mazda miata transmission stuck in reverse?

J

James

New member
What would cause my 1990 Maxda Miata to remain stuck in reverse? The shifter is in the neutral position, but when I let out the clutch it moves backwards. I can shift into 1st or 2nd but when I let out the clutch it stalls. It will not shift into 3rd,4th,5th, or reverse, even with the engine off. This happened as I was backing up from a store. No problems beforehand.
 
This is not uncommon on the earliest Miatas. It is not as serious as you might think. It is even possible to repair it "in the field" if you have a 24mm wrench or a pair of pliers, a stubby screwdriver or something similar, and a way to safely jack up on side of the car enough to get underneath the transmission.

There is an article on miata.net which covers this issue thoroughly. Search for "stuck in reverse" on miata.net.

There is also a post on mazdaworld.org which suggests that the nylon bushing under the shift lever is the ultimate culprit, and that replacing this 3-dollar part will prevent the transmission from hanging up like this.
 
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