I used to replace or adjust those old mechanical shift lever indicators on customer’s cars. As vehicles age, very few owners are willing to spend money on an unnecessary feature. When sales for a part like that drop to a very low level, manufactures no longer buy and warehouse those parts.
Shift levers have stops and detents, people shift to drive or reverse by feel, it becomes second nature.
This is a very well known issue with this vehicle platform, I’m sure Tester, Nevada, Asemaster, db, myself and many more members on here have adjusted or replaced many of these over the years…
I’ve been happy with Dorman aftermarket parts. The exception was the power window regulator/motor combo for my Buick Regal. I didn’t feel like paying the extra for the top level unit. After spending a week of Sundays cramming the mounting screws, I decided to get the upgraded parts. The next time I replaced the unit on the other side, the upgrade unit fit perfectly. That was several months of Sundays ago though.
I found a receipt for that indie shop repair from a few years ago when I had the same issue, or same symptoms at least, with my gear shifter.
The receipt records “fix gear shifter” at a Qty of 0.3 labor hours, and the repair cleared the issue for a few years.
0.3 labor hours tells me it didn’t take much.
Of course, I’m not assuming it’s the exact same repair needed, just looking for clues. If I remember correctly, at the time, there were clues they had worked under the steering wheel, at least for part of the job.
The shift indicator unit contains plastic pulleys and a string, the unit can be cleaned and lubricated.
However, for a measly 0.3 hours of pay would a mechanic be willing to get involved? Frequently customers return a few months later with receipt in hand asking for the problem to be corrected once again.
Keep searching, you may find someone.
That sounds like he used the thumb wheel adjuster to readjust it to line back up again, and or reattach the wire to the shift lever tab and spray some lube on the wire wo free it up… I don’t remember it being very hard, but I did repair a lot of Ford steering columns back in the day…
As mentioned, something else could be wrong this time, so don’t worry about past repairs, things change…
