AJSHasCars

I spent the whole afternoon fixing the automatic shift park lock. It would not come out of park no matter what I did. So there was a fix on you tube and I tackled it today. The guy on you tube cut off the shift lock with a pair of dikes. I didn't want to do that so I did what someone else did and I drilled a small hole in the shift lock and strung a wire ( guitar string) through it and tied it off on a bolt holding back the lock. So if in the future someone wants to spend a fortune replacing limit switches and solenoids It can be done. Glad I won't get caught somewhere now stuck in park. A good job done.

owc6

Cool!

If you want to leave your car with the shift lock in place for safety, but still be able to be disabled when it's not working then you can take your pawl, use some picture hanging wire, and drill a hole into the center console.

cmonkey713

Common issue for many here. I have seen several fixes here on the Forum. First is make a pull wire like you did, next is to wire the pawl back where it will not engage, or you can breakout the pawl catch where it will not engage. The proper fix is to replace the switch but that is time consuming and costs some money, unlike the free fixes. I believe there are Youtube videos on the fixes. I wired mine back where the pawl would not engage.

SUP54

My auto shifter will lock up at times but usually if you jump in and want to take off. If I crank, let it idle down and then shift to reverse it seems to have no problem.

Did yours go through this stage and get worse over time?

SUP

AJSHasCars

My lock out was completely random. Car only has 38,000 mi. Couldn't trust it.

HBsurfer

Yours will get worse. Fix it when you have a free 30 minutes. Easy and free.

Mad*Max

I had done a permanent tie back, worked great.

Xctguy

Just did mine today, broke it off, after 39K and many times where it would lock up and then it work afterwards. No more going into a mad panic for me!! LOL

4SUMERZ

I did many years ago whemn we were doing extensive road trips, and I didn't want to be left stranded in Park. I initially tied the pawl back, but then later, I used the method that Mrs Ow shared a pic of.
All caused by a cheap microswitch that GM would not take the time to replace the faulty switch, instead replaced the complete shifter assembly...that also failed over time.

Glad that we have resourceful DIY'ers on the great forum.

vt65

mine is starting to give me trouble, how do you access the pawl to drill the hole for the wire?

Mad*Max

I followed this

4SUMERZ

I have revised my PDF since I found out what was actually causing the Shifter to be stuck in Park (faulty or weak microswitch)

First, you have to remove the radio surround console, then you use this revised PDF Attached
.

vt65

thank you Sir

Dano523

Lack of contact on the front micro switch to send continuity through it.

Short term, bump the shifter forward before pulling back, and may make continuity through the front switch to power up the release lever in the back to release the lever out of park.

Long term, need to pull the shifter top plate to get to the micro switch to bend it's leg more reward, or in some cases, replace the microswitch or at least pull it apart to clean it contacts.

Bottom line, the front micro switch when the shifter has it depressed, allows power to go to the release solenoid to allow the shifter to release. Once the shifter is out of park, and so you don't burn up the release solinoid, power is shut off to the solinoid isntead.

So controlling microswitch,



Which allows power to the rear unlock solenoid when the shifter it in park, the kills power to the unlock solinoid when the shifter is out of park.
Note, other conditions need to be meet, like car started and foot on brake pedal as well. I bring up the foot on pedal, since some time is not the shifter at all, but the brake pedal switch going out instead. The easy check on the brake pedal switch, is just put some pressure on the brake pedal like your lightly using the brakes and make sure that the rear brake lights are coming on.


Hence have yet to run across a rear solenoid that has problems, but instead its the front switch the problem, and the shifter forward bump short term is enough to get the switch to send power to the release solenoid to unlock the shifter (until the front switch really goes bad and the bump no longer works).

As for the front micro switch, GM does not sell it, but if you don't want to just pull the switch apart to clean it/arm tweak, then Mouser does sell replacement switches (kind of a PITA since it will not come with the needed wiring harness so you have to use the old one with the new switch).

arobber

Oh, you bought an auto?

owc6

Well, something like 70+ % of Corvette owners did.....

ZERRY 316

Another reason why REAL Corvettes are MANUAL.

irok

Yes and the manuals are REAL slow especially when clutch pedal stuck to floor while your waiting to have your 3 thousand dollar clutch replacement done