I have a 95 5spd hatch and my reverse lights stay on even when my car isnt in reverse what can this be?any suggestions? thanks in advance

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by nj123 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I have a 95 5spd hatch and my reverse lights stay on even when my car isnt in reverse what can this be?any suggestions? thanks in advance </TD></TR></TABLE>

Could be a problem with your reverse gear sensor.
You should have two connectors on your transmission, one on the top towards the back is the VSS. The other one is for the reverse sensor. Unplug it and see what happens.

If your reverse light goes out, check the wiring to the sensor. If the wiring looks good, check the sensor itself by removing it with a (19mm?) wrench.

WARNING: Drain the oil before trying to remove the sensor..

 

How about checking for a short to power or ground before going that in depth.

I'm pretty sure I would feel like an idiot if I removed my reverse gear sensor only to find out that a wire was shorted in the trunk.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by JDM-97CX &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">How about checking for a short to power or ground before going that in depth.
I'm pretty sure I would feel like an idiot if I removed my reverse gear sensor only to find out that a wire was shorted in the trunk.</TD></TR></TABLE>

Very true, it might be the trunk wiring. Although I did recommend unplugging the sensor before removing it. If the light stays on with the sensor unplugged, then it really sounds like a wiring problem. (I'm assuming it's a manual transmission)