Difficulty shifting into reverse - manual transmission

[Rkt Ship]

Im at about 24000 miles and still going strong. Started noticing things though like louder drivetrain noise. At first I attributed it to having my windows down more often but its actually louder than that now. Also I have a hard time getting into reverse but thats been around for quite awhile.

[m4v3r1ck]

Wow, that's not a very good news. I'm at 31.250 km now. Last oil change was 20.000 km. I do have the same problem with reverse gear!! OMG so annoying!

[GrnBn]

Rkt Ship and Maverick, The reverse issue sometimes pops up for me, but I attribute it to our shaky little 3-cylinder trying to link up with the straight cut reverse gear. Remember, only reverse is straight-cut gearing for most cars, which is why it sounds "whiny" while forward gears don't. Basically, it has to line up a lot more precisely than the forward gears.

[Rkt Ship]

Rkt Ship and Maverick, The reverse issue sometimes pops up for me, but I attribute it to our shaky little 3-cylinder trying to link up with the straight cut reverse gear. Remember, only reverse is straight-cut gearing for most cars, which is why it sounds "whiny" while forward gears don't. Basically, it has to line up a lot more precisely than the forward gears.

If this had been present from the moment I bought it I would agree but this did not start occuring for me until about 12k miles or so. Which generally leads me to believe there is some kind of defect. Actually now that I think about it it didn't start happening until it started warming up, maybe its some sort of expansion issue. It being the weather.

[mikemustbebored]

If this had been present from the moment I bought it I would agree but this did not start occuring for me until about 12k miles or so. Which generally leads me to believe there is some kind of defect. Actually now that I think about it it didn't start happening until it started warming up, maybe its some sort of expansion issue. It being the weather.

Is this more an issue of shifting into reverse or the actual operation of the reverse gear? I recently hit 4k mi and have rarely experienced a smooth shift into reverse unless I really do it gently/slowly (that's the best way I can describe it) BUT i do know from experience it's pretty common w/ mitsu's. I previously drove a 1989 plymouth colt/mitsubishi mirage last summer that was similar. My buddy's old talon/eclipse would do the same when shifting into R as well. Just thought that things would've changed with mitsubishi transmissions considering it's 20+ years later now... On my old toyota corolla and later on echo, R would go in smooth w/o grind pretty much all the time.

[Rkt Ship]

Is this more an issue of shifting into reverse or the actual operation of the reverse gear? I recently hit 4k mi and have rarely experienced a smooth shift into reverse unless I really do it gently/slowly (that's the best way I can describe it) BUT i do know from experience it's pretty common w/ mitsu's. I previously drove a 1989 plymouth colt/mitsubishi mirage last summer that was similar. My buddy's old talon/eclipse would do the same when shifting into R as well. Just thought that things would've changed with mitsubishi transmissions considering it's 20+ years later now... On my old toyota corolla and later on echo, R would go in smooth w/o grind pretty much all the time.

I could just be remembering wrong, I just don't remember having to let the car slip a bit before engagement when it was cold.
Its been awhile but I dont remember having this issue with my 2g turbo eclipse and I know it didn't happen in my evo. Its an issue of alignment which was stated before. Meaning to get the car into gear I have to let it roll a bit. Its really not an issue per se but I figured it being a brand new car I would be happier if everything was magic unicorns that never gave me problems. Something else that still grinds my gears to this day is lifter tick. Even with the upgraded lifters with the larger bore holes I would still get it. Just one of those things I guess. My evo had it, and my eclipse had it......now my mirage has it. Wish mitsu would get this crap straightened out.

[m4v3r1ck]

I sometimes do have the same problem with my Galant, it might be a slight mitsubishi problem. Although what GrnBn said is also true, I do notice the whiny sound a lot more in this small vehicle.

[Basic]

Purchased my Mirage at the end of May, and just rolled 10k Miles on it this weekend! Can't believe I have already put that many miles on it... FYI, I have the same reverse issue. It's a bear to get in. Looking to swap to a good synthetic aftermarket gear oil soon to try and alleviate the issue

[MetroMPG]

Questions for you guys experiencing the reverse issue:

- Are you saying it grinds going into reverse, or there's just more resistance slotting it in?

- If you shift into first gear before shifting to reverse, is getting reverse easier? (I have always done this out of habit.)

- Anybody mentioned this to the dealer yet?

[GrnBn]

What happens for me is, sometimes the shifter won't actually notch into reverse. If I let the clutch back out while in neutral, basically allowing the car to "settle", then try again it generally goes into gear. Setting aside that issue, the actual engagement of the reverse gear can occasionally be harsh, with just a bit of grind/crunch associated with it. This occurs when I shift into reverse quickly, or too forcefully. All of these issues I attribute to the shaky nature of our motor, combined with the finer nature of straight-cut gears. It isn't technically a problem, but it is an irritant.

I'm considering buying a universal engine torque damper from Ingalls, and mounting it on to the empty mounting bracket behind the airbox. I think that mount was for cruise control or something, but reinforced with a bit of welding it is in the ideal spot to help tame our rocking 74 horses.