Put my car in Reverse just driving down the road

[eljefino]

I got reading and the Saturn TAAT valvebody/ computer blocks entry into reverse while the vehicle speed is over 5 mph.

I have a rusted junker 98 SW2 (too far gone, even by my standards) that I just had to try this on.

The video is totally boring, so skip it.

It fell into gear rolling forward at about 1 mph and didn't clunk or complain. While in "reverse" it was just neutral. I didn't rev it, as low line pressure keeps it from grabbing the gear, and more RPMs might boost said pressure.

 

[WobblyElvis]

My son [lets call him dummer] was traveling down a highway with his friend [lets call him dum ] when dum said to dummer "my car has some device that won't let you put the manual tranny in 1st. when traveling at high speed". Dummer said "okay lets try it".

I helped tow the car home where it sat until the tow truck came to take it to the scrap yard.

 

[horse123]

Originally Posted By: WobblyElvis
My son [lets call him dummer] was traveling down a highway with his friend [lets call him dum ] when dum said to dummer "my car has some device that won't let you put the manual tranny in 1st. when traveling at high speed". Dummer said "okay lets try it".

I helped tow the car home where it sat until the tow truck came to take it to the scrap yard.


Couldn't he have tried putting it in first with the clutch still in? Odds are it would block you from putting it the gear, not from dropping the clutch.

 

[Doog]

Originally Posted By: WobblyElvis
My son [lets call him dummer] was traveling down a highway with his friend [lets call him dum ] when dum said to dummer "my car has some device that won't let you put the manual tranny in 1st. when traveling at high speed". Dummer said "okay lets try it".

I helped tow the car home where it sat until the tow truck came to take it to the scrap yard.


My brother once did that with his 1956 Nomad wagon. There were 4 of us kids in the back seat...we hit the front seats so hard it broke the track bolts off the floor.

 

[GSCJR]

As a teenager my cousin accidentally put his uncle's vette (C3) in reverse on the highway and the engine just stalled. We coasted and pulled over. Fired it up and kept on going.

I used to own a '92 SL2 that I abused for about 20 years. Every time I would drive in reverse, whenever I would shift from R to N and allow it to keep coasting it would make the loudest CRACK! The faster I would go the louder it would be. Don't know how the tranny did explode all over the road.

 

[WobblyElvis]

Dum and Dummer's car mentioned earlier was a 95 Cavalier and the clutch was depressed when put in 1st. A slight grinding sound was heard for a split second. The car never moved under it's own power again.

 

[NHGUY]

Years ago a kid got a 70s Pontiac LeMans coupe with 350 Pontiac engine from an old lady for cheap (car was MINT),one drunken night he slammed it into park at 65mph.The road was littered with smoldering hot pieces of transmission and fluid.Took at least 2 weeks to find a transmission that fit the (rare) Pontiac engine.Dumb kid.

 

[caprice_2nv]

I put my 87 cutlass in reverse at about 30mph about ten year's ago. It stalled the engine and I had it back in drive within a second or two. No bad noises, it just felt like I hit the brakes quick. Came to a stop and restarted it.

That 2004R transmission is still in my 84 cutlass today with about 250k miles on it. The lockup stopped working last summer, but otherwise working great.

 

[eljefino]

Originally Posted By: WobblyElvis
Dum and Dummer's car mentioned earlier was a 95 Cavalier and the clutch was depressed when put in 1st. A slight grinding sound was heard for a split second. The car never moved under it's own power again.


How about those synchros! Best part of the car!

 

[GSCJR]

Originally Posted By: GSCJR
Don't know how the tranny did NOT explode all over the road.

 

[javacontour]

The first guy in my graduating class to get a license did something like this with a similar car. However, no carnage. Just heard the parking pawl grinding away.

The engine stalled and instead of putting it in N it thought he had to put it in P to start it.

We were probably doing 40-50 on a country road. Don't recall how he managed to kill it at speed. But he did, or thought he did.

What did we know at 15-16 years old?

Just checked the class roster, he's not dead yet, LOL.

I guess it depends on the transmission.
Originally Posted By: NHGUY
Years ago a kid got a 70s Pontiac LeMans coupe with 350 Pontiac engine from an old lady for cheap (car was MINT),one drunken night he slammed it into park at 65mph.The road was littered with smoldering hot pieces of transmission and fluid.Took at least 2 weeks to find a transmission that fit the (rare) Pontiac engine.Dumb kid.

 

[Falken]

To add another one for going from 5th gear on the highway to 1st by total ACCIDENT was a guy I took AutoMech with.

He was totally ashamed.

I'm not amazing with a stick shift but I would be devastated myself!!

Glad I drive an auto trans, they are likely to break on their own is the only pitfall

 

[old1]

Years ago I was riding with a friend who was driving a 58 chevy impalla convertible at the time. Had the 283 engine with 3 speed on the column. We decided to see if without using the clutch while going 60 mph, if it could be put into low gear. He kicked into neutral, floored the gas, and slipped it right into low no problem. If you remember, these were not syncro in low. No harm no foul.

 

[Vikas]

Looks like ElJe is turning in to GHT!!!!

 

[SwampSurvivor]

Originally Posted By: WobblyElvis
Dum and Dummer's car mentioned earlier was a 95 Cavalier and the clutch was depressed when put in 1st. A slight grinding sound was heard for a split second. The car never moved under it's own power again.


I imagine the grinding sound was the synchronizers killing themselves as they spun the input shaft to well over 10,000 RPM!

 

[Noobie]

I put my car in Park once while rolling at like 5 - 10 kmh. Was not a good experience. LOL

 

[mjoekingz28]

Originally Posted By: WobblyElvis
My son [lets call him dummer] was traveling down a highway with his friend [lets call him dum ] when dum said to dummer "my car has some device that won't let you put the manual tranny in 1st. when traveling at high speed". Dummer said "okay lets try it".

I helped tow the car home where it sat until the tow truck came to take it to the scrap yard.


Man, my LT1 with a T56 would sometimes go i to first during the 2-3 shift when I was really running it. Never knew if it was my fault or if the transmission kind of distorted at high rpms under WOT, because I never meant to do it. It never seemed to destroy anything tho. But I did go throughhalot of transmission poly mounts.


On another note, i had a not so bright friend who wanted to rev his truck to 'show off his pipes' and accidentally went to far with the automatic shifter which resulted in mechanic work.

 

[Colt45ws]

I put my '04 CVLX into reverse on the highway. Probably 75-80 mph. I don't remember exactly what I was doing, but it was a complete accident. I quickly slapped the shifter back into D as soon as I felt it engage.

My Mom's old '94 Saturn SC2 I accidentally shifted into 2nd trying to catch 4th as I was getting on a highway off ramp. The tach spun up past 8 thou before I got the clutch back in. Somehow it didnt scatter the engine. Drove it another year or so before it was sold.

 

[01rangerxl]

I have thrown a couple 4L60Es into park too fast and heard the pawl chattering away.

 

[asand1]

My dad was passing: n a 68 nova with column shift 2speed powerglide auto. Pulled into low to pass and when shifting back into high he hit a bump and got reverse. Two weeks later he was swapping in a th350.