I have a 1999 Accord 5 speed manual shift 168.000 Miles, that I am have difficulty with getting the car into reverse, feels like there is resistance somewhere, no problems with the forward gears. I changed the oil some months back Thank You.

 

Could be a synchro going bad. They time the engine and tranny and allow for smooth shifting. Make sure your cables are working properly on the top of the tranny

 

Have you tried putting the car into a forward gear 1st or 2nd to see if that aids in putting it into reverse?

 

I have the same problem... Popping it into first, or giving it a tap on the gas in neutral before trying to get it in reverse helps. I thought there was no synchro for reverse, so what's the deal Mad Mike? I don't mean to thread jack but we have the exact same problem

 

There usually is not a synchro for reverse as an idler gear has to physically be added between the shafts for reverse rotation of the output shaft. Unlike forward gears which are constantly meshed, the reverse idler gear needs to be physically moved into position to engage the two shafts.

The biggest abuse with Reverse gear is that the car needs to be stopped to properly engage. Unlike forward gears which are all rotating the same way and are already meshed, reverse needs to be placed in between gears going opposite directions.

When clutching in and placing the gearbox into Neutral the main shaft, although uncoupled, will still spin from inertia. Unless there is a device to slow down or stop the shaft when Reverse is selected. Coming to a complete stop will stop the output shaft, and the time it takes to slow should reduce or stop the main shaft which will allow for smoother engagement. Selecting 1st or 2nd can also stop the free spinning shaft. With the two shafts mechanically engaged, and the car stopped, both shafts will be stopped. This will allow easier grind free engagement of the reverse spur gear.

 

Sorry for the confusion. I knew something had to more or less synchronize in order for the gear to be selected