Park doesn't work :(

My friend and I are working on his 89 Camaro RS and for some reason we can't figure out why it wont go into park. It is an automatic transmission. You can put the shifter into park but it stays in reverse. And you can shut it off in park also. The way we keep it from moving is to have the E-Brake pulled up when it's off. Any ideas what's wrong?

"Park" is a mechanical function, not hydraulic. There's a link rod that actually pushes the lever. On the side of the trans, there's a lever attached to the main "selector" valve, which in turn moves the spool valve inside to the appropriate channels. If the "parK' linkage isn't adjusted "far enough", it won't force the "pawl" into place.

The way to test it is to disconnect the shift rod from the lever and try to manually put it in "park". Push on the lever and turn the driveshaft at the same time. It will "click" into place and the driveshaft will lock if the mechanicals inside are still okay. If it won't "click in", you're gonna need to pull the pan and look. It may require removal to repair. Either the pawl or the drum could be damaged.

Jim

"Park" is a mechanical function, not hydraulic. There's a link rod that actually pushes the lever. On the side of the trans, there's a lever attached to the main "selector" valve, which in turn moves the spool valve inside to the appropriate channels. If the "parK' linkage isn't adjusted "far enough", it won't force the "pawl" into place.

The way to test it is to disconnect the shift rod from the lever and try to manually put it in "park". Push on the lever and turn the driveshaft at the same time. It will "click" into place and the driveshaft will lock if the mechanicals inside are still okay. If it won't "click in", you're gonna need to pull the pan and look. It may require removal to repair. Either the pawl or the drum could be damaged.

Jim


Okay, I checked that out. I can manually "force" it into park. So should I just get a new cable or the thing that houses it (which is connected to the oil pan)?

I believe the cable assembly is replaced in its entriety. Often, if the cable has been removed and replaced recently, it simply needs to be "slid" back into place. If the selector is "working" for the other gears, it's just not traveling far enough. That could be it being attached in the wrong holes of the pan, or other brackets mislocated.

Jim

I believe the cable assembly is replaced in its entriety. Often, if the cable has been removed and replaced recently, it simply needs to be "slid" back into place. If the selector is "working" for the other gears, it's just not traveling far enough. That could be it being attached in the wrong holes of the pan, or other brackets mislocated.

Jim


Okay, it seems to be in the right holes of the pan. How would I tell if a bracket is mislocated?

I suppose by disconnecting the cable and viewing the overall "travel". Hard for me to describe it. If I was there to actually SEE it, a different story. Sorry, but this is the best I can do at this point.

Jim

I suppose by disconnecting the cable and viewing the overall "travel". Hard for me to describe it. If I was there to actually SEE it, a different story. Sorry, but this is the best I can do at this point.

Jim

Okay, I replaced the entire cable system and it is working fine now :) I got one from a local pick n` pull for $10.