My car barely shifts gears, so hard to shift , now won’t go into park!!
Will my car start in neutral ? I can't get it to shift in park it's really hard to shift, now it won't go in park.
My car has 133000 miles.
My car has an automatic transmission.
Experienced mechanics share their insights in answering this question :
Hi there. Your car has a safety switch on the transmission that will only allow the vehicle to start in park gear with an automatic transmission. If you’re having problems with the shifter, it’s quite possible that either the shifting lever is dirty, or clogged with debris and needs to be cleaned or there is a bracket under the shifter that is damaged. In either case, having a professional mobile mechanic come to your location and complete a car is hard to shift inspection is the best way to resolve this problem.
How to Identify and Fix Common car Problems ?
Our sources include academic articles, blog posts, and personal essays from experienced mechanics :
Common reasons for this to happen:
Transmission cables usually break due to stretching, which happens over time or can result due to speed shifting or jamming the car into gear. Stretched Transmission Cable: Prior to breaking, a transmission cable will stretch. When this happens the car may be hard to put in park.
When a shifter becomes hard to move, it is usually the interlock cable. AKA, shift cable. This cable slides in a housing and connects directly to the transmission. When this cables becomes worn, it gets hard to move inside the housing.
You most likely have a faulty brake light switch. While it seems like your transmission and brake lights aren`t related, they are; there`s a switch attached to the brake pedal which activates your lights when depressed, and the same switch activates a solenoid on your shifter to allow you to shift out of park.
If your vehicle refuses or struggles to change gears, you are more than likely facing a problem with your transmission system. Low or incorrect types of transmission fluid could be the reason why your vehicle is refusing to switch gears.
Bad habits such as parking without the handbrake, changing gears incorrectly, and shifting an automatic transmission before the car comes to a complete stop can cause your transmission to wear out prematurely.
Transmission won`t engage or stay in gear
If when you put your vehicle into gear and it won`t move, this may be a problem with low transmission fluid due to a leak, the shifter, shifter cable, or it could even be a problem in the valve body of your automatic transmission.
Not Enough Gear Oil
If your transmission is leaking oil or you do not change it periodically, you will have less oil in the gear. Once this happens, there will be damage to your transmission and it will eventually become hard to shift it. There may even be strange noises or poor vehicle performance symptoms too.”
Let`s put your mind to rest. In most cases, having a transmission that shifts hard (or one that slips gears) is not the end of the world—or even the end of the transmission. It`s not necessarily a hard thing to fix, as long as you do take action and don`t let the problem become worse.
You experience delayed gear shifting and a sense of pulling or slipping when trying to shift between gears. The vehicle will not downshift as you slow down. An inability for the solenoid valve to operate may prevent your car from downshifting, and the engine will continue to rev as you attempt to brake.
If the sound resembles humming, buzzing, or clunking, you may be experiencing transmission failure. Bad automatic transmissions may emit humming, buzzing, or whining noises while manual transmissions have harsher “clunking” sounds.
1. At the top of all auto repair experts lists for causes of problematic transmissions is low transmission fluid. Usually caused by a leak somewhere in the system, low or contaminated fluid makes it nearly impossible for the transmission to automatically shift gears and run smoothly.
The main reason the car won`t go into gear is that the level of transmission fluid in the vehicle is lower than required. If the level is low despite regular maintenance, there may be a leak. Transmission fluid, therefore, is important to ensure that the car`s moving parts are properly lubricated for functioning.
But a blown fuse No. 38 becomes a likely candidate causing a loss of power to the transmission solenoids.
Your automatic transmission has a device known as a parking pawl. This device locks the transmissions output shaft, preventing it from moving when your shifter is in Park. This device resembles a pin, that functions by engaging a notched ring attached to the transmission`s output shaft when in `P” Park position.
A damaged fin or bearing in the torque converter can cause hesitation in the transmission shifting, or the transmission to slip out of gear entirely. This is because the engine torque is not being efficiently converted into the hydraulic pressure needed to shift gears within the transmission.
In most cases, this issue is caused by a damaged shift solenoid or perhaps an obstruction of debris inside the transmission hydraulic lines. It could also be caused by damaged inside the transmission…
Blocked shifter
Most of the time, it is found that the shifter is clogged due to the entry of any foreign particles in it. This will also lead to the situation in which the Mercedes will not be able to shift into park or for that matter any other gears depending upon the location of the blockage.
Relevant Questions and Answers :
the most relevant questions and answers related to your specific issue
My car barely shifts gears, so hard to shift , now won’t go into park!!
ANSWER : Hi there. Your car has a safety switch on the transmission that will only allow the vehicle to start in park gear with an automatic transmission. If you’re having problems with the shifter, it’s quite possible that either the shifting lever is dirty, or clogged with debris and needs to be cleaned or there is a bracket under the shifter that is damaged. In either case, having a professional mobile mechanic come to your location and complete a car is hard to shift inspection is the best way to resolve this problem.
Read Full Q/A … : My car barely shifts gears, so hard to shift , now won’t go into park!!
Shifting from 2nd to 3rd, car stopped going fast. Now it won’t go at all.
ANSWER : It is possible that your clutch has failed. The sound you are hearing is likely due to the clutch not engaging with the engine due to it being worn. I would recommened having your transmission inspected by a qualified transmission expert to determine if your clutch requires replacement in order to resolve this issue. This inspection may require removal and partial disassembly of the transmission in order to verify that the clutch has failed.
Read Full Q/A … : My car barely shifts gears, so hard to shift , now won’t go into park!!
My manual car won’t go into gear, it turns on and the clutch goes down perfectly fine. It happened after my gears grinded, the car
ANSWER : If the clutch mechanism is releasing properly, and the shift linkage is not malfunctioning, your transmission will have to be removed from the vehicle and inspected. Once a transmission has been removed from a vehicle, if the problem is a broken or worn part or parts, and the transmission has 100,000 miles or more, the most cost effective approach is to just simply rebuild the whole transmission. There are transmission rebuild kits that are sold just for this purpose. Rebuilding a transmission is no big deal and is indeed easier in many respects than rebuilding an engine. You can rebuild your transmission right in your own garage. You can NOT rebuild an engine in your own garage due to the highly specialized, and extremely costly, machine shop equipment required. Occasionally, mobile mechanics will take on a transmission rebuild job especially as once the mechanic removes the transmission from the vehicle, it is just simply a modular unit that can be easily transported to a mechanic’s shop and rebuilt right there and then returned to your vehicle. If you have further questions or concerns, do not hesitate to re-contact YourMechanic as we are always here to help you.
Read Full Q/A … : My car barely shifts gears, so hard to shift , now won’t go into park!!
My windows won’t go down, my instruments don’t work, my car won’t go in park without shift release
ANSWER : Hi, thanks for writing in. In most cases, the problems you’re describing are caused by damage to the electrical system either at the fuse box or through relays that send electrical signals to each component that isn’t working; such as your power windows, instrument panel and others. If the vehicle was exposed to lots of water, this may have damaged the electrical system or the vehicle’s on board computer as well. The best way to reduce the stress, time and money on trying to find the exact source of your problems is to have one of our local mechanics inspect your Honda Accord for electrical problems at your home or office.
Read Full Q/A … : My car barely shifts gears, so hard to shift , now won’t go into park!!
Car in park shifter will move through gears but wont shift through the gears its stuck in neutral have emergency brake on so it wont roll
ANSWER : From what you’ve described, it sounds like the shifter cable came off at the transmission or the shifter. I’d suggest checking the shift linkage on the transmission to see if the cable came off. This is due to the connector end bushing falling apart and not being able to hold the cable on any longer. Some cables have to be replaced as a whole and as with others the bushing can be replaced to fix the cable. I’d suggest contacting a certified technician, such as one from YourMechanic, who can come diagnose your shifting issue and make the necessary repairs to your vehicle. Good luck.
Read Full Q/A … : My car barely shifts gears, so hard to shift , now won’t go into park!!
I got sound when I shift to 3rd gear and it’s get hard to put shift to second gear when car is in 3rd gear.
ANSWER : Hello. It sounds as though the synchronizers in the transmission, which are used to adjust transmission internal gear speed when upshifting or downshifting are possibly worn out or you are shifting a bit too fast. It is also possible that the clutch is not releasing fully when you press the clutch pedal. In some conditions, utilizing synthetic gear oil in the transmission can help the quality of gear shifting. If the clutch is not fully releasing an inspection of the clutch hydraulics is a good idea. I would recommend having an inspection of the hard shift completed by a mobile, professional mechanic, such as one from YourMechanic, who will come to your location, diagnose this problem, give you an accurate assessment of damage and cost for repairs.
Read Full Q/A … : My car barely shifts gears, so hard to shift , now won’t go into park!!
my car gear is stuck in drive but the gear shift goes to park car is in acc postion wont crank or swicth to off to remove the key
ANSWER : Hi there, thanks for writing in.
It sounds like you most likely have a broken shift cable, or a failed shifter assembly. A failure of either part would allow you to move the shifter handle to park, while the transmission actually remains in drive. Because it could be either of these parts, I would recommend having a qualified professional, such as one from YourMechanic, diagnose your shift issue.
Read Full Q/A … : My car barely shifts gears, so hard to shift , now won’t go into park!!
Car will not shift gears, stuck in neutral.
ANSWER : Hello – your symptoms suggest a failure or disconnect of the shifter linkage to the transmission (whether cable or mechanical linkage). Most likely, this is external to the transmission, and can be repaired without having to get inside the transmission. Since you don’t have "Park", this becomes more of a safety issue – and quick repair is essential. I would recommend having the vehicles transmission linkage inspected as soon as possible. A mobile, professional mechanic, such as one from YourMechanic, will come to your location, diagnose this problem, give you an accurate assessment of damage and cost estimate for repairs
Read Full Q/A … : My car barely shifts gears, so hard to shift , now won’t go into park!!
