2003 s-type v-6 automatic trans
Well I park in a small incline spot today, when I went to put the car on drive the shifter would not move, I had to remove the center console and remove the shift cable to be able to drive the car home. the car drove terrible like if it was on one gear and also I had the (gearbox fault) and (restricted performance) light on. Does anyone know what can be the problem and help me fix it.

 

you have a gear box fault/restricted performance because the shifter and trans gear selection dont match. did you break the white plastic piece in the shifter trying to get it out of park. If so call Ken at motorcars and buy the metal replacement

 

no I did not break the plastic piece, do you know how I can get the shifter to work normal again

 

Others on here have also had the cable out of adjustment. Get the cable and shifter adjusted properly and you should not have the issue anymore. Just like Brutal said, the shifter and gear selector in the trans don't match. Just like if something was to go awry with the throttle, the car will go into a limp mode...I know it's a pain but remember, Toyota sure wishes they had caused the same kind of pain to their customers in hind sight.....

Search here on shift linkage as well. There are threads all over...
And, if you have the plastic part I would replace it since you are in there anyway. It is a known failure point..

 

also check to see if the bolts fell out of the shifter cable mount on the side of the trans, its another common issue. And while youre under there look at where the black plastic cable sheath for pull out. If you see 1/8"+ of what appears to pull out of the crimp, the cable is streatched and needs to be replaced

 

Brutal,

Where are the two shifter cable bolts in relation to the transmission? U.S. drivers side or passenger side? Closer to the front doors or rear doors? Do any covers have to be removed to see them or access them? Next time I'm under the car for an oil and filter change I want to take a good look and check on the tightness of these two bolts. Thanks....

 

Jon, there are 2 8mm bolts on the left side of the trans(driver, US) just follow the cable

 

Will do. Thanks again....

 

I have a 2005 facelift diesel and sometimes on starting up it takes a few seconds before the shifter will move out of park. Once it has there is no problem. I park on the level. Should I look at the above issues as well as a possible cause?

(I am no mechanic so it would be for advice to pass onto the garage)

 

don't know if you've checked, but the shifter won't release if the brake lights are not working. maybe a blown brake lamp fuse or bulbs (would have to be all of them)

 

Regarding the brake issue causing problems releasing from park, that statement is correct, but I should clarify that it won't simply be a bad bulb or fuse out, but the failure of the brake micro-switch itself that would prevent the safe movement from park. You should here a click in the gear shifter if the switch is working. (at least on mine)

 

Will guys I took the whole shift box out and played around with the in-sides and was able to get the shifter to work normal again, I ready don't know what the problem was but glad it wasn't serious.

 

Great to hear... I would still review the other threads on this and consider replacing the plastic part everyone talks about. And don't forget to check those bolts!

 

I agree it is good practice to replace the plastic part when the console is apart, especially if the plastic is cracked or broken. This fix does not address the root cause though.

The root cause is inside the transmission and is related to the pawl (think that is what you guys mean) but probably not be the pawl itself. The story I heard is that Jaguar redesigned the "rooster comb" that has the shift detents cut into it. The idea was to have more positive and "luxurious" detents than the original Ford design. They put too much of a ramp on the park detent though and you sometimes can't get enough leverage on it to beat the ramp. I had mine replaced with the Ford part when the tranny was rebuilt and the wife can now park on hills without a call to me.

 

He doesn't appear to have the Ford tranny. Your car details are not stated but sounds like you have the early car. It would help if you put your car details in your profile.

 

Whoops, I didn't read very carefully.

Surprised there are still issues after the improvement. I hope at least they are more reliable.

 

1 thing I will say on the park pawl repair, Its was very hit and miss on working better. Some did many didnt. I never recommended it since its a big expense for a big IF

 

This issue got fixed when the transmission was changed

 

Ok guys, I was still having problems with the shifter, this is what I did to make it work again. i have a 2003 s-type automatic , I remove the whole shifter, then I removed the cable that's connected at the bottom of the shifter it looks like a bicycle brake line, leave this cable disconnected when you go back to install the shifter, then I used a piece of plastic to keep the shifters locking SOLENOID on the open position, then re-stall the shifter, now the only thing is that you can shift the shifter with out the car being on, but it better then paying $400 for a new shifter.

 

That may be a safety issue, and if you're state inspectors catch it, it could cause you to fail inspection. Certainly will lower resale also, if you ever go down that avenue.