Hi All,

Been a while since I've been on. My car has been in storage for a variety of reasons.

I went to take out my 1997 Vanden Plas today. Started up fine, and engine ran great. The problem came when I tried to shift out of Park. The shift lever did not want to move. I tried rocking the car back and forth, but made no difference. After letting it run for about 10 minutes, I tried again. This time I used a bit more force, and it did shift into Reverse and Drive.

The problem is that when I shift it back to Park, it appears it is not engaging the Park gear. The car rolled back, and I could hear the tell-tale clicking sound as it tried to hold.

My guess is that I've broken or bent something in the shift linkage. Any advice as to what the problem may be, and how to approach repairing it would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks very much,

Leo

 

Leo, glad to hear the VDP is up and running again.

Could be several issues here.

At first it would not come out of park. After some persuasion, it will not go back into park. Seems like your effort might have bent or stretched a part of the linkage.

It would be useful to know if now the shifter still works normally, other than in park. Is the red gear indicator correct?

The linkage and rotary switch (for the red indicator) are on the left side of the transmission but the car must be raised to inspect them.

Also, did you hear the shift interlock click (unlock) as you pressed the brake before shifting out of park for the first time?

 

Hi, and Thanks for responding.

The red P indicator is working. And I do hear a click when I step on the brake.

The shift lever seems to be OK in drive and reverse, and I can get the lever to go all the way to Park. It is just that is does not hold the car. It seems like it is not engaging all the way.

As it rolled back, I could hear it click, sort of like when you put a car in Park when it it still moving slightly.

Can the linkage be accessed from the console, or is it best to go from underneath?

I'm also curious why it would have been stuck in the first place. I've never had a problem with it, and it was fine when I drove it last summer.

Leo

 

Yes it's a bit of a mystery.I'd say you would probably need to check both under the console and at the trans. Maybe have a shop lift it up to get a good (easier) look underneath. See what you find and hopefully it's an easier external fix.

 

Do you know where I might find a diagram or pictures of what the cable, linkage, and shifter are supposed to look like?

I can't imagine that I could have broken anything internally. I did not use that much force, just steady pressure. Hoping I just streched the cable to the point where it can't get all the way into Park.

Anyway, thanks for your comments.

 

Sure Leo! Did you look in the stickies section for the X300/XJR. That's the main forum for the 6 cyl VDP. You will find parts and service manuals for download. You're sure to find diagrams there. Let us know what happens.

 

Sorry, I just realized earlier today this was posted in the wrong forum.

I have checked out the Download sections, but have had no luck being able to access or download any of the information.

I guess I am not as tech savvy as I used to be.

Sorry to bother you, and Thanks.