[Darth Menace]

Hey guys my car has a TH400. It has been parked since October, and I have not done anything to the transmission (what I did do though is take off the shifter knob so I could get the panel up and replace the shifter PRNDSL insert. Maybe something got messed up there?). Now that I have everything finished I was advised by my mechanic to take it for a nice rip before I take it in to get the out of province inspection done. Yesterday I fired it up and just for kicks I was doing to put it into reverse and back it out. Oddly, it wouldn't go into reverse.

Fluid level is fine and there were no issues prior to this. I wanted to ask about this prior to getting too worried as I have gotten flustered before and it was a simple fix.

[68gtoMN]

Sounds to me like your shifter is not finding the correct position (detent) to allow the reverse gear to be engaged. I doubt this has to do with transmission itself, but with adjusting the shifter housing in some way. If you remove the top plate on the dual gate (assuming dual gate), can you then get it into gear?

[Darth Menace]

Looking into what a dual gate is, this is not one.

This is the panel i removed. Come to think of it I don't even know if I so much removed it aside from just unclicking it to slide the insert under it. http://www.ebay.com/itm/1968-1969-Po...112bf9&vxp=mtr

It is an automatic, and as I said before it worked fine until now. Maybe there is an issue with the button that I have to press down in order to get it into gear? The button and know seem to be kind of floating there and I can lift the button off if I try.

[Darth Menace]

Ya, I took off the panel and there was nothing out of the ordinary. It still didn't work with the panels off. Kind of strange this would suddenly happen

[Andretti]

Are you saying the shift lever will not move out of the park position? If that's the case then it's probably related to something seizing since being parked since October. Could be the console shifter, column interlock linkage or the shift cable.
Ensure the key is out of the lock position and the shift button shaft is moving down. Gently try moving the shifter out of park while at the same time assisting the movement by grasping and rotating the steering column barrel with your other free hand. This may get it to start moving again, otherwise you're into isolating the culprit.

[ponchjoe]

If the shifter goes to R and nothing happens you might check to make sure something hasnt eaten your vacuum hose to the modulator on the Trans. Critters love sitting cars...

If that is not it, it may be hydraulic as in a stuck valve body or seals shrinking over the winter. Did you start it much while parked? How old is the Trans and has it had any sluggish shifting issues before restingfor the winter?

[Darth Menace]

Originally Posted by Andretti

Are you saying the shift lever will not move out of the park position? If that's the case then it's probably related to something seizing since being parked since October. Could be the console shifter, column interlock linkage or the shift cable.
Ensure the key is out of the lock position and the shift button shaft is moving down. Gently try moving the shifter out of park while at the same time assisting the movement by grasping and rotating the steering column barrel with your other free hand. This may get it to start moving again, otherwise you're into isolating the culprit.

I have never understood why they designed this thing that you can't get the keys out unless you rotate the barrel, and if I read this right it might not be going into gear unless I rotate the barrel. I am confused how this was an anti-theft measure back in the day. I came across this issue with the keys being stuck in there, so hopefully this is the issue for the not going into gear. I will try this once I am home...crossing my fingers

The shift button shaft does go up and down properly, so I am guessing this isn't the issue.

[Darth Menace]

Originally Posted by ponchjoe

If the shifter goes to R and nothing happens you might check to make sure something hasnt eaten your vacuum hose to the modulator on the Trans. Critters love sitting cars...

If that is not it, it may be hydraulic as in a stuck valve body or seals shrinking over the winter. Did you start it much while parked? How old is the Trans and has it had any sluggish shifting issues before restingfor the winter?

The shifter does not go into R at all. It only stays in Park. I am not sure how old the trans is, but from what driving I did in it, there was no issues. It by no means was the weak link of the car's issues....no complaints at all.

[1969GTO]

Pull the clip holding the pin at the cable and shifter, might need a needle nose pliers to do that.
Now the cable and shifter are separate, try to move the shifter now, you will eliminate the trans or the shifter.

[Darth Menace]

Originally Posted by 1969GTO

Pull the clip holding the pin at the cable and shifter, might need a needle nose pliers to do that.
Now the cable and shifter are separate, try to move the shifter now, you will eliminate the trans or the shifter.

is this the little clip/cable that pushes down when you push the button down?

[6TEE8GTO]

Remember that you have to press down on that locking clip on the shifter- it won't allow you to take it out of park otherwise....

[1969GTO]

Originally Posted by Darth Menace

is this the little clip/cable that pushes down when you push the button down?

no, the clip that I am talking about is like a cotter pin that is used to help hold the cable and shifter lever, it's under that plate you removed.

[Darth Menace]

Originally Posted by 1969GTO

no, the clip that I am talking about is like a cotter pin that is used to help hold the cable and shifter lever, it's under that plate you removed.

I took that cotter pin and rod portion out, and the shifter moves freely.

[cortcomp]

Rotate the barrel, you mean the collar around the column? It was so you had to put it in park (or reverse for manual) before you could turn the ign out to get the key out. It was so you had the car in park or R for manuals before you got out of the car, not really anti theft. Lots of people disconnected the backdrive linkage for it when they put headers on. The same guys who cut the key buzzer wire or threw out the buzzer switch, and the same guys who cut harnesses. And the same guys who put chevy motors in. Those guys.

[Darth Menace]

Originally Posted by cortcomp

Rotate the barrel, you mean the collar around the column? It was so you had to put it in park (or reverse for manual) before you could turn the ign out to get the key out. It was so you had the car in park or R for manuals before you got out of the car, not really anti theft. Lots of people disconnected the backdrive linkage for it when they put headers on. The same guys who cut the key buzzer wire or threw out the buzzer switch, and the same guys who cut harnesses. And the same guys who put chevy motors in. Those guys.

Oh, that's my bad. I had an issue of the key not coming out, I was told how to get it out. For some reason I had it in my head that it was a security feature

[Darth Menace]

I took the console off, and undid the cotter pin and rod as pointed out in the picture below. The shifter then went forward and back without a problem. I don't know where this makes the issue lie, but I guess this means it is not the physical shifter

[cortcomp]

That looks like the cable. I would go underneath, disconnect the shifter cable, and see if you can run the shift lever without the cable attached. If so, sounds like the cable is seized up? If not, something in the trans.

I'm not an auto trans guy, that's the best next step i could suggest.

[6TEE8GTO]

By any chance is this car parked on an incline right now?

[Darth Menace]

Originally Posted by cortcomp

That looks like the cable. I would go underneath, disconnect the shifter cable, and see if you can run the shift lever without the cable attached. If so, sounds like the cable is seized up? If not, something in the trans.

I'm not an auto trans guy, that's the best next step i could suggest.

I disconnected the cable at the shifter up top (as seen in the picture I posted). The shifter does move perfectly back and forth now.

[Darth Menace]

Originally Posted by 6TEE8GTO

By any chance is this car parked on an incline right now?

No, not really. It is parked in my garage, so there is little to no incline