03 corolla shifter gets stuck

Hello guys! I was wondering if you guys can help me out? I got a 2003 corolla automatic. Recently i had the engine replaced at 150k. After that the shifter started acting up, i dont know how that can be related also at start up it seems like ot wants to drag once in a while. As if it was starving for oxygen or fuel but theres no codes or engine light

Hope someone can help me with this :thinking:

“Acting up” is a tough problem to diagnose. And “wants to drag” also. Try being a little more descriptive of the symptoms.

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Well unfortunately things got worse now. So i was driving to this place, when i reached my destination i cane to a sudden stop so i try putting my shifter in “park”. As i tried the shifter got stuck again like all the other times. I tried putting a lil bit more strength and then it got unstuck but i sounded lil a crack. Now remember i was teying to put it in “park” when it did the car kept going forward as if i had never even moved it to park. Now my car wont start i have a suspicion its because the shifter might have broken somewhere under the center console,hoping its not my transmission.

Probably shifter cable gut stuck/kinked during engine R&R. Take it to the shop that did the work.

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I tried switching gears by hand but it wont budge is that normal? I dnt think so if it was just a linkage problem the trans should still move gears am i right?

Unfortunately, a reputable shop is going to have to look at this one.
It could be as basic as a maladjusted shifter. The shifter is actually connected to the tranny by cables, and they need to be correctly adjusted to work properly. It probably won’t start because the maladjusted shifter isn’t properly activating the “lockout” safety relay that prevents you from starting the car in DRIVE.

Here’s hoping my wild guess is correct. If it is, this should be easy to fix. :relaxed:

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Thanx to everyone who replied i was able to find out that the problem infact was the shifter cable it got stuck. I replaced it with a new ine and now the yota is back to shifting good! :slightly_smiling_face:

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Glad you are back on the road there Jay. Best of luck. Yeah, engine replacement can shift stuff around and pinch cables, wires, electrical connectors forgot to be reconnected, and the like. So often there’s some stuff needing correcting after the jobs seems to be completed. No worries, you got things under control it appears. Good for you.

Sincere thanks for the follow up post. Good news is always good to hear.
Happy motoring.