1971 Cadillac Coupe De ville wont shift into reverse

[DavidDaVille]

Hello and good afternoon my name is David I purchased a 1970 Cadillac Coupe DeVille the car does not shift into reverse what do I need to look at if I wanted to this repair myself?

[savemy67]

Hello David,

I would suggest you purchase a factory shop manual for your model year.  In the manual will be a section on the transmission including a troubleshooting guide.

Not shifting into reverse could be as simple a problem as mis-adjusted linkage, or something more complex like a stuck valve in the valve body.  Does the car shift fine in the other gears?  Do you have any experience with transmissions?  If you post your location, a forum member may be able to recommend a repair shop near your location.

Christopher Winter

[Scot Minesinger]

I have heard of not working in Reverse, but not will not shift into reverse.  I agree with Chris, buy the shop manual and first place to look is linkage - it is easy to access from underneath.

Your wrote 1971 and 1970.  My 1970 has a hard plastic bushing in the frame (accommodates the 3/8" rod) that is an anchor and pivot for the transmission linkage that connects selector on column with trans.  If your selector is loose too, then this is likely your problem.  It is probably a similar set up in both 1971 and 1970, as the mechanicals were quite similar even though the bodies are styled differently.

Hope it is the $2 bushing in frame.

[DavidDaVille]

Thank you gentlemen for responding to my post. I will definitely be buying a shop Manuel thank you for your advice and suggestions. O will check the linkage as well. Also the car does shift into reverse but fails to move. Also the gasket and dip stick oil ring seem to be bad as there is evidence of oil leak.  I am not familiar with automatic transmission S. I live in south gate CA off of the 710 and 105. I would really like to see this beautiful vehicle on the road soon I'm sure with the help of you all of course.  The KS by the way.

[TJ Hopland]

Is it going into park?   Does it have all 3 forward gears?  If it goes into park and has forward gears then if its a linkage issue you should be able to find a point where it will be in reverse. 

For reverse the 400 uses the direct clutch and the rear band.  Rear band is used for reverse and low first.  Intermediate first and drive first don't use it so if it wasn't working I don't think you would notice except in reverse.  The direct clutch is also used for 3rd gear so if you have 3rd its working.   Just loosing that rear band isn't something I recall hearing as a common issue with these but if everything seems to work but reverse its got to be related to that band not engaging for one reason or another.

Any idea what the history of this thing is?    May be worth dropping the pan or having a shop that works on older stuff take a look.   Seeing what is or isn't in the pan will usually give some clues to its history and condition.   

[DavidDaVille]

I have the car stored at my parents house as I would like my father to have the option to drive it as he pleases when operable . They are out of town for the weekend and next couple days so I have not been able to follow up with all of your suggestions to the linkage. I hesitated on buying the oil pan gasket and filter as my father suggested I conduct more research prior to doing any unnecessary spending.  hence the post.

As for the history I know the car has 98,000 miles and was garaged for the past decade or two. It belonged to one of my older friends grand mother or one of his in-laws grand mother. which later became his and now mine. The car is in what I would dare say good shape . The body is for the most part straight and rust free with a few dings or dents. Interior is original but the apostles is beat up due to the removal of the plastic protector that my friend removed. Mechanically it runs well and the engine feels strong I drove it prior to the reverse not operating. It's probably due to bad oil pan gasket , poor maintenance, and sitting for a long time. I however am no expert and would ask for and welcome any help comments or suggestions. I'm happy to be a owner of a Cadillac. I also look forward to learning from you all as sell as  ultimately being able to work off maintain and repair this beautiful manifestation of  American craftsmanship ingenuity  and quality.

[DavidDaVille]

The top two are photograph of the car when I had it towed after purchasing it. The third is what I would like my car to look like . Just thought I'd share some photographs .

[Jeff Rosansky CLC #28373]

It looks GREAT as it is.
Good luck with it.
Jeff