Reverse collar sleeve disconnected, cannot engage reverse gear

[6i9]

Hello everyone

I drove the Elise up to San Francisco this weekend and it was pretty chilly up there. My car is an 05

When I got back in my car on Sunday morning, the reverse collar was sticking and there was not the usual spring action bringing the collar down. I find out I can't shift into reverse and had to push the car out of the parking spot.

I later manage to engage reverse by grabbing the shift boot and pulling up on the reverse lockout that way. I did a search and it seems some people experience this problem too...but I can't determine if the shifter recall on 05's pertained to this problem or not? In any case, I am out of warranty now so I dont think the dealer will do this w/o charging heftily.

Some people have had to use epoxy to seal sleeves together , but I havent found any explicit DIY instructions.

Any feedback or help is appreciated

[MattG]

Do a search for reverse lockout, this is not an uncommon problem though once fixed I think it's generally fixed for good. Here are a couple threads I found quickly:
Reverse lockout problem
Technical Service Bulletin for Shift Linkage?

The shifter recall was a completely different issue (and, being a safety recall, is unrelated to your warranty status).

[buzzy]

Epoxy worked for me.

[6i9]

Thanks for the response

I guess I need to take apart the shifter to see whats disconnected and epoxy the sleeves together...

Too bad my shift knob is stuck because the set screw caused the threads to bind up...apparently others have this problem too?? The transmission on this car is so weak

[andykeck]

Originally Posted by 6i9

Thanks for the response

I guess I need to take apart the shifter to see whats disconnected and epoxy the sleeves together...

Too bad my shift knob is stuck because the set screw caused the threads to bind up...apparently others have this problem too?? The transmission on this car is so weak

Shift knob doesn't need to come off. Only the p-brake handle. You can probably lift the housing high enough without removing the boot. And even of you want to lift the whole thing away, the boot will slip over the knob once you cut the ziptie.