Nissan Repair: car wont shift out of park, shift out, small kids

Question
I have a 95 maxima that will not shift out of park...the button wont go all the way in but if i keep on pushing it repeatedly sometimes more that 100 tries it does go in and the shifter can then be moved into drive or any of the other gears, and it will go all the way in in any of these gears but if i dare put it back in park, then I will once again face the button not going in all the way to release the shifter, right now I have the button taped down so I can drive the car, but of course I cant remove the key, by the way I do have the type that requires the brake to be stepped on to let the button be depressed and the shifter to move. Also sometimes it will work normally and then again it seems to be acting up more and more often which is why I taped it down. How can I repair what is wrong? Thanks so much for your help.

Answer
Jim,

This is the park interlock and it is most probably the solenoid in the shifter that is sticking.  I did a Maxima a few months back that ended up having years of crud stuck in it.  I cleaned it out and lubricated it with 3 in 1 oil and it worked fine.  Others I have had to replace the solenoid.  Remove the console and where the shifter bolts down you will find, close to the front, the solenoid.  Now, if you have no small kids you could disable the system by using a screwdriver to depress it and wedge something in it to keep it in the open position.  But, I like to keep things stock so you could check out your local dealer and order one or check out courtesynissan.com as an on-line alternative.