Help! 2003 C5 6speed transmission.. Cant get it to go into gear

[canoeguy85]

Hi All
Im new to this vette thing, very mechanical but this is my first vettte.
I have a 2003 c5 with 27,000 miles on it. Appears to have very well cared for. I am 3rd owner. 2nd owner didn't drive it much.
It came with a short shifter (hated it). I bought a used OEM shifter, appeared to be in excellent condition. I changed the shifter over the winter. All seemed fine. I brought he car out last week (finally). Still all seemed well. Then occasionally I couldn't get the car to go into reverse. All other gears were fine, smooth, easy and no popping out. Research pointed to the reverse lockout solenoid. I changed that with a AC/Delco OEM replacement solenoid part number 19178634. It is much smaller that the original but it fit fine including the connector. Here's the problem. I took the car off the jack stands and now it only goes into 1st and 3rd and the shifter is really tight. It wasn't like this at all before I changed the solenoid. It feels like the other gears are "blocked out". I didn't touch the linkage or the shifter. I have not changed fluid or adjusted the shifter for fear of digging myself into a deeper hole. Changing the solenoid took 10min after I had it on stands. This shoudn't be this complicated. Any help is greatly appreciated
Thank you!!!!

 

[LLC5]

Hi All
Im new to this vette thing, very mechanical but this is my first vettte.
I have a 2003 c5 with 27,000 miles on it. Appears to have very well cared for. I am 3rd owner. 2nd owner didn't drive it much.
It came with a short shifter (hated it). I bought a used OEM shifter, appeared to be in excellent condition. I changed the shifter over the winter. All seemed fine. I brought he car out last week (finally). Still all seemed well. Then occasionally I couldn't get the car to go into reverse. All other gears were fine, smooth, easy and no popping out. Research pointed to the reverse lockout solenoid. I changed that with a AC/Delco OEM replacement solenoid part number 19178634. It is much smaller that the original but it fit fine including the connector. Here's the problem. I took the car off the jack stands and now it only goes into 1st and 3rd and the shifter is really tight. It wasn't like this at all before I changed the solenoid. It feels like the other gears are "blocked out". I didn't touch the linkage or the shifter. I have not changed fluid or adjusted the shifter for fear of digging myself into a deeper hole. Changing the solenoid took 10min after I had it on stands. This shoudn't be this complicated. Any help is greatly appreciated
Thank you!!!!

I would start by reinstalling the old solenoid that you replaced, then perform the shifter adjustment procedure and see where you are.

 

[canoeguy85]

problem solved

put the old one back in and it shifts fine. Still wont go into reverse all the time. but I haven't done the shifter adjustment yet. It's too nice out to work on the car it's time to drive it.

The replacement solenoid part 19178634 has the pin exposed or out without power. The original is retracted without power. I don't know which one is correct because it may still be an issue but, Im guessing it the original one retracted is correct. Even-though many web sites list 19178634 as a direct replacement I don't believe it.
Thank you for the help

 

[LLC5]

put the old one back in and it shifts fine. Still wont go into reverse all the time. but I haven't done the shifter adjustment yet. It's too nice out to work on the car it's time to drive it.

The replacement solenoid part 19178634 has the pin exposed or out without power. The original is retracted without power. I don't know which one is correct because it may still be an issue but, Im guessing it the original one retracted is correct. Even-though many web sites list 19178634 as a direct replacement I don't believe it.
Thank you for the help

Glad it's working. Sometimes when going into reverse or first gear you will have to go into second first to help the gears mesh. After doing the shifter adjustment (do it asap), switching transmission fluid to Redline D4 ATF can make a noticeable difference in shift quality, it did on mine.

 

[Hib Halverson]

After you have a proper solenoid in place and you've done the shift adjustment, then make sure your clutch is in good condition and the clutch hydraulics are working properly.