Hi guys

 

I've not been around for the last couple months as my car has been garaged most that time and I have been working on a new business venture which has taken up a lot of my time

 

Anyway - I decided to give the Zed a run today as it has not moved for at least four weeks, and the sun was out, so why not. :devil:

 

She's started first time and is running fine, all was good - until I tried to reverse..... and found I no longer seem to have a reverse gear anymore!!

 

By this I mean there only appear to be five gears to select on the box now, where reverse usually is the stick just won't move that way at all

 

There are no noises coming out of the gearbox, the car drives fine (going forwards) and the clutch feels fine

 

Any ideas?

 

Rich

Rat jammed in the linkage

Good to hear from you Rich hope you get your reverse gear back again mate

Thanks Gary

 

With some help from here I am sure I can find my missing gear.....

 

Doubt it would be stray rodents lol - we have several felines so they don't come around here unless already dead! :scared:

Welcome back Rich.....

 

.....And as for the Zed, hell; it probably just wants to go forwards. Very quickly; since it has not been used for a bit...:wink:

Possibly worn linkage bushes.

May have been on their last legs the last time she was driven.

Who needs reverse just do a donut

LOL fair enough guys

 

But the Z is not a 'bubble car' and this is the help and advice forum

 

So realistically why can't I find the reverse gear any more - as this could become quite embarrasaing on Tescos carpark because some little oink may have a 'suped up' Corsa or Saxo or some such thing that will go backwards out of a parking spot at the same approx velocity it goes forward on a motorway - but with a very loud exhaust to make it sound good.... err I mean sound silly... while it is doing it. But I will look even more silly pushing my car out of the parking spot - or rather getting the Mrs to push it as I have to steer.

 

It would be even worse on Waitrose car park, but that will not be a problem as we don't have any such shop anywhere in North Staffordshire because (as was on front page of the local paper some while back) Waitrose say the residents of Stoke On Trent are not sufficiently 'up market enough' to open a store here, especially the ones who drive Saxos and Corsas - which is most of them!

 

But back to the problem in hand, it was there last month (the reverse gear that is) so it can't have gone far surely......

 

Rich

Edited December 13, 201410 yr by dicky96

when I drove my car back from buying it (400 miles-ish) I got 20 miles from home and the gearbox wouldn't let me select 5th or reverse. It was like they didnt exist, the stick wouldnt move to the right. I found that by taking the centre console off and the gearstick gaiter off, there was a nut missing that held the shifter stick in place. I added a nut, tightened everything up and its better now. sometimes it doesnt like changing into 5th and i have to put a bit more force in, but atleast i get all gears now. Have a look at yours, check all the bolts etc.

^^^ Could be on to something and in the same ball park I believe that this part can fail and cause gear selection problems....

 

https://conceptzperformance.com/Cart/description.php?II=1877

as others have said, you'll need to take a look at the linkage....

Rat jammed in the linkage

 

:lol:

You sure it ism't one of those corsa's jammed under the Z???........lol

OK will have a look at that

 

Actually I just realised that I did have reverse when I first drove the car as I got just around the corner and had to reverse a couple yards as the guy in front of me (in one of those pesky Corsas :tt2:) suddenly broke down on the junction at the end of my road.

 

It was when I got to Tescos up in town about five miles away and tried to reverse into a parking space that I discovered I didn't have reverse any more

 

So it didn't go wrong while the car was standing for a month or two, it happened while I was driving it if that makes any difference

 

Rich

Err what holds the trim around the gearstick in place guys?

 

There's a big screw under the ashtray, then all the back part unclips and comes loose - but the front end where it goes up to the centre console just under the clock is solid. Do you have to get the leather trims along the sides of the gearstick off first?

 

Thing is I am pretty sure I've had this off before when I put LED lighting in the cigarette lighter and don't recall it was a difficult thng to do at the time before the car was retrimmed and don't think I had to get the center console panel around the stereo out to do it either

 

Rich

Two screws are under the radio panel so you'll have to remove that or just hover it up a bit.

 

'no going back' - see what you did there :biggrin:.

possibly those screws used to be missing before the car was retrimmed as a lot of the centre console was loose Andy

 

The radio panel is that just held in by clips as there are no visible screws - dont' want to break anything

 

Cheers

Two screws at the top corners hidden by covers so just tease them off with a small screwdriver. Then there are two more screws hidden under that long strip, the strip will just lift up and out.

Then get hold at the bottom each side as low down as you can and pull and this'll release two metal poppers - these may be quite well fixed !!!

OK cheers

 

The two screws under the long strip were missing on mine

 

Anyway I got there

 

So what am I looking at and what do I do now?

 

Rich

Undo that nut and you should be able to lift the rubber gator up to see the linkage.

http://www.twinturbo.net/nissan/300zx/forums/main/view/1121038/Its-possible-that-your-reverse-check-assembly-has-failed.html

OK Got it

 

Once that nut is removed the whole whing was loose so I popped it back on once I reoved the rubber gator

 

Can't see anything here that would stop the gearstick moving - push up into 5th selects easily, I just can't move it down past center into reverse but down into 2nd/4th is easy

 

Rich

Edited December 14, 201410 yr by dicky96

That's where I would be checking mate. :yes:

We posted simultaneously there mate

 

Thanks - though probably that job is beyond my resources - may have to ask Lee Dent

 

Cheers

Rich

Good luck with it, hope it's a nice cheap fix!

Bang on correct Chrisbasildon! was reading through this to see if anyone knew the answer, been a while but have done dealt with this problem a few times in the past, in fact used to keep the spring and ball bearing in stock as its was often the case the ball bearing gets mashed when the spring breaks, little money for the parts but dropping the box is the only way to access it, at least its not a major gearbox issue.

 

 

Jeff