Reverse gear problem

I guess you have investigated that nothing has fallen into the exposed gate area and lodged between the two metal faces,does your reversing light work, from memory there is a bit going on down there with springs and stuff.

 

you could undo the top 2 screws holding the shift gate on, the "stop" for reverse is under this so lifting the gate up 10mm or so might allow you to select reverse without pressing down.
Good luck!

 

That definitely sounds like an alignment issue.

I would have taken it back during the winter months, but maybe that is when he is more slammed...

Regardless, I can understand why he won't warrant it if someone else has worked on it.

Have you taken it back to him yet?

Shawn

 

The problem you are having has nothing to do with the gearbox and is contained entirely in the shifter box assembly where the gear selector lever is. I have attached an image from the parts book for reference below. Repairing this can be tackled with a basic DIY knowledge and no special tools.

Referencing the photo below your problem lies in parts 34-37. This is the mechanism that allows the stick to move up and down giving the necessary clearance for the reverse lockout. Chances are something is binding up this mechanism and keeping the spring from moving freely. The first thing I would do is to remove the shift gate (#5) held in with the 2 screws (#4) and spray some liquid lubricant like PB Blaster at the lowest point of the shift rod that you can see. At this time push on the shifter the way you would normally to enter reverse and cycle it to see if you can free up the mechanism a little. If you are lucky this is all that is needed.

Should the shifter still stick then it is a bit more work. You will need to remove the center console (held in with 4 screws around the perimeter) and then you will have to knock out pin #23 with a punch. Be careful to only knock it out just past 50% which will make re-assembly much easier later. With that pin out you can remove the 4 bolts #9 and the whole shifter will come out. With the whole assembly on the table you can remove the clip #37 and clean, grease, and re-pack everything. If you are a little handy with tools this is all easy.

One word of caution is to not touch the assembly of 25-27. This is the adjuster that regulates the actual shifting of the car. Its length and angular position is finely adjusted in a totally other procedure to get the best shifting. Your problem does not lie here so leave this assembly alone. By removing and replacing pin #23 nothing will change and the shift box will be able to be serviced in isolation of the gearbox.

This is an easy job and if your current shop is making it out to be some kind of rocket science involving the gearbox tell them to sell that bridge to another sucker. You can do this yourself or trust it to another independent. Either way it has nothing to do with the gearbox and its controls. It is all in the spring assembly at the base of the shifter.
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Apologies on reviving this and changing topics slightly, but has anyone else had difficulty connecting the transaxle shift shaft forward to the ggear shift rod? Mine are not exactly straight with the gear shift rod and slightly offset making it a tough one to adjust correctly

 

Your problem lies in the shifter box assembly. At the lower end of the chrome shift rod there is a nylon bushing that pivots on the "ball". This bushing should have a step on the outter diameter or champfer so it can move up & down in the socket. Sometimes these bushings do not have the step or champfer on them, not allowing the shift lever to be pushed down. If you have access to a lathe you can turn the step down or just buy the proper bushing, they are cheap. I believe a 308 should have the same bushing and common to many Ferraris. Simple to fix, just a pain to get to.

 

From the angle of the threaded portion of the long rod from the shift housing, I would say it is bent. The nylon bushing may be worn but that wouldn't affect the shift rod's orientation. Here is a diagram from the parts manual copied from the Ferrparts site:
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I think part #13 is your problem. It needs to be able to slide up & down in the socket of part #12.

 

The reason I don't think part #13 is the culprit is because part #12 is clamped between the two haves of part number 1 and that shaft can only slide back and forth and rotate so even if part #13 was missing it wouldn't change the alignment of the long #17 shaft. I would at least look at the threaded end of the long shaft and make sure it isn't bent. I think the threaded part is only a bolt welded to the end of the shaft.

 

The alignment of the shaft coming out of the shifter box is based on how part #12 rests in the base and how it is clamped together - that may cause binding, but not as much on how it is aligned with the transmission. The unit then bolts to the floor. If it is not "level" at the floor, it would not be aligned properly with the transmission.

Check the installation of the engine mounts. I’ve heard people in this chat room refer to putting them in up-side down - that one side goes in one way and the other side is reversed. That would affect the alignment coming from the transmission.




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I thought I’d mention that my last post was aimed at the question from Syncro. As for the shifter not wanting to depress, I did manage to have my shifter bind-up and not want to go into any gear. The moment I loosened the 4 bolts that hold the clam-shell together, the binding stopped.

I went ahead and removed the shifter unit and dismantled it. The lower portion is pretty straight forward. It is more difficult to reassemble the top portion if you take it apart because of the spring for reverse. But, just by taking the two halves apart, you should be able to see why it isn’t working properly. Of course, to do that you need to remove the cover and perhaps the seats…



Ken

 

Thank you for the kind replies, much appreciated.
The cup is there but it is captured.