Reverse gear has always been a bit slippy but managed to grab some traction if you are patient. But lately I have found in some situations it won't engage at all no matter how hard you rev. On the flat in idle it still rolls backwards but if there is any hill or bump to overcome, it won't pull.

What options have I got, does the ATM gearbox need reconditioning? Is there a kit available etc?

thanks in advance

 

have you checked the fluid level? There's really two things that can go wrong in an automatic - the solenoids that control the valve body or the valve body can get gummed up and need servicing or the clutch plates can get worn and create slippage. When you check the fluid level, wipe the dip stick on a clean white paper towel - if its black and smells burnt, that's little bits of your clutch :-( Next step would be to drain the transmission through filter paper and drop the pan to inspect for debris to get a read on whether the clutches are worn out. You can try refilling with fresh fluid but that's not likely to fix anything seriously worn out. To fix the clutch pack the transmission needs to come out and get rebuilt by a pro so that's probably going to cost more then the value of the car. The other possibility is the valve body or solenoids are restricting the flow. This can be serviced w/o removing the transmission but typically it presents as hard shifting vs slippage but may be worth reading up on. It is possible that if your drain didn't show lots of burnt clutch that fresh fluid set to the proper level may help and it is something you can do at home.

 

Many thanks for the tips! Very useful. We refilled the fluid but it doesn't make much difference. On the flat it will roll in reverese quite well in idle and accelerate, but any serious resistance like a stone or bump and it slips.There are no black chips or signs of clutch parts. It might be the solenoids. I'll look that up. Meanwhile, there are some good island mechanics here so ultimate fixing of clutch pack is not out of the question. Can you buy clutch kits?