Trouble shifting into Park

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 saftey 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 saftey 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.

So, ideas? Suggestions? .....price range? Heh, thanks.

i had the same problem on my 92, there's a solenoid at the base of the steering coluum
near the firewall that holds onto your shift linkage unless you press on brake pedal, i removed the arm from mine and no more shifting into and out of park issues.

My Two Cents:

"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. "

What his mechanic should have done, was have the car on level ground, apply the e-brake, shift into Park.......now pop the cable off the lever of the tranny......now MANUALLY, shift it into Reverse......now try to MANUALLY shift it into Park........if there is a lot of resistance to get it into park, then you have a burr on the manual valve, causing this problem.......with the year of the car, and with the ability to shift it into Park, by going to neutral first, I would do that procedure rather than have to partially drop the tranny to get that side cover off, to replace or if possible, remove the burr from the valve(that valve has to come out......time consuming)......so, unless it gets harder to get into Park from neutral, I would leave it alone, and just shift from Neutral into Park, every time.....