Car does not shift to reverse

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➠Claire: "What causes my Honda Fit Gearbox not to shift in reverse gear? A litre of red🔺 ATF instead of CVT was poured to it and the car has since been shifting well for 5 months."

➠Mike: " This is internal. Using the wrong TF will cause ±three things; poor lubrication, overheating, most crucially transmission failure. The damage might be irreversible even even by flushing the transmission. Suppose you flushed out the wrong fluid, the effects aren't immediate but eventually, because you'll be having a mixture of two TFs, the transmission will need to be rebuilt. 

 Try this, Claire;

Try double shifting, where you have to depress your clutch two times b4 engaging the gear. Note that this is just a temporary means of consoling yourself since your transmission is heading for a full diagnosis. Also, driving with a faulty transmission is a big mistake as it will improve the damage. 

 If the gear lever engages but the car itself doesn't comply, i.e doesn't move backwards, and you can feel that the gear has engaged but loosely with a play, whether the car is on or off, and the same happens or doesn't with the other gears, start by taking a look at the shifter mechanism under the center console. 

 I'd love to think that the Fit uses a cable linkage between the shifter and the transmission, so the end of the cable sheathe loosening could cause what you're observing.

 A minor degree of looseness is always expected because matter such as gears age, wear and stretch, but the Fit has a pretty straightforward shift linkage, so it shouldn't generally be excessive. Now that it is, or it seems excessive, don't try to fix this alone. 

 Give it to a good car Doctor or a specialist with 'Fit' Transmissions. "

➠Claire: "Someone has been suspect faulty clutches. Can the clutches be dead while the car still moves?"

➠Mike: " Yes, you may still be able to drive,  but it will be slow on take offs especially from a stop. However, if it really is a clutches failure, then it should come together with other problems that relate."

➠Claire: Yes, the car is slow on take off and the gearbox makes unusual sounds. What are the other symptoms? 

➠Mike: "Only when the transmission has been removed from the vehicle and completely disassembled can transmission clutch failure be confirmed.

 A slipping transmission is the most common sign of clutch problems. The engine will suddenly race without the vehicle moving faster, most commonly during a gear shift. The clutch plates may wear out and that comes with an incredible smell also due to heat stress. The color of the TF will report if the wear is deep."