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| auto transmission cable; is my cable broken? | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: Feb 10 2014, 10:57 PM (761 Views) | |
| markscar | Feb 10 2014, 10:57 PM Post #1 |
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Fresh Fish
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Hi everyone. I have a question/ problem. My 97 metro won't shift out of park. The safety interlock and so on are working just fine it will allow me to depress the button and move the shifter. Problem is there is no resistance and the shifter just slides back and forth, so I thought it was an obvious cable problem. I then went under the good and with the shifter out of park, (It won't move until the shifter is in neutral) moved it into gear manually where The cable ends o n the transmission with the engine running and somone in the car holding on the brake. It drives just fine e and shifts just fine. What I found odd is the shifter inside the car will move it up to reverse and park . just not down. And the car must be In neutral to be able to Move it manually into drive from under the hood. I looked under the hood and can clearly see the last few inches of the cable that are covered by a rubber shield. And it wouldmoves up into park but not down when someone inside shifts. I then took off the cover off around the shifter and could see the other end which again is solid and brass like. Just like the part attaching to the transmission , not like a cable moving both forward AND back. So the problem is obviously isolated to the cable or how its connected. I was just wondering If there are two cables inside the flexible part. One moving it forward. And another down and maybe so.ething has become unhooked?. Or is this how it works when they break.any help would be much appreciated Thanks Mark |
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| Memphis metro | Feb 11 2014, 04:01 AM Post #2 |
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There should only be one cable. I have never seen a two piece shifter cable. Remove it from the transmisson and have someone shift it while you hold and watch it. They will do some strange things if they are not secured well or the outter sheathing ravels or cable breaks. If it were broke it would push it back up to park but not pull it out. The fact you feel no resistance is a pretty good indication it is broke. |
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| sphenicie | Feb 11 2014, 07:49 AM Post #3 |
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it is not the shift cable that splits, the one that splits at the firewall is the accelerator cable. the accelerator cable also controls the "kickdown" function. the gear select cable comes thru the firewall directly below the accl cable. I would have to question a broken cable, since it does work in one direction. if it were actually be broken it would not work in either direction. it sounds like the keeper on one end is only engaging in one direction. how long have you owned the car? what has been messed with? did this just all of the sudden change? like a snap, or over time? with the console by the shift handle off, move the handle forward and back, does the cable look like it is binding in one direction? is the cable clip at the firewall doing its job-holding it tight? look at the retainer at the trans end and the end of the cable. bolts and nuts tight? just a thought, if you loose the nut off the tranny end of the cable, it would still "push" the actuator arm forward, but then just slide back. it would not "pull" the arm with it. Edited by sphenicie, Feb 11 2014, 08:06 AM.
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| markscar | Feb 11 2014, 08:48 AM Post #4 |
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Fresh Fish
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Thanks for the info!!!. Well it made me curious so I went down and starting checking it carefully. I then decided to take it apart. Turns out the small centre cable that is the shifter cable that is well insulated was broken right it half. As soon as I freed it up from the shifter it slid out , exactly about half the length. Looks like it snapped at the firewall and being that it was so tightly insulated In that rather robust rubber insulator , it was capable of pushing against itself to put the car in park buit obcously there was nothing stopping it from pulling apart. Had me puzzled for a bit. My only problem now is I took off the shifter to remove everything and now I can't quIte put the shifter and its push button Back together. There's a spring and a tiny ball and the button. It seems obvious where the three parts go. Just. Can't seem to get it together and operational. Any tricks? Thanks again for the help. Mark |
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| Memphis metro | Feb 11 2014, 09:43 AM Post #5 |
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| markscar | Feb 13 2014, 08:27 PM Post #6 |
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Fresh Fish
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Thanks for the info!!!. Well it made me curious so I went down and starting checking it carefully. I then decided to take it apart. Turns out the small centre cable that is the shifter cable that is well insulated was broken right it half. As soon as I freed it up from the shifter it slid out , exactly about half the length. Looks like it snapped at the firewall and being that it was so tightly insulated In that rather robust rubber insulator , it was capable of pushing against itself to put the car in park buit obcously there was nothing stopping it from pulling apart. Had me puzzled for a bit. My only problem now is I took off the shifter to remove everything and now I can't quIte put the shifter and its push button Back together. There's a spring and a tiny ball and the button. It seems obvious where the three parts go. Just. Can't seem to get it together and operational. Any tricks? Thanks again for the help. Mark |
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| sphenicie | Feb 14 2014, 08:32 AM Post #7 |
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the cable is quite stiff. try to get EVERYTHING together loosely then tighten. this will allow a little wiggle room, as it will all get stiffer with every connection that is tight. |
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