Having a no reverse problem with my old 2001, 3.9 dakota. Was running fine all day, pulled into a parking lot and the tranny wouldn't go into park. I fiddled with the shifter a bit and it finally went into park. After eating at the restaurant, came out and tried to back out of the spot and no reverse. Started making sounds like it does when you are moving and you accidentally put it in park. On the way home the tranny would all of a sudden make all kinds of whirring and scraping and grinding sounds. I would put it in neutral and coast and back into drive and go a ways down the road and it would happen again. Repeated the process and made it home. Now I start it up and I can feel it engage a bit when I put it in reverse but it doesn't move when I press the accelerator. All other gears work perfectly normal and park is working fine now. Haven't dropped the pan yet. Fluid level is good with no burning. I've heard talk of clips and things. How bad does this sound to you? I live in a rural area and really need a vehicle. Thanks for any advice!

 

Does first or second (manual) gear work when reverse does not? Manual first is not mechanically the same as first gear in Drive.

NO REVERSE (D RANGES OK)

1. Gearshift Linkage/Cable Mis-adjusted/Damaged.

2. Park Sprag Sticking.

3. Rear Band Mis-adjusted/Worn.

4. Valve Body Malfunction.

5. Rear Servo Malfunction.

6. Direct Clutch in Overdrive Worn.

7. Front Clutch Burnt.

1. Repair or replace linkage parts as needed.

2. Replace overdrive annulus gear.

3. Adjust band; replace.

4. Remove and service valve body. Replace valve body if any valves or valve bores are worn or damaged.

5. Remove and disassemble transmission. Replace worn/damaged servo parts as necessary.

6. Disassemble overdrive. Replace worn or damaged parts.

7. Remove and disassemble transmission. Replace worn, damaged clutch parts as required.

 

Thanks for the reply magnethead. The transmission functions normally other than reverse. In drive it shifts through the gears fine and manual works too. I have a manual that lists most of the conditions you mentioned, but I am by no means a transmission guy. Which condition do you think would cause the noises I mentioned above? I have read that sometimes a clip can break and pieces end up in the pan. From my understanding, in this scenario a fix is possible without too much disassembly. I'm thinking I will drop the pan and have a look today. I''l let you know what I find.

 

Well, I haven't been able to get the pan off yet but I did check the linkage and it seems fine. I'm thinking it might be a worn out clutch because when I shift it into reverse, I can feel it engage, it just doesn't turn the wheels. Does that sound right?