Transmission will not shift into reverse or overdrive

2005 CADILLAC ESCALADE
130,000 MILES • 6.0L • V8 • 4WD • AUTOMATIC
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JIM PEEK
  • MEMBER
  • 2 POSTS
Won’t shift into reverse. Will go into drive but won’t shift into overdrive. After a stop got going and heard a pop, vehicle slowed down then started to speed up as normal. Got to parking lot, stopped for a little while. Started driving around. Parked then found had no reverse. Drove home after that. Drove in forward gears but didn’t shift into overdrive.
Jul 10, 2021 at 11:02 AM
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JACOBANDNICKOLAS
  • ASE Certified Mechanic
  • 110,194 POSTS
  • ASE Certified Mechanic
Hi,

If there was a loud pop, it sounds mechanical. Are there any leaks? Have you checked the fluid level? When you start out in first, is there any slipping?

First and reverse work off the same clutch pack. There is a low/reverse band in the transmission which may have come apart causing this as well. If you look at the pic below, it shows a list of mechanical issues related to a no reverse. Everything there requires taking the transmission apart. So here is what I suggest:

The first thing I would do would include a few basics. Is the fluid clean and full and are there any leaks? If that checks good, then I would recommend having the can-bus scanned. CAN stands for controller area network. Basically, all the different computers/modules are tied together via a few wires. This type of scan will retrieve codes regardless of the module which stores them. In this case, a transmission control module or powertrain control module may have helpful codes.

Here is a video showing how it's done:

https://youtu.be/u-4syLc-ifQ

Let me know what is found or if you have other questions.

Take care,

Joe
Jul 10, 2021 at 9:55 PM
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JIM PEEK
  • MEMBER
  • 2 POSTS
No leaks, vehicle does drive in first, fluid a little discolored, was replaced at around 100,000 miles. There is a slight whine when vehicle starts to move from a stop. Temperature gauge on transmission reads about 125 when driving.
Jul 11, 2021 at 12:46 AM
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JACOBANDNICKOLAS
  • ASE Certified Mechanic
  • 110,194 POSTS
  • ASE Certified Mechanic
I have a feeling it is internal. What I would recommend is to have the scan done I mentioned. That will indicate if it is an electrical issue or could even identify a mechanical one.

Have you had that done yet?

Joe
Jul 11, 2021 at 7:29 PM
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