tsassman

Got into my car yesterday and started the car and when I shifted into reverse nothing happened. It's like something is disconnected. It will shift into all the gears but the transmission doesn't engage. By the way it's an automatic. It is parked on an decline parking spot downtown in front of my gym. Any suggestions? Thanks

AzMotorhead

Sounds like a broken shift cable. If you are not a DIY'r its a flatbed to the repair shop.
If you do DIY. remove the console and shifter and look down the hole and see if the plastic cable end has broken

tsassman

Will try that. If I do have to have it towed the transmission is probably stuck in park. It will have to be pulled onto tow truck backwards since it is in front of a business. Any issues with pulling it onto truck with the back wheels locked in park?

HOXXOH

If you can lift the back, you can manually shift it if the cable is broken or just disconnect the cable. IIRC a 13mm combo wrench will remove the nut holding the lever in place and then you'd need pliers or a crescent to shift it.

I'd personally want to wet down the path with soapy water before dragging it while stuck in park.

tsassman

Pulled console and gained access to shifter assembly. Found shifter disconnected from linkage that engages transmission. Looks like bushing came apart. Was able to engage gears by grabbing linkage rod to shift to reverse then to drive to get it home. It looks like an easy fix to replace the bushing(will have to order it from Autozone), but I have yet to figure out how to reconnect the gear shift back to the linkage since there it not room enough.

EVRose

I'm reading about this problem a lot lately. I'm starting to think I should replace that bushing on mine now before it breaks somewhere away from home.

tsassman

Here are some pics I just took with the gear shift disconnected from transmission linkage showing bad bushing.

tsassman

I just have no idea how to reinstall it once I put the new bushing on since there is no room for my hand down there. I might just opt to take it to the dealer to have them reinstall the connection and then I will hook everything else up myself to save $.

RICH 28

My bushing broke three days ago just like yours, only it happened at a gas station and it was stuck in the park position. I could not push it, so I removed the console and shifter right there, at the pump. I reached down and pulled on the cable linkage to get it in drive to go home.

So yesterday I put a new bushing on, but I broke the cable. I lifted it too high and it snapped. I'm going to order a new cable tomorrow. I will be more careful this time.

tsassman

That is precisely why I'm probably going to let the dealer install the new bushing and hook the linkage back up. Ordered the bushing pack today. Should be in Wednesday.

AzMotorhead

Rich28 That job sucks. You'll have to drop the center exhaust and remove the tunnel plate. BTDT.
Tassman you can do it but you MUST disconnect the shifter cable from its bracket at the forward end or you'll suffer the same fate as Rich28.
If the deaer tells you they have to drop the tunnel plate to hook it up that's BS.
There is no better access from underneath than there is from the topside. Manual states that connection is made from up top

GOLD72

Before you go to dig out the remainder of the old plastic grommet and snap the new grommet in place at the forward cable eyelet, do yourself a favor by shifting the rear tranny housing shift lever all the way counterclockwise forward to push the shift cable as far as it will go forward into the console tunnel. Hopefully that will give you enough room and some ability to bend the cable to work. After the new grommet is in place, you will have to go back to the rear tranny and clockwise rotate the tranny to Neutral and retract the cable from inside the tunnel to better align the shifter pin position to the forward cable end. Use one side of the tunnel as leverage to snap the cable end back onto the shifter lever pin. Use silicon spray to help. You may have to adjust the shifter module gear position and shift cable position inside the tunnel so that the shifter module will sit back down on the console floor evenly without stressing the cable underneath. Once aligned properly, the module will sit down correctly and allow the four 10mm nuts to be reinstalled.

GOLD72

Notice that half of the old grommet is still left in the cable end eyelet. All of that old grommet has to be pulled or cut out of there or you will never get the new grommet to properly seat and be retained in the eyelet. Sharp knife, small blade screwdriver, or hooked icepick are tools you might use to get the old grommet half out of there.

GOLD72

I remember that there are a couple of what looks like fuel system lines running thru that space. I was thinking at the time that trying to reach the bottom of the shifter from underneath the car would really be difficult with my big hands with those two lines blocking access.

GOLD72

I would suggest you electrically disconnect the shifter module and completely remove it from the car. That will give more room to fix the cable end. Then when you are ready to reinstall the shifter module, sit in the passenger seat and work from the right side of the car and the right side of the shifter module to reinstall the cable end to the shifter lever bottom pin. Use the tunnel side as leverage in pushing the grommet onto the pin. You can do it. I did last December on my 07 A6.

tsassman

Today I took it to my local Chevy dealer to get some advice on how to connect the two back together once I install the new grommet. The Service Adviser came out and sat in the drivers seat and said this it how you do it. He was about the pull the transmission linkage up(the part with the partial grommet still in it) when I told him to be careful because the info from this forum says it's very easy the break the cable. Well guess what he pulled it up and I didn't hear anything snap as I was outside the car but I said wow that is how you reconnect it back together. However when he got out and I tried to shift the car in any gear the linkage was completed loose. He broke the cable when he pulled it up. He tried to act like he didn't do it so I called the Service Manager and he immediately apologized and told me that the Service Adviser has been told never to touch anything on any car(only certified mechanics are allowed) and that he would replace the cable and installed everything back for free. By the way the mechanic there quoted a price for that if I had to pay for it would have been around $700. Cudos for a great Service Manager for his integrity and service ethics. By the way it's Don Davis Chevrolet in Bay City, Texas. Another great thing about their service there is when I have my oil changed I bring them the oil and filter and they charge me $12.00 labor.

RICH 28

Wow, talk about lucky. Buy yourself a lottery ticket.

GOLD72

Your lucky day!!!!! The SA was ignorant. Shop manual warns several times to be very careful as the cable is not very flexible and can be easily broke if lifted too much.

tsassman

Thanks to everyone for their input. Especially the great you tube video on how to carefully remove the console. I wouldn't of had a clue how to do that without breaking something.

AzMotorhead

Glad you got it fixed, Now if service advisors would only listen to their customers
Good to hear that the SM was on your side