Automatic gearbox no reverse

Coveredinbees!!!!

The car is a 2008 Cee'd 1.6 diesel Automatic

My wife just got home yesterday, tried to reverse on to the drive and the car refused to move, it will go forward Ok just not backwards. When you put it in to reverse it feels like it has gone into gear but when you put your foot on the gas nothing happens, at all. There are no noises or anything just no movement, the car won't rev above about 2500 RPM when in R but revs normally in N.

The car has been fully serviced by Kia so I'm assuming they have done everything that should be done on the service ie check/change gear box oil and I can't see any leaks.

Any ideas?

bigjl

The usual reason for a normally functioning Auto to no longer have reverse is somebody putting it in reverse whilst still going forward and stripping the gear.

AdrianC

Sounds like the box has died internally. Might be minor, might be terminal.

There's a chance it's an electrical/electronic problem, but not a high one. It's a fairly low-tech Aisin Warner 4-spd slushbox.

missbiggles1

bigjl wrote: »

The usual reason for a normally functioning Auto to no longer have reverse is somebody putting it in reverse whilst still going forward and stripping the gear.

How can you make a car go forward when it's in reverse?

AdrianC

missbiggles1 wrote: »

How can you make a car go forward when it's in reverse?

Change into R before it's come to a stop, from travelling forwards.

Coveredinbees!!!!

I have never put the car in reverse when going forward, I don't think it's even possible. I checked the oil and the level looks ok but it looks fairly mucky. I checked back on all the previous services and the fluid should have been changed at 5 years but as far as I can see they have only topped it up so that might be a problem. I would have thought is something was broken internally it would make some sort of noise?

Lorian

try https://www.i30ownersclub.com - same engine and gearbox and if its a common issue they will know.

bigjl

Coveredinbees!!!! wrote: »

I have never put the car in reverse when going forward, I don't think it's even possible. I checked the oil and the level looks ok but it looks fairly mucky. I checked back on all the previous services and the fluid should have been changed at 5 years but as far as I can see they have only topped it up so that might be a problem. I would have thought is something was broken internally it would make some sort of noise?

It is possible, have see no ever cars with this issue when I ran a garage. And one Astra that had it done to it by Make Ready using one of the Astras to go between stations.

It usually happens at low speed, and no it doesn't have to be more than a couple of MPH.

Some cars are more prone to it than others. Just depends how strong the teeth are on the gear I suppose.

It would make a noise if some teeth were present I suspect but once the teeth a gone it doesn't make a noise.

I don't know if the C'eed box is prone to it.

All the vehicles I have seen with this failure have been FwD

I don't know enough about Autoboxes to explain it better I'm afraid.

Joe_Horner

Revving to around 2500rpm is about what you'd expect from a torque converter stall test. You'll probably get the same if you put it in drive and try to pull away with your foot hard on the brake - do at your own risk though, some makers don't recommend stall testing.

Depending on how the box is controlled it could be as simple as a poorly adjusted selector that's leaving the parking pawl engaged - reverse and park are next to each other on the selector.

If you put it in reverse with the handbrake off (and engine off) can you push the car / does it roll on a hill or are the rear wheels locked? That would suggest the parking pawl is staying engaged.

If the internals have been somehow damaged enough to lock the box completely in reverse then it's very unlikely it'd "drive normally" in forward gears!

marlot

Coveredinbees!!!! wrote: »

I have never put the car in reverse when going forward, I don't think it's even possible...

A friend was an accident investigator for a jaguar which flipped at high speed killing the occupants. Witnesses in the cars behind saw the reversing lights come on before the crash, and the conclusion was that the driver put the car into reverse at speed (70mph).

This was 30 years ago, so the technology was rather simpler then.

marlot

Joe_Horner wrote: »

Revving to around 2500rpm is about what you'd expect from a torque converter stall test. You'll probably get the same if you put it in drive and try to pull away with your foot hard on the brake - do at your own risk though, some makers don't recommend stall testing.

Depending on how the box is controlled it could be as simple as a poorly adjusted selector that's leaving the parking pawl engaged - reverse and park are next to each other on the selector.

If you put it in reverse with the handbrake off (and engine off) can you push the car / does it roll on a hill or are the rear wheels locked? That would suggest the parking pawl is staying engaged.

If the internals have been somehow damaged enough to lock the box completely in reverse then it's very unlikely it'd "drive normally" in forward gears!

Good advice. I too am wondering whether its just a selector needing adjusting. If so, hopefully a cheap repair.

Try moving the lever slightly back and forward in R and see if you can get it to operate.