reverse gear issues
 

Volvo V70 SE 2005 2.4D5 estate manual - reverse gear keeps jumping out and slipping/grinding. i can get it to work sometimes but i have to hold the gear stick firmly bacvk, and it is getting worse. :angry_smile:
Anyone know if this is a total transmission fail, or maybe linkage/selector/clutch issues that can be remedies, ? thanks in advance for any advice .

well this is a first. most posts/questions usually a quick and helpful response. is it possible that nobody has ever had this problem with a V70 ? :confused_smile:

You are probably right !

probably something has happened in the history of the car ... I would look for a used gearbox if the cable linkage is ok...

''Cable Linkage'' ? . . . what is that? . . where is that? . . i have absolutely no clue about this. i just need some pointers of things i can check/test/fix/replace etc to see if that solves the problem. I pretty much assumed this would be a common wear & tear issue on a 140K + car. :confused_smile::confused_smile:

In a fwd car the gearbox is not underneath the gear lever and therefore the lever is connected to the box via cables

At a guess I'd say it's not something you're going to be able to easily see and check on yourself, personally I'd just give that one to the local garage to investigate

If it is the linkage and not the box itself at fault it shouldn't be earth shatteringly expensive

my car is not a 4WD. :confused_smile:

Fwd ... front wheel drive

But regardless either way the facts remain the same re linkage

oops i misread that on my phone :(

no worries :)

if about £250 (inc postage) is the going rate, that's not really unreasonable..

see here
or here

obviously you'd check with them first with your VIN and probably try and find out what the mileage was on the donor car if possible..

of course the real cost will be paying someone to swap it for you.. anyone know the going rate for a gearbox swap?

does it feel like you've got any unexpected slack on the gearstick when you wobble the lever about? I've heard of people replacing bushings in the actual level mechanism (under the centre console) in other types of cars when the werent getting into gear properly.. am no expert on Volvo in particular mind you

thanks for that Stuart, that's a big help. what i need to know is how do i figure out if that is what i need?, i have been told it COULD be transmission, cables, selectors, linkages, clutch etc. how do i diagnose what the actual problem is. i could easily waste a lot of money on a new (old) transmission (plus labour costs) and still not fix the problem . . . plus i have to commute 150 miles to-from work and if i miss work i can lose my job. i'm in a bit of a pickle to say the least . :(