97 grand am shift lock

[toonz99]

Hello eveyone and thanx in advance for giving me some help

I have a 97 grand am automatic, 3.1l floor shift console that i have had nothing but trouble with since day one. I now have a new problem that i need to fix. (you wouldn't beleive all the things i have had to fix or replace including a new engine at 110 thousand kilometers)

when i get in the car and try to shift it into gear the shifter will not move. no i understand the concept of the shift lock mechanism but here is what happens.

if i try to depress the button on the shifter to change gears it wont go in and i can hear a distinct clicking sound from under the dash. (selenoid??) and if i play with it for a while, repeated clicking, and it seems once the car warms up a bit it will eventually work and allow me to shift. this is a pain in the but. I went to the dealer and they said it could be the relay, (a 50 doollar touch) or the selenoid (attached to the shifter and a 300.00 touch) but he also said a smart man would know how to bypass the whole thing.

anyone have any ideas??? i mean sheeesh, we drove cars for years and years without ever worrying about not shiftin our of park unless your foot is on the brake.

help please
thanx
terry

[xeroinfinity]

Welcome to AF.

Could be a couple things here.

It could be the brake/Tran shift interlock(btsi) solenoid.
If it was clicking in the dash then I'd assume it has power.

Does it shift without pushing the brake?
Check down around the pedal and see if anything is loose,
like the brake light switch.

I'm not certain where the BTSI is located, I thought it was in the console area by the shifter.
Here are some direction to open the console.

I'm pretty sure its the BTSI solenoid though.

hope that helps.