Locked in park

Tiny
GENE
  • MEMBER
  • 1996 ISUZU
  • 4 CYL
  • 4WD
  • AUTOMATIC
  • 120,000 MILES
I have a 96 isuzu sidekick that if driven a short distance and parked will then not go back in gear. Later I can go back and normally it will then engage. Any idea what is wrong and what it will cost to fix it?
Thursday, November 25th, 2010 AT 11:37 PM

2 Replies

Tiny
FIXITMR
  • MECHANIC
  • 9,990 POSTS
It's either your shift lever button is not releasing or your brake release selinoid is not disengaging.

Down by your knee, on the side of the shifter console, there is a little cover that has a screw holding it on. Take the screw out and the cap will come off. If you look in the hole you can see an arm with a hole in it. Push the arm back, and hold it, then try to shift out of park (what that does is disengages the brake interlock switch). If that makes it shift out of park easier, then I would say the brake interlock switch may be malfunctioning. (I am assuming you are pushing on the brake, when you are trying to shift out of park?). You can take the shifter console cover off to access the brake interlock switch (to either replace or remove/disable it).

Oh, one other thing, make sure you are pushing the button on the side of the shifter handle in far enough, when you are trying to shift out of park. If you don't push it far enough, the linkage won't move far enough to allow the shifter to move from the park position.
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Friday, November 26th, 2010 AT 3:19 AM
Tiny
FIXITMR
  • MECHANIC
  • 9,990 POSTS
There's a solenoid that activates when you hit the brake. Mine works 1 out of 10 times. I have to stick my finger in the hole all the time. But is that a bad thing? It works every time.
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Friday, November 26th, 2010 AT 3:21 AM

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