Seems to help when I rotate the steering wheel somewhat…maybe this jiggers/resets that ignition switch “area” thus allowing me to fully depress the button on the transmission stick.
Help?
Is it the ignition switch? Should I replace it?
NOTE: Shift Lock Override Button is missing, but I can insert a pencil in the hole which then depresses a spring which then lets me shift out of Park. WIFE says that not good enough…
It might be the brake switch. It’s not recognizing you depressing the brake, so the brake switch won’t let you shift out of park. Find a friend to see if your brake lights work. If they don’t when this happens, it’s possible it’s the brake switch.
OK will look to determine whether brake lights are working when Shifter gets stuck in Park.
Note: the Shift Lock Override Button DOES let me get Shifter out of Park, BUT that button is missing (I vacuumed it out of there in year 2000). Because its missing, I insert a pencil into the hole which depresses a spring down in the hole thus allowing me to then shift out of Park on those times when the Shifter gets stuck. WIFE says that’s not good enough…
It has nothing to do with the ignition switch.
The brake switch is the first thing to check. One thing it does is send a signal to a little solenoid somewhere near the shifter. The solenoid moves a little blocking plate/pin or something out of the way to let you shift. Its the same thing you’re pushing with the pencil, and you have to do that because the solenoid won’t. One reason the solenoid won’t do its job is if it thinks you don’t have the brakes on.
If the brake switch is ok then the next thing to do is pull the center console & check out the whole mechanism - clean it up, check for binding, check for power to the solenoid, etc.