Cavalier :: Car Won't Shift Out Of Park With Engine Running
Jun 7, 2010
I have a 2002 Pontiac Sunfire 2.4L 4 door (AT) with 132K miles on it. I have been having a little bit of difficulty for a year or so with the key not always wanting to turn without jiggling it a bit, since I've had cars before with this issue, I just fiddle with it till it turns.
A few weeks ago, I turned it on, and though the engine was running, it prevented me from shifting out of park, then I noticed that even though the engine was running, the AC wasn't working, and the gauges were not working. I even revved the engine a bit to make sure that my ears were not fooling me with the engine running, discussed it a bit with my husband (in passenger seat), then turned it off. While discussing whether we should get his keys to take his car, then I tried it again. It turned over, ran just fine and I forgot about it as a one-off anomaly. (Note: I never keep more than 4 keys and a few plastic key fobs for the grocery stores on my key ring, because I don't want the weight to mess up the ignition. I have a second key ring for my work keys that is kept separate.)
Last Friday, I'm getting ready to come home to start my one week vacation, and it did it again. So, I turned it off, waited a couple seconds, and tried to start it again. I saw the "Theft Deterrent" light on the dashboard and tried to turn the ignition off. It wouldn't turn off at all. It stayed running the whole hour until the tow truck showed up, and I gave myself a blister trying to get the ignition to turn off.
I verified is the system in my car here
[URL]................
MODEL YEAR(S): SUNFIRE 2000 -2003
KEY: N/A
T-HARNESS: GM-7
IMMOBILIZER: GM's PASSLOCK 2 ANTI-THEFT System, Requires: 791 Bypass Module
The tow truck driver pulled the fuel pump fuse to get the car to shut off, which occurred to me just about the same time that she did it. Then she disconnected the shifter linkage, so it could be put in neutral to tow it. As it was now 10PM by the time I got home, all I was worried about was running the battery down since it was still "on". I disconnected the battery and came in to wait til the morning to start researching.
Now, I discover that I should not have disconnected the battery. I wonder if it could be the magnet inside the ignition that is preventing it from turning off. It did feel like there was something inside preventing it from inserting completely and possible for the key to be pulled out while in the on position.
Because of the airbag, I'm very reluctant to try to replace the ignition switch myself. I know when I'm in over my head, and this is one of those times.
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Ford Superduty (F450). The truck is the gasoline 460 engine and E4OD transmission with 100K miles. Runs great and pulls a heavy load.
When the truck is started, I cannot move the shifter from park to any gear. The shifter lever will not pull back. I think that there is something either the ignition switch or an electronic solenoid that prevents shifting the truck from park while it is not running.
So if I turn off the truck and leave the key in the run position, the shifter will release. While holding back on the shifter while in park, I restart the truck, I can then shift into any gear and the truck runs fine. Then if I stop and put the truck back into park, I must shut off the engine, hold back on the shifter, start the truck then shift into gear.
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I have had a 2000 Chevy Cavalier 2.2 liter 4 cyl Automatic for about 5 or 6 years now. I have noticed the whole time I have owned it that when I start the car and shift from Park to Drive I hear a clunk and the with the hood open the engine pivots back and forth one time more than it is supposed to. This only happens from park to drive, it does not do this from park to any other gears, and once the car is in drive everything is normal. The car has no shifting problems at all, no slips or clunking while driving or hitting the gas real fast on take off.
I changed the all three mounts on the car yesterday. Upper engine mount (still in decent shape), lower dogbone (tore to hell), and Transmission mount (decent). I really haven't noticed it get any worse over the years I just know its not right. I have never changed the fluid or the filter since I owned the car, and most likely it has never been changed in the cars life. Could a dirty filter, and dirty fluid cause this problem? Or could the linkage need adjusted or replaced?
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I have been driving a 2003 Chevrolet cavalier and the automatic shift is stuck and can only shift to neutral and drive since Thursday morning. It wont go up to reverse and parking and down to the other 3 shifts.
This first happened last April but somehow with the right grip or pressure was able to get back to all the other shifts. Since then it happened 2-3 times as I can remember and now could be getting worse.
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As it's progressively grown colder (which may or may not be related), my truck has grown all but impossible to shift from park into reverse neutral or drive with the engine running when the truck is cold. I often have to shut the engine off, and once I do it immediately is very easy to shift out of park into neutral, and then I can restart the engine. Once the truck has been driven some, it's not hard to get out of park, but if it's shut off for some time (an hour maybe) it will be difficult to shift out of park again. I don't know how to begin troubleshooting this.
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2003 7.3 powerstroke won't shift out of park when running. When my plugs are warming I have to shift into neutral then start truck. Works just fine after that unless I go in to park again. Brake lights work just fine. So I am guessing brake light switch is fine. What's next to check?
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I recently bought a 2001 Chevy Cavalier with 85,000 miles in October 2014. Since that time, I've fixed the brakes, done emissions testing, etc. But recently the car started to act funny: the trac off and engine light would appear and then the shift between 1 / 2 gear or 2 / 3 would rev up high. I'd stop, pull over, turn off, turn on, and then continue. I was worried, so I took and the mechanic changed the transmission fluid.
However, the problem is getting worse. I was driving, the trac off and engine light came on, and about 30-secs later the oil and battery light appear and the car shuts off. I took it back in and they ran tests to check it, but what the problem could be. I don't drive my car very frequently, mostly weekends to visit my family who live about an hour 1/2 from me. But so far every time I drive it, the car stops.
Some suggestions I've heard:-- low fuel injection?-- wheel speed sensors
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I have a 2004 RX with 82,000 miles, well maintained. Lately the engine will start but the warning lights won't go off and the gear shift won't move out of park. I have to keep turning the vehicle on and off until the gear shift will go in reverse.
It doesn't happen every day but off and on over the past month.I've had numerous brake light switches replaced which could maybe be the lights, would that affect the transmission too?
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2007 Chevrolet Impala 1LT3.5L Flex Fuel EngineAuto Transmission with shift lever on the steering column29,980 miles
Bought new Nov 2006 so is now four and a half years oldThe drive train is still under warranty (6 years or 60,000 miles). All recommended service per the manufacturers manual has been done. Book calls for first transmission service at 50,000 miles
NOTE: Previously at 19,600 miles the transmission cooler line fittings were replaced due to a small leak. Currently no evidence of a leak; no fluid on garage floor and the transmission fluid level on the stick shows right on the mark. Fluid still clean pale red and has no odor.
Majority of my driving is short hops with multiple stops, so the car gets heavy use shifted into and out of park gear. I do use the "parking brake" applying it after shifted into park and released before shifting out of park. I always have my foot on the brake pedal when shifting out of park.
PROBLEM: Having trouble shifting out of park on a cold engine or if the car has been sitting for an hour or more since turned off and put into park gear. Oddly enough, if I'm running a series of errands where the car has been in park for only 5 to 30 minutes, there is no problem shifting out of park gear. But if the car sits long enough for the engine to cool then it becomes hard to shift. The longer the time it sits in park the harder it is to shift out of park when the car is started.
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1992 Buick Park Avenue, Base. For awhile now I've had trouble shifting into park from other gears. Sometimes, it'll flow right into park without trouble. Other times, I have to work it, to kind of baby it in. However, it simply will not shift into park from reverse. Period. If I'm in reverse and want to park, I have to go into drive, neutral, etc, and then try to move it into park.
A mechanic I know looked at the neutral safety switch and thought it could be causing the problem. We figured it wasn't in the steering column or the cable to the switch because if we disconnect the cable, you can slide that lever all day long. So I purchased a new neutral safety switch and had him install it, but the same problem is there. Actually, let me clarify: while it was in his garage, with the old switch, it would no longer go into park at all, regardless (kind of decided to just stop altogether). At least with the new switch we can baby it into park, but it is basically back to where it was last week. He mentioned it might be deeper in the transmission, but that's out of his league.
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My wife bought a new 2010 Prius Hybrid. It has consistently achieved 51+ miles per gallon. She bought it in June-2010 and at the 7000 mile mark (October?) called me concerned about a noise it was making under the hood. She described it as akin to the noise a playing card made when as a child you fastened it to the spokes of a bicycle. Chattering? It lasted 15-30 seconds and went away, before engaging in reverse or forward. A trip to the dealership was fruitless, an "intermittent episode" the diagnosis.
Now, nothing since until today. Same noise again, 12,000 mile mark, goes away in same timeframe, in park. Only today, through the course of several errands, her dash MPG indicator reads 39 MPG. She is waiting as we speak in the dealer lobby as they plug into the computer hunting for fault codes, etc. Having issues, especially an indicated dropoff in MPG seemingly in conjunction with such a noise?
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2004 prius with 170k. Basically , his engine just doesn't shut off. battery is full. Engine keep running at the stop signs, in park. No engine light on.
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I have a 2003 Ford Focus with the Zetec 2L, 16 valve. When the car is warm and I put it in neutral or park and take my foot off of the brake it will occasionally shut off. Not stall, but shut off - as though I turned the key. This doesn't happen every time; it usually doesn't. I have no other drivability problems and there are no warning lights or engine codes. The ideas I have are:
- Vacuum/ brake booster leak
- MAF problem or dirty throttle body
- Something weird going on with the transmission shift interlock mechanism.
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I have a 2009 Santa Fe and last night, out of the blue, the engine wouldn't start. The shift lever was stuck in park and the brake pedal was very stiff and wouldn't move much. I popped the cap off the shift lock and moved it to neutral at which time the car started without a problem. I could drive but shifting was difficult and the lever didn't really click into a gear. I noticed that when shifting gears. the indicator on the dash would change from N to D and to R in reverse but when I moved up to park, the indicator went blank and the lever locked up again and had be released manually. I also noticed when I got home, since my driveway is a slope, that when the car seemed to be in park is rolled down the driveway, so I had to engage the emergency brake.
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Today, without explanation the shift indicator on the dash on my 98 Passat Wagon highlights all gears. When you shift to any gear. . . . the display does not change. Further, shifting is rough from 'park.'
I noticed this problem after looking at all the fuses to see why the radio was not powering up. I have checked fuses. . . . and unplugged the battery and plugged it back in.
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I have a 2001 chevy cavalier, the base 2.2 model with a 5 speed manual transmission.
I can't shift into 1st, 3rd, or 5th gear. On occasion I can get into 1st but it pops out almost instantly. I have the shift boot up, it looks like the shifter won't go far enough to click into gear for the top 3 gears.
2nd and 4th don't have any issues, reverse works as well though can sometimes be more difficult than usual.
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01 jetta vr6 5 speed. Alright so earlier today I pulled out the driveway. (Hard) was in 1st gear around 3 or 4 grand and I stomped it. Got to 6 grand and hit 2nd. Took 2nd to 6 grand and let of around 60 mph. After that I short shifted into 3rd, 4th, then 5th. I noticed going into fith was hard. Had kinda rev match to get it. I stayed in 5th till I got to my destination roughly 4 miles. When I came back out to leave I had a hell of a time getting it into reverse. On my way home it was extremely hard to shift and now when the car is running I cant get it into any gear. This is what I did.
Car shifts fine with car off.
Car will not shift with engine running.
When started in gear with clutch depressed I can still let the clutch out and stall the car.
When starting car while in gear with the clutch NOT DEPRESSED the car jumps forward.
I can figure it out ove tried re adjusting the linkage. Nothing.
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I have a '96 2.2L Cavalier with an automatic transmission. The car has about 275,XXX miles on it. Recently, I have been having problems with the transmission. Basically, the transmission doesn't shift unless I release the gas pedal and press down on it again. It always happens around the 20-25 m.p.h. mark. If I don't release the gas, my speed doesn't increase much, i.e. it goes up to about 30 m.p.h. and I hear the engine revving hard. Once I do the gas pedal thing though, it accelerates well.
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I have a 1997 chevy cavalier, 69000 miles. It runs great BUT, when it gets below 35degrees, it will turn over and over but not stay running. After many attempts, maybe for an hour, it will stay running. Regular maintenance, and cold weather maintenance have been applied. New battery and cables. I took it to the shop and they could not find anything wrong.
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I have a 1998 chevy cavalier, 4 door, 2.2 liter SOHC, which has been running hot for a while now. readings are off the dash guage, here's the scenario. on startup from cold, the temperature begins to rise within 60 seconds, reaching what i consider normal operating temperature within three to five minutes, at approximately the "NO" in " NORMAL" on the gauge.
It reaches what has become it's usual operating temperature, at "RM" within another minute or two. If i am in stop and go traffic, the temperature will rapidly reach the final mark after the "L", but not the red zone. If I get on the highway, the temperature will reduce back to the "RM" position within one to two minutes, three to four minutes in steady traffic at lower speeds, i.e. 35 and all green lights. Thermostat has been replaced, water pump has been replaced, electric cooling fan is running correctly, radiator is free and clear of debris.
When I first got the car back in 2000, it ramped up to heat much more slowly, and hung out at "NO" in all types of traffic. in 2004 i went and picked up my car from my father's place, he had taken it to the local shop and had it given the once over, which is when this problem began showing up, and has gotten progressively worse over the years. I've gotten nowhere with other mechanics, the system is leak free, and the coolant tests good.
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So I drove my phaeton home today and when I pressed the button on the gear leaver and moved it to shift into park it would not move past neutral and sometimes reverse. The button on the gear lever got stuck in and cannot be moved out of the pressed position... because of this I removed the shifter, and the wooden panel. The plastic piece at the top of the gear shifter has broke off and I cannot figure out how to get into park and the car will not let my key go...
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