P500 P500 Shifts up and down fine but no reverse? UPDATE

[MidTN]

Hey all,
I have a 2018 P500 with the reverse cable mod that currently shifts up and down through all the gears fine but I can not get it to go into reverse. A few days ago it did not want to shift much at all and then not at all to the point I had to use the supplied wrench to manually put it in gear. I thought it was the battery but the battery is currently putting out 13V and magically it is shifting fine now all except for reverse. I'm thinking my next steps are clutch adjustment first followed by clutch cable linkage adjustment if the clutch adjustment doesn't work. Does this sound like a good plan and are there other ideas about what my next steps should be? Also, Is there wiring I need to check somewhere?

Any thoughts or ideas are greatly appreciated.

 

[Red500]

I think I would start by undoing the reverse mod and try to shift into reverse using the lever like you would originally. Then, well hopefully someone smarter than I am can help you.

 

[trigger]

13v when running or before start? The symptoms sound like a low voltage issue more than a clutch adjustment IMO.

 

[DaddyDubbs]

As long as you're going forward you don't need reverse, after all you've already been there.

 

[MidTN]

Update: No dice with the clutch adjustment, the machine still is erratic with shifting. I also hooked up a brand new charged battery and there was no change so the battery can be ruled out.
It seems to me it is a voltage or some type of electronic fault. Is a bad angle position sensor a possibility?

My experience today was sometimes it shifts 1st gear through 5th gear up and down fine. Same thing when on Automatic. At one point I was able to get it to go into N, but then it did not want to go back into 1st. I rocked it a bit and it went into 1st gear. So far I have not been able to get reverse at all. The shifting is so intermittent as to when it wants to engage or not I certainly don't trust to drive this machine right now.

Any ideas for next steps would sure be appreciated.

 

[trigger]

Update: No dice with the clutch adjustment, the machine still is erratic with shifting. I also hooked up a brand new charged battery and there was no change so the battery can be ruled out.
It seems to me it is a voltage or some type of electronic fault. Is a bad angle position sensor a possibility?

My experience today was sometimes it shifts 1st gear through 5th gear up and down fine. Same thing when on Automatic. At one point I was able to get it to go into N, but then it did not want to go back into 1st. I rocked it a bit and it went into 1st gear. So far I have not been able to get reverse at all. The shifting is so intermittent as to when it wants to engage or not I certainly don't trust to drive this machine right now.

Any ideas for next steps would sure be appreciated.

You're certain the reverse lever is disconnected? If so, I'd start looking at connections and grounds. Is this machine left outside?

 

[MidTN]

I've ordered a new shifter motor and will try that. The more I have researched, the more of a common issue this seems. It could be something else but my symptoms definitely point to giving this a try. I know some people pull the shifter motors off for cleaning and that sometimes fixes the problem. I figure since I'm going to the trouble of pulling it off I might as well replace it with a new one. They can be found all day long for around $50.
Please wish me luck 🤞

 

[DRZRon1]

It’s a :10 job to pull/clean/inspect - last one I worked on the magnets were cracked inside and jamming up shift motor

 

[MidTN]

Update: A new shifter motor did not solve the problem. Same issue of intermittent to no shifting persists. My next move was to try to remove the cover to inspect and clean the reduction gears behind the shifter motor but I was not able to get the cover off. All the bolts came out fine but even with some light tapping on the cover I was not able to break the seal and I ran out of time for today. I believe it's the common problem of old hardened grease and gunk stopping up the works in there but I'm afraid to bang on the cover too hard to get it to break loose. Any ideas?

 

[Mark in Northern Iowa]

Some known things about the 500
.
If you have something drawing to much battery power, it will not shift.
Test the manual shift system. If it does not work, the electric shift side will not work either.
If the idle is to high, it will not shift.
I remember reading somewhere about someone changing their oil and pushed the throttle cable out of the way. And then it would not go into gear, because the idle was to high.
.
Have a good day