Put it in drive everything froze up and the vehicle died

VODKA123!

MEMBER
2004 CHEVROLET TRAILBLAZER
2WD
AUTOMATIC
225,000 MILES

So, I was backing out of my driveway, everything was fine, but when I went to put it into drive everything froze up and the vehicle died. I could not get the shifter out of reverse but thankfully it automatically went to neutral (somehow) and I was able to push it back into my parking space. The engine will not even turn over, no noise. What is up with that?

1 Reply

CARADIODOC

MECHANIC
33,916 POSTS

The engine has to be running so it can drive the fluid pump for the transmission. No gears will be engaged with the engine stopped. That is why it appears to be in neutral.

This seems to be an electrical issue so there are two things to look at. First, turn on the head lights and see how bright they are. If they are not on, follow the smaller battery positive wire to the under-hood fuse box and be sure that connection is clean and tight. If the head lights are dim, measure the battery voltage. If it is around 12.2 volts, it is good but discharged. Charge it at a slow rate for an hour, then try to start the engine. If it runs, have the charging system tested. If testing shows a replacement generator is needed, you must replace the battery at the same time to reduce the number of repeat generator failures, unless it is less than about two years old. This has been a big problem for GM vehicle since 1987.