Transmission reverse not working properly

1986 CHEVROLET MONTE CARLO
200,000 MILES • 5.0L • V8 • 2WD • AUTOMATIC
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WILLIAMBARKS14
  • MEMBER
  • 1 POST
So I have the car listed above 305 CSB fully rebuilt runs and idles great. Transmission will shift gears fine while driving. When put into reverse it will rev up and barely move. reverses alright on flat ground but with any load it won’t reverse. It will rev up as if it’s in neutral. It’s leaking trans fluid not sure where from. Even when the car is filled up with fluid I still have the same problem in reverse. Also it makes a weird scraping/whining noise only in reverse. Replaced the trans filter and a new gasket on the trans pan. Any ideas about what’s going on, I searched the whole internet and can’t find any clues. I’m very reluctant to bring it into a shop because i’ve pretty much done all the work you can think of to this car. Thanks for the help!
Jun 25, 2021 at 11:06 AM
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ASEMASTER6371
  • Experienced Mechanic
  • 52,796 POSTS
Good morning,

This is an internal issue. It could be a reverse clutch failure which is common.

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/automatic-transmission-problems

The grinding is from the slipping inside trying to apply the clutches.

Was there any debris in the pan when you dropped the pan and filter? That will confirm it if there was any clutch material or chunks.

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/how-to-service-an-automatic-transmission

Most likely you will need to either rebuild or replace the transmission.

Roy
Jun 25, 2021 at 9:47 PM
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