tranny to grind going into reverse.
A bad clutch shaft bearing causes it to grind when going into reverse because reverse has no synchro system, whereas the other gears all do. If the bearing goes bad, it forces the clutch shaft to continue rotating just like the clutch was engaged even though the clutch disengaged.
The clutch shaft bearing is a $5 part, but requires removal of the clutch to install. The master cylinder is a ~$100 part and is easy to replace. however, it is often wise to replace the slave cylinder at the clutch at the same time because crap from the master cylinder often gets into the slave and causes seal failure. Replacing the slave also involves removing the clutch and is easy to do at the same time that the pilot bearing is being replaced. All of these jobs are reasonable DIY tasks.
posted by 138.86.75...
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