Question
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Followup To
Question - Hi Roland, we found that the problem was at the shift lever. The pin or rod that attaches to the lever had come apart and was bent. We straightened it as best we could and re attached it. The car will shift into all gears including Park, but will only start in Neutral. Any ideas what this might be? Thanks Bill
I have a 1992 Lebaron convertible with an automatic transmission. I recently parked the car in my driveway facing a slight downhill slope and tried to put the car in park. I struggled with it a bit and suddenly the stick was moving freely through each gear but I was still not able to get the car in park. Did I do damge to the car or did the linkage come apart. What did I do?
Answer -
Hi Bill,
There is a cable that runs between the floor shift mechanism on the center console and the shift lever on the front of the transmission (the side that faces the front of the car) mounted atop a vertical rod. The lever rotates horizonatlly on the end of the shift rod. If you have a helper ask him to move the shift lever in the cabin while you watch the cable and shift lever clamp mechanism in the engine compartment, on the driver's side of the midline of the car where the trans is located, and at the top of that vertical rod where the lever arm attaches to the cable. Either the cable to lever attachment is loose, or the cable is disconnected at either end or the cable outer housing is loose. You may have the trans sitting in reverse gear without being aware of it, and though the safety interlock inside the trans should maintain safety, be careful to ascertain where it is when you try to start the car or to reconnect the cable to the lever arm. You can probably rotate the lever arm to the most extreme position which should be the Park position, by hand. Check to see if the parking pawl has locked up the wheels. Then position the floor shifter in the cabin in that same gear position while you reconnect the cable to the lever arm. Start the engine with your foot on the brake.
If the cable is not moving in the engine compartment end, then you may have to inspect the other end at the base of the cabin shift lever. A Haynes manual for the LeBaron should show you the procedures for changine the cable. You can probably start the engine in neutral by rotating the lever at the trans, then with a helper who will hold the foot brake and the parking brake rotate the shift lever one detent to drive. You can drive the car to get it serviced but be prepared to shut it off in an emergency because you won't be able to shift it into neutral or reverse without doing it by hand.
Roland
AnswerHi Bill,
The park/neutral safety switch is mounted at the base of the housing from which the vertical shift rod rises.
There are actuatlly two switches there, facing forward and in line with the rod is the PRNDL switch and then on the 45 degree surface directly under the output speed sensor is the neutral safety switch. Both are operated by a plate at the base of the shift rod inside the housing. So either the adjustment of the shift cable is such that the park position of the plate is not quite causing the safety switch to close in Park, or the switch might be a bit worn so that neutral will operate it but park won't. You can remove it from the housing with a wrench to inspect it. I just can't be sure which is the explanation.
Roland
