Is there any way to leave the car in neutral when off, and remove the key, with a reverse lockout? Any harmful effects from leaving the car in reverse for extended periods?

 

It's not a "reverse lockout". It's designed to lock the shifter with the steering column. You need the key to unlock the column to steer the car when pushing in neutral anyway. The only way to disable the shifter lock is to disconnect the back drive rod under the hood and rotate the trans selector shaft from under the car to put it in neutral.

 

Thanks. guess I was just wondering if there is a problem with leaving the car in reverse for months at a time.

 

Is the car you are asking about a manual or automatic transmission?

 

manual.

 

Here is my experience...

I left my 1970 4-speed manual Corvette stored in reverse for 10 years without apparent harm. I had synthetic oil in the case. I understand that synthetic oil maintains a better film on metal parts, protecting from rust.

As well, when I disassembled the engine in that car, there was zero rust on any surface, even in the combustion chambers, which I attributed to the synthetic oil.

Storage was in a large unheated garage in Minnesota. This is a severe environment for rust because warm, humid winds come in the Spring and contact the cold cars. Water literally runs off the big hunks of metal such as the block and transmission.

 

What difference would that make?

 

That is my question.

 

Don't lose a lot of sleep over this. The bigger concern is the clutch sticking to the flywheel, which is independent of which gear it's in. If you're storing indoors in a relatively dry environment, this is also a non-issue. I've seen suggestions about keeping the clutch pedal depressed, but I'd be more worried about distorting the springs, especially if it's a diaphragm style clutch.

 

Thank you for the response. Helpful!

 

Your Muncie does not care what gear it sleeps in.
Fun fact, the Muncie (like most others) is in ALL forward gears all the time. When you shift you don't actually move any gears but instead just move slider rings that engage the gear to the mainshaft.
Reverse gear has the steepest ratio so it is the best choice to park the car in (in case you dont set the brake) as it offers the best "roll away" protection.