95 astro wont shift out of park

[hishandywork79]

my 95 astro wont shift out of park. a few months ago it would from time to time be hard to get out of park, it felt like something was hanging up. Now it wont go out of park at all. I unhooked the linkage at the transmission, and the shifter moves freely. any Idea what it could be?

[tedanderson]

I think that it has to be in the column. I had the same problem and I just kept spraying everything down with WD-40 from the engine compartment. I kept yanking on the lever until it eventually broke free.

[hishandywork79]

I assumed it would be in the column as well, that is why I unhooked the linkage at the transmission. I figured if I unhooked it, and it still wouldn't shift out of park, then it was in the column. However With the linkage unhooked at the transmission the gear shifter moves freely. Am I missing some thing?

[DRZ]

Usually you have to apply the brake to get the lever out of park. Maybe it's an electrical problem and the shifter isn't getting the signal that the brake is applied. Are your stop lights working as they should ?

[hishandywork79]

I don't think its the brake, I think its in the transmission, but don't know if its something I can fix? With the linkage disconnected from the trans, the shifter freely moves out of park, and the brake has to be applied for this to happen. Any one know what it could be with the transmission?

[hishandywork79]

I tried to turn the shifter at the transmission and can not do so.

[DRZ]

AH, I read the earlier post wrong. Good luck with your problem..

[chevymaher]

If you drop the pan there only a few moving parts in there before the valve body. Detent lever hanging is my best guess.

[Phantom]

Is the connection between the column and trans linkage ALL metal linkage? or is there a cable in the mix ,, on many newer cars and trucks there is a cable that gets stretched and then it becomes problematic because it does not move as far as it did before it became stretched, if the cable is damaged then it must be replaced , if no cable then readjust the linkage to proper spec ,, I recall on older GM cars there was a rod that came down from the shift column and attached with a single bolt where the rod goes through . sometimes driving over a branch or hitting a curb could move the position of the rod , if that is the case just loosen the bolt then try to shift and tighten when working properly , it is there to lock the shift lever

[Big_kid]

It's all metal linkage on a 95- I had mine apart today swapping the tranny. There is a problem of some sort inside the transmission. You'll have to drop the pan to check it out. It's not difficult, just a bit messy if you're not careful. The linkage inside the pan is pretty simple and straightforward. I'd imagine the problem will be easy to spot once you're in there.

Afterthought- you might try taking the shifter bracket off the side of the transmission, maybe something got caught in/behind it. Not likely, but possible.

[tedanderson]

Odd question.. although we've seen stranger things.

By any chance is/was the van sitting on a hill? If so, it could be stuck as a result of the weight of the van resting on the pin that keeps the transmission in park. In that event, you will have to roll the van forward to release the weight so that the pin can be freed.

[Big_kid]

Good catch Ted! That's happened to me in the past... once.

[Phantom]

Here is a pic of the linkage

loosen the connection at location 4 & 5 , it looks very similar to what I have seen on older style GM, where a rod linkage comes down from the column into a collar that tightens by a bolt ,or a lock nut

[hishandywork79]

Thanks I will pull of the pan in a couple days and see what I can find. The van is on a level surface, and just in case I did try rocking it some. And yes stranger things have happened, and sometimes the obvious gets even the best, so its always good to ask the obvious.

[hishandywork79]

alright its been way more than a couple of days. I pulled the pan off and looked inside. where the shifter shaft goes into the housing, I looked for something broke or jammed. I couldn't find any thing. to me everything looked good. I tried moving the shifter with a screw driver while watching it, with the linkage dis connected as well. It seems like something is stuck further in the transmission. I think the repair is beyond me. Is this likely to be a goner, Or would this likely be a reasonably priced repair? Any body have some insight?

[AWDASTROVAN1999]

call a trans shop ... explain it and see what they say other then "Bring it in." It cant be that hard when your in the transmission business ..

[Leeann_93]

I'm going to guess broken parking pawl. Happens, especially if people have parked it on a hill a lot without using the parking brake.