SAAB 95 hard to engage reverse gear

[smith1]

Hi Guys!

Ive got a Saab 95 SE estate with a manual.

It seems to be hard to engage reverse, only seems to be able to put in reverse when the car is switched off.

The mechanics at Saab didnt have a clue what was wrong with it.

Any ideas?

Thankyou !

Kind Regards,

John

[lesenyap]

when you stop ,before putting it in reverse ,put it in first gear ,then take it out and put it in reverse ,it works for me .

[flying SAAB]

i have a problem like this, but not as bad, sometimes it will go in without turning it off. its a problem that people are aware of and its a surprise the dealer didnt know. you could try a manual trans fluid flush to help improve it. but most likely you are stuck with it the way it is. if you want it fixed you will have to have the trans removed and rebuilt. and that =$$$$. your gear shift alignment may be off, and thats easy to check by yourself.

[zoli.m13]

Originally Posted by flying SAAB

... your gear shift alignment may be off, and thats easy to check by yourself.

Do you have an instruction about it?

[aslan]

I got that too, but its not as bad where I have to switch off the car to engage the gear.
I put it in second and then reverse, works for me

[TunnanXWD]

In an empty parking lot if you are in reverse and are moving, take your foot off the gas and what happens.

How about in first? If you start out in first and then take your foot off?

[Jssaab]

You need to rebuild the trans for this known issue...

Saab Service and Warranty Reference Library 2002/05/07 RE-ISSUED TO UPDATE GEARBOX FILL INFORMATION
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION UPDATED TO CLARIFY KIT CONTENT AND WARRANTY OPERATION NUMBERS

Date: 03/16/01

To: All Saab Dealers
Saab Service Manager
Saab Parts Manager

From: Rich Miller

Reference: New update kit for manual transmissions

A manual transmission update kit to address various shifting complaints has been developed and added to our parts inventory. See details below. This kit fits the following models:

• • MY99 - MY01 9-3 up to and including VIN 12029080
  • MY99 - MY01 9-3 Convertible up to and including VIN 17007508
  • MY99 - MY01 9-5 up to and including 13025469

If you are rebuilding a transmission before these VINs for any reason, order and install this update kit, Saab P/N 54 40 516.

The first chart shows which parts included in the kit have been improved and, specifically, what the improvements address. The second chart shows a listing of the parts required during an update which are included in the kit. All 9-3 & 9-5 exchange transmissions are updated with the parts included in the kit.

If your customer's complaint is not listed in the first chart, it will likely be necessary to order additional parts to address that complaint since this kit was not developed to address every rebuild situation.

To repair the transmission, follow the instructions as described in WIS. After performing the update, the transmission must be marked with an A as illustrated in the Repair Kit Instruction (included with the kit).
REPAIR KIT P/N 54 40 516 (Please note that all parts in both tables below are included in the Repair Kit)

After gearbox is rebuilt, fill with Saab MTF 0063 Manual Gearbox fluid, p/n 400 132 213

ComplaintsPartsPart Number
Blocked 2nd gear----Synchromesh hub 1-251 64 041
Blocked reverse gear ----Reverse Leaf spring Kit 52 57 910
Difficult to engage 3rd-4th gears----Synchromesh rings 3rd-4th Reinforced shift fork 3rd-4th-Leaf springs x651 60 296
87 49 749 (Kit # 54 40 524)
87 43 791
Difficult to engage 5th gear ---Synchromesh sleeve 5th Synchromesh ring 5th Leaf springs x3 52 59 353
51 61 005 (Kit # 54 405 532)
87 43 809
Difficult to disengage 3rd-5th-----Selector bearing bracket54 40 144

[19016c]

I wanted to add a note to this thread as I have been struggling with this problem for quite some time and did find a solution. There are two problems that plague these transmissions, and if you are experiencing both it can become very difficult to get into reverse.

The first is the best known gear teeth engagement issue. This problem can almost always be fixed by going through the gears which rotates the transmission output slightly and allows the reverse pinion gear to mesh.

The other problem that nobody seems to know about is with the yoke on the shift lever. This is usually the last place anyone would look for such a problem. Adjusting the shift linkage and shift linkage mount along with the motor mounts would usually be the starting point. If you have not done that yet, you should at least inspect the motor mounts. Assuming all of those parts are in good condition, its time to start diagnosing this troublesome shift lever. Popping off the shift boot reveals a ball yoke that is snap fit into the shift linkage box.

You will see the reverse lock guide. Leave that in place so that you don't break it. Carefully pry around the edges of the plastic ring around the yoke until it becomes loose. Now reinstall it. I had the best results by rotating it approximately 2mm counterclockwise so that there is a slight gap at the top right of the reverse lock guide. This effectively will push the lever further out to the right when reverse is being engaged which seems to improve the overall ability to get into the reverse gear.

To get the ring back in, use a hammer and a wooden dowel of some kind, and go around the ring several times.

What I found is that the yoke ring becomes slightly dislodged over time, in large part due to the strain that is put on it from a troublesome reverse, and the fact that reverse gear is used so much because of the lockout.

Thus, when we cannot get into reverse due to the gear syncing issue, and slightly force the shift lever, we get a pole-vaulting type effect where the yoke is lifted slightly out of the socket. Once the ring is loosened, there is nothing to stop the yoke from being lifted up every time we select reverse. The result of this is binding in the transmission linkage as the angle and rotation of the shift linkage shaft is now incorrect.

This procedure has fixed my problem 100%. I still need to shift through the gears in order to get into reverse, however after doing so it will go into reverse 100% of the time. This is an enormous improvement, as previous to doing the fix I could only get into reverse 20% of the time and would have to pull the car forward multiple times to get into reverse.

Just wanted to clear this up once and for all, because its such a common problem.