Why won't reverse gear engage? Causes and solutions

The transmission is the most mysterious unit in a car, especially for people who are not technically savvy. And everything seems simple - you squeeze the clutch, push the handle and the car goes. However, if suddenly it doesn’t go, then you don’t know what to think. Therefore, when something happens to the gearbox - reverse gear does not engage, for example, then at least cry.

And if it happens in a garage or in a parking lot, where there are always a lot of advisers who always know exactly why the gear won’t engage, then after several minutes of heated discussions you begin to regret that the gearbox in the car is not an automatic, but a manual transmission. Although automatic transmission is also not without such problems. But let's start in order.

So, reverse gear does not work, what should I do? Well, for starters, it would be nice to figure out how serious the damage is. To do this, you need to remember how the box behaved in recent days. If nothing has caused concern, then there is hope that not everything is so bad: the transmission is still a complex and reliable element, with a large margin of safety - and it doesn’t just break out of the blue. If reverse gear does not engage, there may be several reasons. We will move from simple to complex.

Wear of the rocker bushing

This malfunction may be indicated by some looseness of the lever. However, if the wear proceeded evenly - it ran its course - you could get used to the free movements of the scenes and not notice the impending troubles. The problem is solved by replacing the bushing - remove the lever cover, then remove the rocker itself, replace the plastic bushing with a new one and put everything in place. The procedure is carried out in the car interior.

Transmission linkages, if the car has external transmission linkages, what to pay attention to

In some car models, the location of the gearbox involves the use of external gear shift rods. In bad weather conditions - when there is ice, snow or mud sticking, their free movement can sometimes be difficult, this especially applies to reverse gear, since it is not used often, but is turned on first thing in the morning.

Old gearbox oil or low level

If the car is not new, then who knows if the gearbox oil was changed and when? You need to change the oil and pray that something worse doesn't happen. If there is a leak, drop by drop a day and you may not notice how the oil leaks out of the box. As a rule, this happens through the gearbox gasket or shaft seals. Over time, the box reacts to this with increased noise, but you might not have noticed this either. It is better to change the oil and replace gaskets with seals at a service station, or on your own if you have a “green” understanding of what you are doing.

Recommendations from experts

Sometimes the driver is forced to drive a car with a faulty gearbox in order to get to the repair site. But how to turn on the speed if the clutch is faulty or the synchronizer is worn out?

If first gear does not work, you can carefully move away in second gear.
If difficulties arise when turning on the engine while the engine is running, you can do this with the engine stopped and then start it. But this method can only be used by experienced drivers, as it can damage the transmission.
Double squeezing and re-gasping. It is necessary to set the gearshift knob to the neutral position, then press the clutch pedal, and lightly press the gas (up to 2500 rpm according to the tachometer). After this, you need to slow down and disengage the clutch again, and then engage the gear. If this does not work, then you need to repeat all the operations again. While driving, experienced drivers know how to change gears without a clutch mechanism.
When engaging reverse, the lever may not reach all the way. Then you need to slightly release the clutch pedal, the gear will turn, the teeth will engage, and the handle will reach the end.
After pressing the pedal, it is recommended to wait 3 seconds and then engage reverse gear.
You can try turning on the reverse by first setting the handle to 4th, then to the rear.
Repeatedly squeezing the clutch and returning the gearshift lever to neutral sometimes also helps solve the problem.

If you have personal advice and experience on solving these issues, write in the comments.

Wear of release bearing, springs, forks, gears, synchronizers, shafts

As a rule, all these breakdowns are accompanied by extraneous noise during operation, which is difficult to ignore. Repairs will require dismantling the gearbox and the participation of specialists. Your task is not to delay your visit to the service station. This will save you money and possibly prevent irreversible damage.

We deliberately did not touch upon the problems with engaging reverse gear in an automatic transmission, for the simple reason that automatic transmissions are foolproof from birth - it is very difficult to break them yourself. But the most important thing is that the automatic transmission signals the driver about its problems with characteristic jolts when operating in normal mode. It is impossible not to notice them.

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Difficulty engaging first and reverse gears

These two speeds cause problems for drivers on most car models. The reverse gear does not engage well due to the fact that there is no synchronizer on its gear. They are installed only on higher-class cars, and they are not on budget cars. The first speed also often makes it difficult to drive a car, since it is used more often than others. Although a synchronizer is always installed on its gear.

More of these faults can be found on used cars. But even on new budget class models such breakdowns are not uncommon.

Big trouble

Sometimes the reason for poor gear shifting lies in a more serious problem than described above. We are talking about damage to the spring, which is present in any box. A piece of the spring gets stuck in the groove and prevents the gear from changing normally. In some cases, reverse gear disappears completely, and sometimes works intermittently.

The problem is quite serious, because you will have to go deep into the unit, and not every car owner can do this. It is better to contact a car service if the reverse gear on the VAZ 21099 is difficult to engage. The technician will conduct an inspection and decide on further actions. You can replace the spring or install a new gear shift mechanism assembly. The second option is more preferable, since a separate spring may soon break again.

There are several reasons why the reverse gear on a VAZ 21099 does not engage. The breakdown must be identified and repaired in a timely manner in order to prevent serious consequences.

What you can do with your own hands

There are a number of simple actions that can prevent the automatic transmission from stalling.

Reasons why the transmission delays the transition between stages	Troubleshooting Methods
Automatic transmission overheating	Lack of transmission oil level, heavy loads on the automatic transmission;
Wear and destruction of internal mechanisms	Clean the magnet, change filters;
Sensor malfunction	Replace them, preferably with original ones

Servicing a car when the automatic transmission is delayed in transmission does not always mean many problems. Some automatic transmissions are capable of exceeding the 500 thousand km mark without major repairs. To check the transmission for gear drag, it is recommended to turn on the kickdown mode. Its name describes the moment itself: push down.

If, while driving a car with automatic transmission, you sharply press the gas pedal, the car goes to a lower gear so that the speed increases as quickly as possible. If this moment passes quickly and without interruptions, then the box does not delay transitions and is in good working order.

Read

What is kickdown and how to use it correctly on an automatic machine

The simplest actions that any car enthusiast can perform for his favorite iron horse when tightening is to change the oil filter and the “transmission” itself in the automatic transmission. But you need to buy consumables in trusted places so as not to stumble upon a fake.

Troubleshooting

Many transmission malfunctions that cause the reverse gear to disappear or fall out can be eliminated without removing the unit from the car.

If the cause is a loosening of the bolt securing the clamp on the rod, then to correct the defect it is necessary:

Place the car on a lift.
Completely loosen the clamp nut.
Place the gearshift lever in the fully engaged reverse gear position.
Fully engage reverse gear at the gearbox using the shift rod on the crankcase.
Tighten the clamp mounting bolt.

Backstage adjustment

If tightening the clamp does not help get rid of the problem, then you need to check the condition of the shift drive parts. One of the reasons why the reverse gear does not engage may be a poorly adjusted rocker.

To make adjustments to the mechanism, you may need the following tools:

two wrenches with a size of 13 mm, preferably a socket design;
any wrench or 10 mm socket;
small hammer;
slotted screwdriver.

Since the cause of malfunction of the link can be wear of parts, spare parts may be needed:

universal joint of the rocker;
Sometimes the shift rod seal may need to be replaced.

Two people are required to adjust the rocker or replace parts of its drive. One person must change gears from the passenger compartment, and the second must adjust the travel of the shift rods.

The order of work is as follows:

Provide access to the bottom of the car by placing it on a pit or a lift.
Using a 13 mm wrench, loosen the clamp installed on the gear shift rod.
Remove the rod from the box rod.
Using a screwdriver, carefully remove the boot.
Using a 10 mm wrench, unscrew the fixing bolt on the cardan shaft.
Knock off the cardan shaft with light blows of a hammer. It is important not to damage the shaft.
Remove the universal joint seal boot.
If there is an oil leak, the sealing gland on the box rod must be replaced.
Install a new boot (or leave the old one if it is intact) and install the universal joint on the shaft.
Align the hole on the cardan with the notch on the shaft.
Tighten the 10 mm clamp and install the boot completely in place.
Install the rod on the cardan rod and adjust the gearshift lever travel.
The second person should sit in the driver's seat, set the gear shift lever to neutral, move it slightly to the right and hold it in that position.
After this, you need to tighten the 13 mm clamp nut.

Typically, after such a repair, the reverse gear starts to engage without problems. In addition, the operation of the entire gear selection mechanism on the VAZ-2109 becomes clearer.

The video from the author MegaMeyhem shows the process of replacing the backstage.

Changing the gearbox oil

If the oil seal on the rod is damaged, oil leaks out of the gearbox housing, and dirt can get into the box itself. These factors may be the reason why reverse gear stops engaging. In addition, the oil in the box loses its properties during operation, so it must be replaced preventively at least once every 35–40 thousand kilometers. Before replacing, you need to check the condition of the oil in the box. To do this, you need to remove the oil dipstick installed in the gearbox housing and visually assess the quality of the oil. The presence of metal and dirt particles in the oil on the dipstick is unacceptable. The oil itself should be quite liquid and not stick to your hands in a thick layer.

Dipstick with oil level marks

To replace, you will need the following materials and tools:

New oil. When purchasing oil, you need to consider the type of gearbox. For fairly rare four-speed gearboxes, three liters of oil are required, for newer five-speed ones - 3.3 liters. The oil itself must have a tolerance of 80W-85, the manufacturer does not matter.
A container for draining old oil with a volume of at least 4 liters.
A funnel with a hose for pouring new oil or a syringe.
Wrenches 12 and 17 mm of any type.
Rags and cleaning solvent.

The actual work order is as follows:

Place the car with the heated gearbox on the pit.
Remove the rubber plug from the gearbox ventilation valve installed on the top of the crankcase.
Clean the valve and plug from dust and dirt. It is convenient to clean parts with thin wire and a rag.
Reinstall clean parts.
Wipe off dirt from the bottom of the box. Unscrew the plug on the bottom of the box housing.
Place a container under the drain hole and drain the oil. It will completely merge in at least 20-25 minutes.
After this, screw the drain plug back into place and carefully tighten it with a wrench. First, the plug and hole must be thoroughly wiped with a rag.
Pour fresh oil through the oil level dipstick hole in the box.
During filling, it is necessary to check the oil level, which normally should be between o and “MAX” on the dipstick rod.
If there is an overflow, the oil can be pumped out with a large medical syringe with a tube on the spout.
Within a few days after the change, it is advisable to check the level and appearance of the oil. You also need to make sure that there are no leaks through the plug and box seals.

We recommend: Features of operating a car with automatic transmission: 7 most common mistakes

Rubber crankcase ventilation cap Drain hole on the crankcase Dipstick in the upper part of the crankcase An oil funnel installed in the dipstick hole

On early versions of front-wheel drive VAZ gearboxes there is no hole for the dipstick. To fill the oil in the crankcase of such boxes there is a control hole closed with a threaded plug. Filling is carried out using an oil syringe. The oil level is considered normal when it reaches the lower edge of the inspection hole.

The arrow indicates the inspection hole on the side of the gearbox housing. Filling oil with a transmission syringe.

Replacing the gear selection mechanism

One of the common reasons why the reverse gear of a VAZ 2109 does not engage is the breakdown of spring 2 installed in a separate mechanism.

Gear selection mechanism

To access it, it is necessary to remove and repair the mechanism itself, located inside the box.

A short list of necessary actions:

Disconnect the car.
Remove the air filter completely.
Remove the left wheel and loosen the CV joint hub nut.
Drain the oil from the gearbox crankcase.
Remove the two bolts securing the left ball joint to the steering knuckle.
Unlock and remove the steering tip.
Remove the fist from the CV joint splines.
Completely remove the left drive.
Remove the starter and negative wire from the gearbox housing.
Remove the gear shift rods from the gearbox and clutch.
Unscrew the speedometer drive cable.
Place a support under the box housing and remove the box support fastening
Remove the gearbox from the vehicle and disassemble it.

When disassembling the gearbox, it is necessary to check the condition of the gear locks, since wear is the main reason why the reverse gear spontaneously jumps out of gear. You can get to the lock without removing and disassembling the box; it is located on the side of the crankcase and is closed with a screw plug. Disassembling the gearbox and inspecting the gear selection mechanism will also help solve the problem in which the reverse gear on the VAZ-2109 does not turn off.

Spring replacement

Often, owners change the entire mechanism assembly, which costs on average about 2 thousand rubles. But you can disassemble the mechanism and get by with replacing the spring, which costs up to 50 rubles.

You need to do the following:

Remove the stopper from the blocker axle and remove the axle itself.
Unscrew the lever axle nut.
Remove the axle and replace the spring.
Reassemble in reverse order.

Extending the service life of gearboxes

You will be able to use your car for many years without going to car repair shops if you can follow basic recommendations. They will extend the service life of the gearbox, minimize possible problems, breakdowns and the need for repair work.

Transmission shaft assemblies

There are only two recommendations.

Always try to monitor the oil level in the gearbox. If it drops, be sure to top it up immediately, do not delay the procedure until later. When the oil becomes unusable, change it completely, rather than fill in the missing amount.
Avoid aggressive use, do not jerk the gears sharply, accelerate smoothly, and brake similarly. A simple caring attitude towards the gearbox will allow you to avoid wear and tear and numerous breakdowns.

As you can see, solving problems with checkpoints is not so easy. Therefore, the best option is to prevent their occurrence.

A little about clutch operation

Difficulties with gear shifting due to a faulty clutch are associated with incomplete disengagement of the flywheel and driven disk. In this case, the synchronizers are not able to ensure smooth meshing of the gears, which is why the gears are difficult to engage and a characteristic crunching sound occurs. The cause of the malfunction can be either in the release drive or in the clutch basket itself. Manual transmissions are equipped with two types of clutch release drive:

Mechanical (cable). The clutch pedal is connected by a cable to the clutch release fork. Moving the cable changes the position of the fork, which moves the release bearing towards the damper pressure plates.

Hydraulic drive. The design is based on the incompressibility property of the fluid, and the operating principle itself is similar to the operation of the brake system. By pressing the brake pedal, we move the pusher of the main hydraulic drive to release the clutch. Inside the hydraulic drive there is brake fluid, which, under pressure from the piston, flows through a pipeline to the working cylinder. As it extends, the piston presses on the clutch release fork.

Functionality check

Before blaming the sensor for the malfunction of the reverse signals, make sure that the device has actually lost its functionality. To do this, run the diagnostics:

Turn the wheels to the left all the way and look at the sensor from the driver’s side - there is a protection on the side of the gearbox, and contacts inside it;
Remove this protection and inspect the device. There are also two contacts going to the sensor;
Close the contacts on the frog limit switches (this is the same reverse sensor) and start the engine, engaging reverse gear;
If everything is fine, the wires and contacts are working properly, then the white headlights will turn on;
If the headlights do not light, use a tester to check the voltage on the wire (orange) and ground;
If there is voltage, check the light bulb board and the quality of the contacts.

Causes of the problem and solutions

There are several most common reasons why the DZH fails. But there are countermeasures that can return the sensor to operation.

Causes of the problem	Actions
The contacts on the wiring have oxidized	They just need to be thoroughly cleaned and returned. In this case, the negative terminal of the battery must be disconnected
The sensor is loose	As the sensor is used, it may move out of its seat. Screw it in tighter
There is no contact with the wiring in the gearbox	Check the condition of contacts and wires. Clean or replace damaged parts
There is no contact between the plug and the fuse box	Also check the condition of the contacts, clean them, change the wiring
Fuse blown	Here the situation can only be corrected by replacing the fuse

In some situations, the sensor is working properly, the contacts are intact and the wiring is undamaged. In this case, the light bulbs themselves burned out. They are easy enough to replace.

Features of replacing transmission fluid

Transmission oil must be changed at regular intervals, usually every 15-20 thousand kilometers. However, it may exhaust its resource earlier. This can be determined using a probe. Take a piece of white cloth and use a dipstick to transfer a drop of oil onto it. It is necessary to change the lubricant in cases where a drop of oil:

colorless or has a black tint;
contains metal particles or grains of dust;
opaque and viscous;
sticky to the touch;
absorbs into fabric for a long time;
cloudy or foamy.

Most often, reverse gear is difficult to engage if the oil has become cloudy. This is a sure sign that it has entered the engine. If the problem is not detected in a timely manner, you will soon need to carry out a complete gearbox repair or even an expensive transmission replacement.

Box nuances

The VAZ 2114 uses a five-speed manual gearbox. It is quite simple in design, which allows you to independently carry out preventive and repair work.

Device diagram

Experts recommend identifying a malfunction at the initial stage of its occurrence, since delaying means wasting even more time, effort and money.

Causes

The reasons why reverse gear engagement is poor or difficult may be as follows:

loosening of the fastening clamp of the rocker, due to which the length of the rod is not enough to fully engage the gear;
jamming of the reverse speed lock;
spring breakage and debris getting into the guide grooves of the gear selection mechanism;
spontaneous loosening of the selection mechanism mounting bolts;
the clamp bolt is cut off;
wear of the clutch disc and release bearing;
incorrect adjustment of the clutch and clutch pedal;
low oil level in the box or the need to replace it.

Clutch

When the clutch discs wear out, the pedal moves up and its position becomes higher than the others. In this case, when turned on, a crunching sound may be heard and the lever does not move, as if it is resting against an obstacle. You should not force the assembly, as this can lead to more serious damage - the gears will fly.

It is typical for such wear that the clutch pedal falls to the floor and you can hear from drivers that the VAZ 2109 does not engage the gears. Usually this applies to all gears, but only first and reverse can fail.

You can check by removing the rubber plug. The destroyed disc leaves fibers that look like tangled strands of hair. If such a phenomenon occurs, then a new clutch disc should be installed.

Due to constant loads, the cable stretches and must be periodically adjusted and tightened. In this case, the VAZ 21093 does not engage the first and second gears, and the rear may also fail. To fix the breakdown, you need to drive into the pit and tighten the cable. If it is worn out, replace it immediately. You can do this yourself.

A similar breakdown can also manifest itself in the failure of the gears to engage while the engine is running. Sliding along the splines is limited and fixation does not occur.