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will not reverse!

49K views 14 replies 8 participants last post by  the roadie 
#1 ·
i have an '03 Envoy with about 135,000 miles and now when its shifted into reverse it will not move, it makes a whirring noise when in reverse, but it will work fine in the forward gears. any ideas what could be the problem? please help.
 
#4 ·
I agree. No reverse is a symptom of only two things. Low fluid or something broken. Only you know how often you've been giving your tranny any loving maintenance, and I didn't want to insult your intelligence to suggest that checking the fluid level is the absolute first thing to do. I sort of wish you'd started out your post by telling us that you checked the fluid level and when the last fluid change was.

But if you've never touched it in 135.000 miles, and I hope that's not the case, your vehicle is only giving back what it's been given and it's time to spend some money and get it to a shop before you lose forward gears and have to tow it.
 
#8 ·
OK, so if it's not low fluid or neglect, nobody here could even begin to guess what's broken inside. All I think we can declare, with full certainty, is something inside is broken and you need a professional to look into it. Repair, replace, or rebuild.

Start with thinking about who changed the fluid and filter. Were they a competent, well-regarded transmission shop or a quickie-lube place? If a quickie-lube place, they might have put engine oil or grape soda in your tranny. I wouldn't rule out getting a sample of whatever's in there for analysis in case you have a case against them for idiocy.

If only you'd asked us about rough idle at 135,000 miles, combined with stalling when the A/C compressor kicks in. We do have a solution to that one (if you haven't done it already) - cleaning the throttle body. But transmission internals - you need a hands-on local professional.
 
#9 ·
ok now heres the problem. I dropped the transmission, tore it apart and found the teeth on the sunshell were pretty much gone, so i bought "the beast" sunshell, new sungear and rebuild kit. rebuilt everything taking special care i put everything back in, bolted the trans back up, but now it will not do anything but rev up in either reverse or drive gears! any ideas of what could be the problem?
 
#11 ·
noise while in a4wd

hey guys im new hear an could use some help. I have an 02 TB with 190,000 miles jst got it a few months ago and have had no trouble till tonight. while driving on some snowy roads i had my TB in a4wd after about 40 minutes of driving it started making a loud noise and was clanking a bit i then put it in 2wd and it seemed to stop making noise for a few minutes but then the noise came back and i started smelling something burning i made it home and smoke seemed to be coming from driver side front tire or somewhere in that area and i noticed when i put it in reverse it would move fine for few inches then jst stop like the brake was on. if any one can help i would appreciate it.
 
#12 ·
Probably a destroyed front differential.

If you didn't get a pre-purchase inspection or know the maintenance history, you needed to change EVERY fluid in the vehicle to make sure they were full and fresh.

Since you limped it home (risking more damage) instead of getting a tow, can I assume you're on a budget?

Are you a DIY mechanic, and how would you describe your skills?

You might need to convert it to 2WD in the short term if you need it to get around. PLUS immediately service all the other fluids in the truck except the front diff.
 
#15 ·
My guess is some use of A4WD, plus the natural aging of the population of used trucks. Many of which are being sold for $5-8K with ZIPPO maintenance for the last 100-150K miles. In anticipation of expensive repairs after neglected maintenance.

And folks who spend $5K on a neglected 4WD vehicle aren't going to be pleased to spend another $2-3K at a shop to make it right.

It's only going to get worse as time goes on. :hopeless :rolleyes:
 
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