Ooohhh....can someone make a video/sound clip?! (j/k) :eek:

No need.. Mythbusters did it for you. :)

Dailymotion - Mythbusters "Can Shifting to Reverse Stop a Runaway Car" - a Tech & Science video

I want that grinding sound as a new ring tone on my cell phone.

That's true, but KB mentioned it worked at first. Another report has said it also worked, so I am wondering if the spring got detached somehow?

Sorry... been on the boat all day and just got back.

Yes, the lockout was definitely working at first. There's really nowhere for the spring to go so I don't think that's the problem. The "lockout" is really nothing more than a couple of THIN pieces of metal that hit eachother so maybe..? I dunno.

I never tried to shift it into reverse without pushing the stick down with the stock unit. I wonder if it can be done? Someone jump in there car real quick and while parked, just try it a few times and see how foolproof this "lockout" really is. I would be curious to know.

It would be pretty hard to throw in into reverse by accident. It's still situated pretty far to the right considering the 6 gear layout.


Besides, just think of your clutch as a failsafe at that point. If the dash say's "R" instead of "6"... don't let the clutch out!! Haha

By the way I had the same problem on a Nissan Sentra SE-R and that had the factory shifter in it. It's a "design" issue I think, I've come across several 350Z owners that has this issue with reverse lock-out eventually wearing out through use. I had the same issue with my 350Z with the B&M unit. The lock-out worked for about 6 month and then a couple of times it wouldn't work, then eventually gave up. I took apart the shifter to inspect, and it looks like the material of the top cover plate is aluminum and the B&M stick is stainless steel, and the stainless steel actually wore away enough of the aluminum over time. The way the OEM stick sits, the lock-out tab hits the raised opening squarely. With the B&M assembly, the spring underneath the assembly is compressed more and they had to place the "nub" on the shifter just right otherwise the movement of the bottom spring wouldn't be enough to clear the opening.

To solve it on my 350Z I ended up welding a small piece of lead on top of the nub and then filing it down until it clears reverse lock-out. Eventually the aluminum wore away the lead and I just gave up on trying to find a good solution, and just be vigilant on my 5-6 shift.

p.s.: I took the liberty to email this thread to Kenji at B&M.

Thanks Hack. Again, this isn't something that concerns me terribly. If there were a performance issue, then it would be cause for concern but the shifter is working beautifully otherwise.

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Thank You.