Calling for 6 speed experts or anyone who had the famous no 5th/reverse problem
 

Hello guys!
Finishing up my turbo build and the last piece is the 6speed (already have the 3.6 diff for my NA). I've got a 6speed that doesnt take 5th or reverse, and the guy said if I can fix it I can have it for 50% of the price (300$) of the usual used price of the 6speed in Hungary (600$) if not I can return it to him. So I am keen on fixing this problem and I had high hopes when I saw that the no 5th/reverse is a pretty common issue.
So the first thing I looked for was that if maybe they removed the hex bolt and the counter lever shaft has fallen into the housing. So I really carefully removed the hex bolt, but the counter lever shaft was still in place, but now with the hex bolt out, I could freely put the shifter into 5th and also reverse (I've held the lever shaft with a screwdriver). But now I couldn't put the hex bolt back in and the lever has dropped into the housing. So my next step is to remove the bell housing part but before I wanted to consult with you guys who might have saw these symptoms. The weird thing to me was that my problem seems to be the opposite as it was in the mazda service bulletin, when I removed the lever now I can freely shift it into 5th and reverse.
Do you guys have any idea what the problem could be? Should I check or replace anything while I'm inside the bell housing part of the trans?
Thanks in advance!

https://www.miataturbo.net/suspensio...ed-woes-99656/

Had the same issue, my theory is that after nonuse, the bolt seized to the 5/R pivot. Make sure the bolt goes into the pivot freely before reassembly, a dab of oil may help.
I used a piece of paper towel on either side to hold it in place while reattaching the bell housing. I could not be bothered to replace anything, but looking over the gears and synchros to check if anything is damaged isn't a bad idea.

Thank you man! I had to use a reallyyy huge breaker bar just to get the hex bolt loose and now it definitely wont go in easy. Could that be an indication that it's seized? It has been sitting without oil for a lot of time. Tomorrow I will tear it apart and let's hope for the best.
Thanks again!

There are bushings in the shift fork that can work their way out of the fork. I had a 6spd that wouldn't go into reverse at all. After disassembling for a rebuild I found that one of the bushings on the 5/R shift fork had worked itself out so far that it wouldn't allow the fork to move far enough to engage reverse. Luckily I had parts from 2-3 other failed 6spds, so I pulled a good fork from the bin and swapped it in. Not sure if you'd have to tear down the transmission completely to replace the fork (or if the bushing could be pressed back in with some sort of bonding agent.

Welp, now I disassembled the transmission and I grinded off from the pivot and now it goes in freely and now I can screw it back in place fully without it thightening midway. But when I screw in the picot fully it still doesnt go into 5th and reverse. If i start to unscrew it I can then move it into 5th and reverse and I can feel from the shaft that its in gear.
Do I have to grind some more? :dunno: