manual shifting

[spinaltap1]

hi guys. having a problem with my 5 speed delorean.
when the engine is off and with the clutch in i can smoothly shift to every gear except for reverse. i can't get reverse at all.
but when the engine is on and with the clutch in, the shifter locks up and i can't get any gear. i can shift to any gear just about and then the stick locks in that position and won't budge. as i say, when i turn the engine off the shifter reverts back nicely to normal operation. 🤔

[82DMC12]

I suggest you check for clutch fluid leaks and thoroughly flush and bleed the clutch. This is the most likely problem if shifting works normally with the engine off but then becomes very difficult with engine on.

It's probably not a crossgate problem because crossgate would make shifting difficult whether the engine is on or off.

Also there are four rubber bushings in the shift linkage. Inspect them and replace them as needed. Check the bell crank pivot bolt and make sure it is not loose. All of this stuff needs to be in perfect condition before making any linkage or crossgate adjustments. Otherwise they introduce slop that is hard to compensate for.

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[82DMC12]

Sorry I just reread your problem and I see reverse is difficult with engine on and off. In that case I think you do need a cross-gate adjustment but only do this if the bushings and Bell crank are in good condition.

You probably also need a flush and bleed and that might correct the rest of the engine running shift problems.

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[Rich]

when the engine is off and with the clutch in i can smoothly shift to every gear except for reverse. i can't get reverse at all.
but when the engine is on and with the clutch in, the shifter locks up and i can't get any gear. i can shift to any gear just about and then the stick locks in that position and won't budge.

Agreeing with the advice here so far.

Adding this extra info. since I can't tell how familiar you are with your car.

One possible cause of your no-reverse-in-any-situation is reverse being blocked by the reverse lockout.

Please *verify you are lifting the shift lever solidly upward and holding it upward* before moving the shifter leftward and then backward so as to engage reverse. Engine on or off.

[spinaltap1]

when the car was delivered to me i noticed it was very difficult to select reverse. the shifter only moved very slightly upwards and then left and back for reverse. i thought that was the way it was supposed to me. then the shifter stopped moving upwards completely. i was thinking that the reverse gear selection is'nt displayed very clearly on the knob and maybe the car delivery guy might have bonked something out of alignment while trying to find reverse. i did have a small yellowish/brown puddle under the car. i was'nt sure if it was eminating from the front or rear end of the car. was'nt sure what it was at the time. i know the master cylinder reservoir under the hood is full to the top. i'd imagine that means it must have been gearbox oil. i was preoccupied from the beginning with a coolant leak. i took the car for a spin and a spectacular green fountain erupted from the rear of the car. one of the central pipes was leaking near the fuel tank closing plate and introduced an air lock. 😖

[Rich]

when the car was delivered to me i noticed it was very difficult to select reverse. the shifter only moved very slightly upwards and then left and back for reverse. i thought that was the way it was supposed to me. then the shifter stopped moving upwards completely.

Good info there. It seems you can't get the lever to lift up like it used to. If true then you probably can't get it to move left past the lockout detent - no reverse .

It's easy to pop the shift lever boot's frame up from the console to get a look at the top of the shifter ass'y. Look for the detent pin near the top of the shifter chassis to see what's going on.

This 3 minute video explains the inner workings of the shifter, starting with the reverse lockout roll pin and how the lockout is meant to work. For just the reverse-access diagnosis stop the video after 1m25s. The roll pin needs to be lifted up and to the left along with the the shift lever in order to enter the reverse gate as Martin explains. It's possible your shift lever is stuck in the shifter yoke and needs to be cleaned and/or lubed so it can move up and down within the yoke.

This post is only about getting closer to finding reverse under any condition.

You'll still want to review your pivot bolt situation and the crossgate adjustment. The video gets at those after the 1m25s point. The linkage bushings may be worn, too, but the lockout, pivot bolt and the crossgate are the first things to sort out.

[JohnnyK]

Start with the basics. Generally, when you can shift with the car off, but not with the car running, the clutch isn't disengaging enough.

[spinaltap1]

thanks very much for the imput lads. i'll have a little fiddle around the car and report back.

[David T]

From your description it sounds like the problem is the gearshift selector mechanism in the console. When someone who doesn't know how to get past the lock-out to get into reverse (by lifting the gearshift knob) they force it and damage the shifter mechanism. Start there by taking it apart and inspecting it for damaged/bent parts (that little pin). As offered as further advice in previous posts, check the little rubber bushings in the shift linkage and the pivot bolt. Finally you may need some adjustment to get it spot-on. A small adjustment can make a big difference. The reservoir for the clutch cylinder is ONLY for the fluid for the clutch release mechanism. To check the level in the transmission you must remove the level plug on the side. Since the car is new to you, you should replace all of the fluids and filters so you know what is in there, and when it was last changed. If you have trouble getting full release from the clutch when the motor is running you probably need a new clutch. The Workshop Manual has the full procedure on how to adjust the shift linkage. Before adjusting the shift linkage check the motor and transmission mounts. If any are cracked they must be fixed or replaced before trying to make any adjustments.

[dmcman73]

Check your crossgate cable adjustment, that is one thing that would cause it to be difficult to shift into reverse. You can also remove the leather boot and the rubber resonator under it to see if you can shift into reverse, if you do then it needs adjustment.

Another thing to look at is if your having issues shifting into all gears is the crossgate lever, there is a pivot bolt that goes through it and on mine it was rusted preventing the lever from moving. I removed the pivot bolt, cleaned it and the lever (it has a brass sleave in it) and added some lubricant to it, it now shifts smoothly into all gears. The lever is item 29 and the pivot bolt is item 31:

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