Revealed: 7 Annoying Reasons Your Car Won’t Go in Reverse!
Are you able to drive your car perfectly fine but it won’t go in reverse?
You may not have any problems with parking, but you definitely wouldn’t want to stay where you’re parked forever. Since winter is gone, starting your car isn’t an issue either. You just want to be able to shift in reverse properly again.
Don’t worry. Here we show you what keeps a car from going in reverse and how to deal with those annoying reasons!
What Makes a Car Go in Reverse?
According to the Universal Technical Institute, a transmission is “what moves the power from the engine to the wheels”. It is the reason you're able to move your car in any direction, including moving forward and shifting to reverse.
The car’s transmission is what lets the gear estimate how the drive wheels and the engine should adjust depending on whether you want your car to speed up or slow down.
In short, the main reason you are having difficulty with reversing all boils down to transmission problems.
4 Types of Car Transmissions
Depending on its transmission type, a car works (and gets damaged) differently.
There are four types of car transmissions, but here, we will only be focusing on why manual transmission and automatic transmission can't go in reverse because they're the most common types.
- Manual Transmission: As the name suggests, you change the gears manually by using a shifter and a clutch pedal.
- Automatic Transmission: Instead of a clutch, the automatic transmission depends on a torque converter for it to shift gears.
- Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT): In order to change gears, CVTs rely on a pully-based system. It is composed of a primary small drive and a large driven clutch that are linked by a belt or chain.
- Semi-automatic and Dual-Clutch Transmission: This type of transmission combines the systems used in the automatic and manual transmissions.
Discover the 7 Reasons Your Car Won't Go in Reverse
If you’re ready to get unstuck, find out which of these seven reasons are stopping your car from shifting to reverse:
Transmission Fluid is Low or Dirty (Automatic or Manual)
Lack of transmission fluid in your car means the gears won't be properly lubricated. Without sufficient lubrication, the gears tend to overheat, and this causes the reverse gear to breakdown.
On top of that, a low level of fluid also causes delays in starting your engine and unstable shifting of gears.
Watch out for any indications of transmission fluid leaks so you can prevent it from fully draining.
If your fluid is starting to look murky, you might want to change it already. You can use this transmission fluid color chart for reference. Also check if your filter is clogged. It won’t be able to filter properly if there’s pieces of dirt (like mud or rocks) blocking it.
What to do: Use a dipstick to measure the level of your transmission fluid. Put your car in neutral mode and keep your engine heated as you check it.
Broken Teeth on Reverse Gear (Automatic or Manual)
You should be careful when handling the stick shift. If you shift gears the wrong way, your reverse gears are likely to end up with crushed teeth.
You'll know when this happens because when you're trying to go in reverse, you'll hear plenty of clicking and loud thudding.
What to do: Get your transmission pulled and buy new reverse gear.
Faulty Clutch (Manual)
Manual transmission cars rely on the clutch to change gears. So, if the clutch is malfunctioning, your car won't go in reverse.
Pump your clutch repeatedly in order to gather pressure that will enable you to switch the stick in reverse.
What to do: Test your gears by changing them to reverse while your engine is off. You can tell if it needs fixing if you can still control the reverse gear even if the engine is inactive.
Faulty Transmission Position Sensor (Automatic)
The shift lever is the automatic car transmission's version of a clutch and it is equipped with an electronic sensor. Through the sensor, the lever can tell the powertrain control module that it's time to shift to reverse.
If your sensor's broken, it won't be able to send signals that the transmission needs to switch to reverse so when you try to do that, your car won't budge. Your car might also slip into limp mode, where you can't shift higher than 3rd gear.
Search for a check engine light. Find any corresponding problem codes with the help of a diagnostic tool so you can confirm the issue.
Faulty Lockout Ring (Manual)
The lockout ring in manual transmission cars is what keeps a car from unintentionally going in reverse when you’re trying to drive forward. However, if it's impaired, you can't shift in reverse even though your car isn't moving.
What to do: Consult a mechanic.
Worn Out Gaskets (Automatic or Manual)
Check your gasket placed above the seal and the one that's on the link beneath your engine. Have they been deteriorating?
You can identify if the gasket is totally worn out when the exhaust produces white smoke. You can use a kit to examine if a gasket is declining.
What to do: Replace your gaskets with new ones. Changing them is complicated and requires professional skills, so it would better for you to ask a mechanic to replace them for you.
Worn Out Valve Body (Automatic)
You can find the valve body inside all automatic transmission cars. The valve body's role is to regulate the flow of the hydraulic fluid to the valves and lets the car easily change gears.
If you have a bad transmission valve body, it will take longer for your car to shift in reverse. Worse, your car would remain completely still even when you try to reverse or step on the gas.
What to do: Replace with a new valve body.
Get Cash from Your Car's Irreversible Damage
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