Help! Completely locked out of reverse!

R3ctivision · 09-17-2018, 09:59 PM

Hi all, just tonight pulling into my driveway I got stuck. Gears 1-6 shift fine. But I'm totally and 100% locked out of reverse all of a sudden. Nothing blew up, no problems that I know of that would have indicated an impending failure.

- Tried restarting the car multiple times.
- Tried rowing the gears while stationary.
- Tried shifting with car off.

FWIW I did have a skip shift eliminator installed three weeks ago. But the skip shift still works (wife helped push car back out of driveway, I parked somewhere where I don't need reverse). And I never had any reverse lockout including the day of the install. This tells me that the shop did not accidentally install the eliminator on the wrong connector. Otherwise they wouldn't have been able to back out the car from the shop!

I've done about 1000 miles since the install, including three track days. In fact I just got home from the track tonight. Car drove fine, no mechanical issue until I got home. And yes, I was able to reverse at the track and several times on the way home.

Anyone got any advice of what to do or what to check? Some ideas I'd like to try:

- Disconnect and reconnect battery (where is it located?)
- Fuse check for the solenoid (anyone know which it may be?)
- Jack up the car where it's parked in a public lot and inspect the solenoid, and try to remove skip shift eliminator (hard to reach though)
- Bring to dealer as is?

Thanks for any help!

R3ctivision · 09-17-2018, 10:00 PM

Car is otherwise 100% bone stock aside from camber plates.

MatthewAMEL · 09-17-2018, 10:34 PM

I had exactly the same problem with mine about a year ago.

I removed my skip-shift and the problem never returned.

Mine was doing it sporadically for about a month before I pulled the bypass.

R3ctivision · 09-17-2018, 10:47 PM

Fascinating. So it appears they are not totally separate solenoids.. or perhaps they share an electrical circuit.

It would be great to see the electrical diagram to know for sure.

Sounds like a trip back to my shop is in order. I had them do it in the first place because I couldn't get the plugs undone with my hands in that tight space.

FNxR3DNECK · 09-18-2018, 09:05 AM

So this happened to me about a month ago, really freaked me out. I was by myself and in a spot that was on an incline so literally the only way for me to get my car out of there was in reverse. I was kind of panicked but could tell that it wasn't 100% locked out, it just really didn't want to go into reverse, so I basically just jammed it in there and it worked haha once I got home I rowed through all the gears a couple times and reverse didn't give me any trouble. Thankfully it hasn't happened again.

FYI I do not have the skip shift eliminator installed.

Blazin40s · 09-18-2018, 09:15 AM

I don't know if the 6th gen trans is the same as a T56 in the 4th gens when it comes to the solenoids, but you can "overpower" the solenoid and get it into reverse with enough effort.

R3ctivision · 09-18-2018, 11:48 AM

Brought it into the dealer this morning (without needing reverse!). Made a video of the problem. Service advisor comes out and pops it into gear. Now I have no problems! I look like a fool, but the gearbox really was stuck for several hours while I tried.

Will keep an eye on it to see if it happens again.

FWIW I confirmed it isn't a reverse lockout problem (before dealer magically fixed it). I was in fact able to get past the detent. It was the forward motion into gear that was stuck.

MarkC · 09-18-2018, 07:19 PM

This is my 4th car with the 6-speed manual, they've all occasionally had the same issue. My SS has only done it once in the 3.5 months I've had it, but the others seemed to do it about once a month.

I always park in 1st gear in my garage, but I need to put it into reverse to get out. Whenever the shifter refuses to go forward into reverse I just row through a few of the other gears and it will then go right in.

I've never considered it anything other than a minor inconvenience, but it only happens once a month, if that. If rowing through the gears doesn't fix it, or if it starts happening more frequently I'd be taking it in for service.

R3ctivision · 09-18-2018, 11:04 PM

Yeah, I definitely understand that, especially when cold. I do the rowing too. But this time it was REALLY stuck. Strange.

09-17-2018, 09:59 PM	#1
R3ctivision 1LE Convert Drives: 2018 ZLE Join Date: Apr 2017 Location: Mountain View, CA Posts: 367	Help! Completely locked out of reverse! Hi all, just tonight pulling into my driveway I got stuck. Gears 1-6 shift fine. But I'm totally and 100% locked out of reverse all of a sudden. Nothing blew up, no problems that I know of that would have indicated an impending failure. - Tried restarting the car multiple times. - Tried rowing the gears while stationary. - Tried shifting with car off. FWIW I did have a skip shift eliminator installed three weeks ago. But the skip shift still works (wife helped push car back out of driveway, I parked somewhere where I don't need reverse). And I never had any reverse lockout including the day of the install. This tells me that the shop did not accidentally install the eliminator on the wrong connector. Otherwise they wouldn't have been able to back out the car from the shop! I've done about 1000 miles since the install, including three track days. In fact I just got home from the track tonight. Car drove fine, no mechanical issue until I got home. And yes, I was able to reverse at the track and several times on the way home. Anyone got any advice of what to do or what to check? Some ideas I'd like to try: - Disconnect and reconnect battery (where is it located?) - Fuse check for the solenoid (anyone know which it may be?) - Jack up the car where it's parked in a public lot and inspect the solenoid, and try to remove skip shift eliminator (hard to reach though) - Bring to dealer as is? Thanks for any help!

09-17-2018, 10:34 PM	#3
MatthewAMEL Drives: 2023 CT5 Blackwing Join Date: Sep 2016 Location: Orlando Posts: 1,618	I had exactly the same problem with mine about a year ago. I removed my skip-shift and the problem never returned. Mine was doing it sporadically for about a month before I pulled the bypass. __________________ 2017 HBM SS 1LE Sold 2023 Wave Metallic CT5-V Blackwing M6

09-18-2018, 09:05 AM	#5
FNxR3DNECK Drives: 2017 SS 1LE Join Date: Mar 2016 Location: Monterey, CA Posts: 2,474	So this happened to me about a month ago, really freaked me out. I was by myself and in a spot that was on an incline so literally the only way for me to get my car out of there was in reverse. I was kind of panicked but could tell that it wasn't 100% locked out, it just really didn't want to go into reverse, so I basically just jammed it in there and it worked haha once I got home I rowed through all the gears a couple times and reverse didn't give me any trouble. Thankfully it hasn't happened again. FYI I do not have the skip shift eliminator installed. __________________ IG: @NC_M1SS1LE

09-18-2018, 07:19 PM	#8
MarkC Drives: 2018 HBM 2SS/1LE Join Date: Jun 2018 Location: 29860 Posts: 85	This is my 4th car with the 6-speed manual, they've all occasionally had the same issue. My SS has only done it once in the 3.5 months I've had it, but the others seemed to do it about once a month. I always park in 1st gear in my garage, but I need to put it into reverse to get out. Whenever the shifter refuses to go forward into reverse I just row through a few of the other gears and it will then go right in. I've never considered it anything other than a minor inconvenience, but it only happens once a month, if that. If rowing through the gears doesn't fix it, or if it starts happening more frequently I'd be taking it in for service. __________________ 2017 Admiral Blue Corvette** Grand Sport Convertible**

09-17-2018, 10:00 PM	#2
R3ctivision 1LE Convert Drives: 2018 ZLE Join Date: Apr 2017 Location: Mountain View, CA Posts: 367	Car is otherwise 100% bone stock aside from camber plates.

09-17-2018, 10:47 PM	#4
R3ctivision 1LE Convert Drives: 2018 ZLE Join Date: Apr 2017 Location: Mountain View, CA Posts: 367	Fascinating. So it appears they are not totally separate solenoids.. or perhaps they share an electrical circuit. It would be great to see the electrical diagram to know for sure. Sounds like a trip back to my shop is in order. I had them do it in the first place because I couldn't get the plugs undone with my hands in that tight space.

09-18-2018, 09:15 AM	#6
Blazin40s Drives: 1998 Z28 M6 Join Date: Jul 2014 Location: Ontario, Canada Posts: 12	I don't know if the 6th gen trans is the same as a T56 in the 4th gens when it comes to the solenoids, but you can "overpower" the solenoid and get it into reverse with enough effort.

09-18-2018, 11:48 AM	#7
R3ctivision 1LE Convert Drives: 2018 ZLE Join Date: Apr 2017 Location: Mountain View, CA Posts: 367	Brought it into the dealer this morning (without needing reverse!). Made a video of the problem. Service advisor comes out and pops it into gear. Now I have no problems! I look like a fool, but the gearbox really was stuck for several hours while I tried. Will keep an eye on it to see if it happens again. FWIW I confirmed it isn't a reverse lockout problem (before dealer magically fixed it). I was in fact able to get past the detent. It was the forward motion into gear that was stuck.

09-18-2018, 11:04 PM	#9
R3ctivision 1LE Convert Drives: 2018 ZLE Join Date: Apr 2017 Location: Mountain View, CA Posts: 367	Yeah, I definitely understand that, especially when cold. I do the rowing too. But this time it was REALLY stuck. Strange.

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