I thought either the car was broken or I was seriously tired.

To skip all the small details, I was playing around in a 6 speed 2004 base model last night with 13,000 miles on it and tried 3 freaking times to get the car into reverse with no luck. I have been driving for 20+ years and never had a problem getting any car into a gear, unless it was broken. I have owned many 6 speeds but they were all motorcycles:-P Anyway, the backup lights wouldn't even come on. Could have sworn I had the damn shifter all the way over to the right and all the way back. I was pushing and pulling the shifter back and forth several times and side to side to make sure it was all the way over and back.

When ever I tried to ease off the clutch and go backwards the rpms dropped/bogged and it was trying to creep foreward like it was in 2nd 4th or 5th instead of reverse.

Aparantly engaging reverse in a 6 speed tranny is a tad bit different than a 5 speed?

I did a quick search in here and if I am to understand correctly you have to push DOWN on the gear shifter **** in order for it to allow reverse to engage?

That's weird. Is there like an audabile click or anything or does the lever just move down a little and how much? Sounds like a James Bond kind of thing. Guess I wouldn't make a good car theif. That's almost as hard as trying to figure out how to start one of those new push button Lexus'

I was sitting in the car an telling myself My God they're all right the Z's tranny IS total crap. 13,000 miles and it's shot already? WTF?

Hmmm wonder if that whole pressing down on the shifter thing in any way could have some impact on why some trannies grind, like maybe it gets pushed down slighly and messes something up?

So somebody please tell me that there is suppose to be a trick for getting it into reverse.

 

Push the stick all the way down and go all the way to the right and i mean all the way and pull down. The stick should look heavily tilted to the right. What I would do is see is have someone stand behind it to see if the reverse lights come on

 

yea, it's awkward. i dont like how the reverse is. mine pops outta reverse sometimes......=\

 

I would guess you were in 6th. Yeah, push down, then all the way to the right.

 

It's actually a safety feature designed to prevent you from accidently shifting from 5th gear (or any forward gear) into Reverse. Imagine going 60 MPH in 5th gear and shifting into reverse.....opps....you just did MAJOR damage to the tranny.

5 speed MT have a separate gate for Reverse (usually up and to the far right), not the case with 6 speed MT (At least with the Z anyway).

As was previously mentioned, just push straight down from Neutral and to the far right to engage reverse.

It DOES take some getting used to at first, but you'll develop a feel for it in no time.

The Salesman who sold me the Z didn't even know how to put it in reverse, so he could fill up the car with gas. Dude was like "what do I do?" LOL.

 

I love how the BMW's have the reverse gear all the way to the upper left right next to first gear.... i think all cars should be like that lol =]

 

I have seen a BMW launch in reverse on the dragstrip instead of 1st.
The guy knocked his head on the steering wheel.

 

HAHAHAHA i wish i could see something like that

The z's shifter isn't too bad, just push it down till it stops and go all the way right, it does move noticeably further than where u go for 5th/6th. I like that safety feature better. In my brother's tl, u go to where 5th/6th is an jus move over more (u barely notice an extra notch).

 

hmm.. 6th gear newbie... Many 6th gear transmissions are this way. My sister's Audi TT roadster is the same way. I'll repeat again While pressing the **** down, you push it all the way right. Then back. Good luck.

 

You mean like this?
http://videos.streetfire.net/Player....003F16499C&p=0

 

thats a funny video.

 

My wife did that on our 02 6Spd Maxima. BTW she has driven it 2 years when it happened. She called frantically from work saying reverse was not working when she left work. She said her and her boss pushed the car back and she drove it home. As I am talking to her on the phone I ask her to go through every gear and tell me if anything weird happens or she hears something strange.

She says no, every gear works but reverse!

I get home and the first thing I do is pull the o'ring on the stick and drive the car in reverse. I could see the light bulb pop in her head. Can you say PWNED! She was so embarrased!

I was dying laughing!

 

Huh? I don't get whats so funny. O-ring is something that sounds mechanical and not something I'd know to pull. You taking about something else? Please clarify.

 

On the Maxima's, you have to pull up a ring thats right under the shifter. A round o'ring. You lift up on the ring for reverse to work.

 

Ohhhhhhhhhhhhh! That is funny man. Thanks for the clarification.

 

She must've had a brain fart... my gf's done similar things before haha

And that video there was great!

 

OMG it really scares me that you guys have nukes...

 

 

 

For the first couple days I owned the car I was freaking out too. I have driven countless different manual cars and have never run across this. I have never been so relieved to feel that stupid.