ok here is my problem.

im up here in anchorage alaska and last week i got stuck in the snow and it was dark outside so i didnt see how stuck i was. i tried for a long time to get out prob like 30 min or so.
got my car pulled out of the snow bank. and not my car shifts into reverse but wont engage.
my car is rwd and a 5AT.
the next day i drove it, put it into reverse one time and it worked. but every time since then it hasnt worked.

its really cold out here and i park outside so i have been kinda lazy and not gone out to troubleshoot it bc its negative 20. so ive just been driving a diff car. i havent checked the tranny fluid or anything yet.
the service engine light is on also.

i was trying to figure out as much as i could b4 i go out there and i am hoping that i didnt blow out my reverse.

could the tranny fluid just be low? i dont really think this could be it bc it goes into drive fine would it just affect reverse?

also could it have something to do with my rear end?

 

Well if u cant get into gear that means your tranny is gone. U should have at least warmed up the tranny before trying something like that especially as cold as alaska. If your car is under warranty I would take it to a dealership to get it fixed.

 

well it goes into each gear just doesnt engage in reverse.
and i can drive it and i have once.

now it being negative 20 what kinda effect does that have on the viscosity of my transmission fluid?

cars not under warranty anymore
its an 03 but it only has 57k miles

 

wow.. i'm not sure if i can help on this, but i used to have a old cutlass and that happen to me b4.. what i did was change the modulator and that fixed the problem but in the case of these type cars it sounds like u will need a NEW transmission.. About the warranty... i'm not certain on this, but your car might still be under warranty based on the 60K mile power train.. that is listed when you bought the car . I would called the Stealership and see what they say

 

ya i called the dealership a couple days ago. and there was a 72k.72month warrant that expired. dec 31. so horrible luck.

ya i was thinking maybe it was just a sensor or something because reverse has its own circuit. so maybe its electrical.
is there any tsbs for this?

 

Aww man thats sucks... Like one of the guys said on here.. does the car act different after it has warmed up.. I don't know the actual term, but after the car warms up or the rpms are increased (the transmission) it might go into reverse. If that is the case the gear that makes it move is stuck or the teeth on the gear are grinned down.. but only way to fix it is dropping the transmission

 

Read the code(s) - the CEL might just be helpful...

 

ya it doesnt engage even after its warmed up. im just hoping im not gunna have to drop the tranny.

im taking it to the dealership friday to get it diagnosed and then hopeful from there i can just do the work myself. or it is cheap enough to just have them do it quick.

 

good luck bro and let me know what they said is wrong with it