shifter

[jfrye]

hi, my shifter won't move out of park. i have a 97 grand am gt . i can here a clicking when i push the shifter. any suggestions please?

[Forkliftguy]

Are you making sure your foot is on the brake pedal before attempting to shift out of park? The brakes have to be applied in order for the shifter to release.

Marc

[jfrye]

Originally Posted by Forkliftguy

Are you making sure your foot is on the brake pedal before attempting to shift out of park? The brakes have to be applied in order for the shifter to release.

Marc

oh yeah, also my brake light is lit up on the instrument panel.

[jdyerjdyer]

In your fuse box, there is a fuse for the automatic transmission system, brake system, and AC Compressor. This is usually a 20A fuse and when blown, will not let you shift out of park. If it blows while driving, you can still shift, but you will notice that you will remain in the gear you were in when it blew, or it may put you in first. This is because that fuse allows the automatic transmission system to work. You can still use the manual transmission gears to drive (1, 2, 3) at the higher speeds. Remember, 1st is for 0 to 20 MPH, 2nd is for 20 to 40 MPH, and 3rd is for over 40 MPH. After checking this fuse and replacing it, you might narrow down what the actual problem is by the following steps. (Save money!!!)

1. Before turning on the engine, turn off the air conditioner and fan completely.
2. Turn the engine on wait a minute, and turn it off again. If it blows during this, then you might check the starter or the selenoid (sp?) for the starter, as this might be overloading the circuit. This shouldn't overload that circuit, but it did keep the car from working right when I had to replace mine. Cost for replacement: Self--$100-$150 Shop--$200-$300 (time frame: 1 to 1 1/2 hrs)
3. If that didn't blow the fuse, then while still in park, turn the air conditioner on. If it blows then, then it is either a relay for the AC, or the air compressor itself. The compressor can cost as much as $900 to $1100 to replace at a dealer, but you should get a lifetime parts and labor guarantee if that is the problem. If it is the relay, then it shouldn't be more than $15 to $40 depending on the relay cost, simply unhook the wires, noting where they go, and hook up the new one. It's about as simple as putting in an electrical outlet in a house.
4. If that doesn't blow it, then you should have the transmission checked. I took mine to a parts store and they read me the error codes to mine. They said Selenoid A, Selenoid B, Transmission Circuit Failure. If this is the case, then it is probably one of the Selenoids which control the automatic transmission shifting, in which case, you might notice the fuse being blown when the engine shifts up or down while in Drive. The cost for diagnostic is anywhere from 50 to 100, cost for replacement is around 50 per selenoid, and labor is anywhere from 1 to 3 hours depending on what year model you have (i.e. the placement of the selenoids), 1 if the selenoid is on the outside of the transmission system under the driver side fender, 2 if it is inside, and they work with you, charging labor only for the additional hour for transmission service, because you will end up loosing half the transmission fluid during this procedure, and 3 if they charge you for the extra hour.

Hope this helps.