WONT GO INTO REVERSE

[JohnMate]

hello long time stalker first time poster look my 2005 alfa 156 with the smg will not go into reverse.. 1st,2nd etc fine. What is going on with this car!
Its been having trouble for a while I heard it can be caused by battery so i replaced the battery and it was sweet but back to the problems again.. I have been waiting for the box to charge and i have heard it do so most occasions

[JohnMate]

anything? i mean ill start going up a 1000 dollars that it will cost me to fix  a post till someone says yahtzee?

[JohnMate]

my god I have an 18000 dollar piece of shit sitting in my driveway look I mean I would like just "gee better luck next time" or "should have bought an audi" SOMEONE SAY SOMETHING. I mean you are the only resource I have with this vehicle! I am a uni student not a millionaire and by the sounds of it from the web I have pissed 18000 dollars up the wall! I mean before buying it I researched this selespeed gear box and it was on this sight i found that it wasn't the stigma everyone makes out. look if someone could even give me the location of the ecu I would be appreciative give me something I have had 21 views Im not trying to be pissed but I mean gee something

[Sheldon McIntosh]

Settle down mate, maybe the people who have some advice don't happen to be looking at the forum tonight.  Getting pissy won't do you any favours.

I would suggest you join alfaowner.com and do a search there.  It's a UK based site, so there a lot more people on there with 156s.  I just went over there and did a quick search and got many threads on the topic.

[dehne]

as sheldon said give it time and you will get ur replys getting angry on here is not a good thing,
and with ur prob you say you put a new battery in and it worked fine (guessing old battery shlt it self ) how is the new battery going does it seem to be fully charged cause maybe ur prob is the alternator not charging. but i would recomed taking it to one of the sponsers with a computer as they may pick it up as a fault and be able to fix easy

[jayarr]

Hi,

if you want fast results, paying an experienced garage may be the best way to get results. Alternative is to get the appropriate diagnostic tools to determine if there is a electronics faults, which will take time, and is no guarantee of success. If you are really determined to go down the self help route, try:

Alfaowner.com (http://www.alfaowner.com/Forum/alfa-147-156-and-gt/128083-alfa-diag-and-selespeed-airbag-questions.html is a start)
http://www.alfadiag.net
Find a copy of the workshop manual, and use any troubleshooting guides

The selespeed system is complex mix of mechanicals, electronics and hydraulics. So there are many points of failure which can lead to issues.

Best of luck.

[Evan Bottcher]

John, mate, coming on here and acting like a knob is not going to do you any good at all.  You waited 2 hours and 11 minutes, then have a little tizz about getting no help.  Lame.  It'll come as a shock, but some people on here have a life away from the computer.

Good luck with your problem, I'm sure someone on here will be kind enough to help you when they have a chance.

[JohnMate]

sorry i was a little upset last night my point was still valid though 21 looks not a peep I guess I must realise I am used to international forum where if you wrote yourself breathing you would get 15 hits. Anyway for those wanting to still help, that is if you forgive my ignorance, I purchased a new battery today and got reverse again! It happened about 5 times (I kept doing it to make sure it wasnt a fluke), until the 6th time where I noticed the lights flickered out and it virtually drained the battery. Now I rang alfa they want me up for 6000 surely there is an easier way? Please forgive me I didnt realise how small this sight actually was. It seems that this process is draining massive power! is there something I can do? Has anyone else had this problem? Sorry about my impatience I have just bought this alfa my first in a long line of BMW's where I have never had any issues.. I just want this fixed so I can sell it its a nice car but probably to much for a uni student to look after. If anyone is interested I'll sell it in its current condition 4 grand cheaper than i bought it ($15,500)


See what i still see as it not needing the whole unit replaced is

1. N,1,2,3,4,5 all change fine and smooth
2. No limp mode or anything of this nature
3. Reverse, reverses when it was in it!
4. Its a power thing not a mechanical thing.

I am happy to have a sponser test it but I am studying full time and I cant really afford to travel to anywhere but the sunny coast. Ill pay but I am still very poor lol the battery has officially stopped me having a beer for the next 2 months

[Andrew156]

John,

Not sure what state you are in, is it Victoria?. If so looks like you'll need to bite the bullet and get it to a workshop. Possibly avoid the dealers if money is tight at the moment. Try one of the forum sponsor independant workshops. Also try Donnini Motors in East Malvern (if you are in Vic). He has the Alfa diagnostic equipment with up to date software. He, like I'm sure some others, can perform a selespeed diagnostic and reset for $135 assuming that is the problem. In addition it may well be electrical which I'm sure the workshop can test.

Does your car have an aftermarket alarm or sound system/amp, etc that may be drawing current?

[JohnMate]

hello yes it does have an aftermarket system however it has run fine with this for quite sometime.. I have tried running it without it on but still no luck. Thank you for your reply. Unfortunately I live in the Sunshine Coast in QLD and after speaking with the gentleman at alfacare australia I only have the dealerships...

[dehne]

im pretty sure ive read on here there is a mech somewhere there that has the equiptment you should do a search in queensland section of forum u might find it there

[JohnMate]

thanks for the help i have it booked in for a diagnosis after easter at jose st automotive he said he will give it a crack. I rang alfa brisbane he said they would just replace the unit if i brought it in 6000 dollars later... so I am going to get the codes and try it DIY. From what i have read fiat make the same gearbox but i can buy separate parts instead of the whole lot. It doesn't feel as though it should be an expensive fix I mean the gear works when the power is there its just the power is not there! so there is something when jamming it into reverse that is causing high use of my battery. I assume it cant really be gear box related because you would assume first, second etc would have a similar effect. So its limited to reverse BUT WHAT! it is the true enthusiast car it really is! Besides the imaginary calculator in my brain im loving trying to get to the bottom of this. Not to mention they are a really nice engine to work with. Very user freindly

[Sheldon McIntosh]

Have you checked the alternator?  And can I assume you've double checked that nothing else is draining the battery, ie checked with a multimeter?

On the plus side, it does sound like it would be something simple to remedy, but possibly hard to find.

sorry i was a little upset last night my point was still valid though 21 looks not a peep

Was there a point?  If so, the only way it could be valid is if your point was "I'm a whiny spoilt bitch, why won't someone help me?"  At the very least you confirmed what some of us think about BMW drivers though.

Okay, now that I've got that out of my system.....

Keep looking for solutions, unfortunately it looks like it could be one of those problems with many different possible fixes.  Sounds like you have the right attitude towards trying to solve it now, so good luck with it.

And also, this is why there aren't many people on this forum with only one Alfa, it's less agonising more fun trying to fix something when it's not your only car.......

[Andrew156]

And also, this is why there aren't many people on this forum with only one Alfa, it's less agonising more fun trying to fix something when it's not your only car.......

I wish I'd known that before I bought my first Alfa....

[Sheldon McIntosh]

Yep, you need at least three to ensure there's always one going.....