blue birdy 87

Hey i have an 87 firebird auto I believe a 700r that rolls in park. Litterly you can push my car when its in park (without ebrake on). Otherwise the transmission seems to work fine. Any help thanks

EvilCartman

iTrader: (1)

Parking pawl is probably busted. Always use the parking brake to keep the load off that pin.

sofakingdom

iTrader: (1)

Or, the shifter doesn't move the linkage all the way to Park.

I'd start with a new shifter cable.

rob2000gt

iTrader: (1)

Did you figure this out?

SD89RS

Yeah, Mine does this too. Also slips a bit, but not too bad. Was thinking about getting it rebuilt. Is there a cheaper way to fix it?

blue birdy 87

No too soon after i asked that question my steering got real bad, so that took priority.

rob2000gt

iTrader: (1)

try reaching under the driver side and move the shift lever forward If it clicks into park then your cable is too weak it wont push it all the way into park

ZZ3 Z28

I have the same problem, popped up out of no where. It is called a no park condition most likely caused by the parking linkage. The shop manual says the following:

Actuator rod assembly bent or damaged.
Actuator rod spring binding or improperly crimped.
Actuator rod not attached to inside detent lever.
Parking bracket damaged or not torqued properly.
Inside detent lever not torqued properly.
Detent roller mispositioned or not torqued properly.
Parking pawl binding or damaged.

If and when I repair mine, I'll let you know but I think it is a misadjusted actuator rod.

sofakingdom

iTrader: (1)

There is no "adjustment" for the actuator rod. You either put it in, or don't. It doesn't really just fall out.

About 99% of the time, the problem is the cable, and not inside the trans at all; unless you put it in park accidentally while the car was moving. And even then, it protects itself fairly well most of the time.

Check to make sure your cable is moving the shift lever all the way to the Park position FIRST.

ZZ3 Z28

The first picture is of the shift console with the transmission cable being the one with the cotter pin in the middle of the picture. This is the cable that moves forward when put in park to activate the parking pawl in the transmission. The other cable is the steering wheel lock cable.



The next two picture are of the same cable that moves with the shifter, the one with the extended bellows protector is when the shifter is in park and the other picture with the bellows compressed is when the shifter is in gear, this one being in drive. The cable is one cable with apparently no adjustments like the above poster described. Jiggling the cable at the transmission does not do anything to help, the trans does not slip into park.

I have talked to a couple other people about this since it seems that several of us are having this problem and that is most of the time, it is not the parking pawl that is the problem, it is the cable, like mentioned above. If the parking pawl was dislodged, something drastic was done to the trans and you would know it. However, with no adjustments it is difficult to detect what exactly is the problem and what the fix is. I am reluctant to just jump into this thing since I don't wish to make things worse like messing up all the gears not just the no park condition.

rob2000gt

iTrader: (1)

with the car off and shifter in park grab where the cable bolts to the shift arm and just simply push it towards the front of the car. it should move freely but it is stiff. this is how i figured out it was my cable and not parking pawl.

ZZ3 Z28

Thanks, I will try that. It has to be the cable and not the pawl.

LHernandezJr

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TTOP350

iTrader: (8)

Make sure the cable is adjusted correctly.

LHernandezJr

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TTOP350

iTrader: (8)

motobooks
See the nut on the trans lever, on the trans end of the cable?
thats the adjustment.

If i remember correctly, loosen the nut, put the shifter and trans in neutral, tighten the nut then you should be done.

LHernandezJr

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mike.gebhard

seen it before where its nothing tranny wise. my friends 78 malibu had a good foot and a half you could push it back and forth in park. we were waiting for the trans to go out, rear end ended up blowing, we replaced that and its rock solid (maybe and inch or two of budge if you try pushing on the car while its in park) just an fyi if people find out its not their trans

1983Chimaera

Amazed it took that long for someone to point that out!

I've run into similar problems before, usually have been able to adjust the problem at the trans lever or by moving the shifter assembly back and forth until proper engagement in all gears is achieved. However, I've personally gone thru 2 shifter cables now, currently on my 3rd. One thing I've noticed is the design of the cable retainer at the trans bracket end is extremely poor, and over time allows the cable to shift in the bracket which changes how it applies tension to the trans lever. The two black plastic tabs that are pushed thru the bracket and then spread to hold tension and keep the cable in place are prone to stretch, tear, or break off completely. This allows the cable to shift up or down, and when the shifter puts tension on the cable to change gears instead of being held tight by the bracket, the cable braces against the trans lever and tries to buckle one way or the other. The result is a poor shift (usually going into park is the worst) and over time the cable sleeve will deform, making the cable useless.

The fix for this, besides having the shifter placement and trans adjustment PERFECT (not possible on my car as I have a 4th gen center console) is to use a couple of zip ties secured around the cable underneath the 2 tabs that secure it to the trans bracket. I put the cable in the bracket per the factory install, then feed the zip ties one at a time under the retaining tabs and tighten them. The idea is to place them so they are side by side, which both pulls the cable securely thru the bracket and holds tension, but also prevents the cable from having any kind of up or down movement possible.