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C5 Shifter Drive Detent not working

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Old May 11, 2020 | 09:51 PM
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Default C5 Shifter Drive Detent not working

Hello all,

I'm fixing up a C5 to give to my father for father's day this year. Lots of little cosmetics to clean up and one particular driving irritation.

The automatic shifter **** detent in Drive is broken.

When I shift out of Park I pull straight down and it goes all the way to first gear. I can feel the gears very softly, but where the detent should click into Drive and stay there unless I push the button again, it does not.

Other functions work correctly, have to push the button to get it out of park, have to push the button again to go into Reverse and into Park, etc, just no detent in Drive.

Is there an easy fix for this?

Thanks,
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Old May 12, 2020 | 08:42 AM
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Moved to C5 Tech.
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Old May 12, 2020 | 07:21 PM
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Thanks.

Nobody? Can't find anything online about it, either. Are the shift detents in the shifter or in the tranny?
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Old May 13, 2020 | 07:27 PM
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The stops you are talking about are in the shifter assembly. It sounds like the shifter is worn out.
Time for a replacement.

Gary
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Old May 13, 2020 | 08:53 PM
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Thanks.

I was tinkering around with it today.

The shifter can be moved out of park or into any gear with the car off, the parking brake not depressed, or the button pushed because the shifter isn't connected to anything in that whole mechanism.

The key lock works - the locking mechanism won't unlock if the key isn't turned, BUT - the shifter isn't connected to the locking mechanism.

The brake pedal lock works - the locking mechanism won't unlock unless the brake pedal is depressed as well, BUT, again, the shifter isn't connected to that locking mechanism, either.

The button in the top of the shifter does not appear to be connected to anything and the linkage that looks like it's supposed to ride inside a plastic limiter is popped way up above the locking mechanisms or the channel where they all look like they should interconnect.

I have a replacement shifter inbound. It'll be interesting to take pictures of them side by side. Unfortunately the button portion of the assembly that you depress to take it in and out of gear does not appear to be a serviceable part. By anyone. If that button breaks I see no way to repair the entire assembly at all.

I'm not impressed by the change in design over the C4 shifter.

Last edited by LeeMajors; May 13, 2020 at 08:59 PM.
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Old May 13, 2020 | 10:51 PM
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The **** is removeable - there is a clip to depress. If you google it, you will find out how to remove it. I believe the button has 4 tabs and if you are careful you can get it out.
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Old May 14, 2020 | 12:10 AM
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I got the button out.

The issue is I can't get the **** off to see what it's connected to.

I'll hunt the video, thanks,
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Old May 14, 2020 | 04:56 PM
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Found the video. Went out to mess with it today and they had the car on the frame rack straightening the front tweak. I only paid $3,800 for the car and it runs and drives fine, just have to fix the front end stuff and the misc safety items and ugly stuff.

By the looks of it they were neglecting it a bit, needs a lot of little stuff. Need to find the panels to the left of the steering wheel BEHIND the kick panel that the kick panel bolts to. Whatever plastic is behind it that the spring clip goes into is completely missing.

Here's the video, shows the little c-clip from the FRONT of the bottom of the shifter ****. Hadn't thought to look there.

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Old May 24, 2020 | 10:51 PM
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OK, I found my problem.

I ordered a replacement shifter and started looking at them side by side. There is a silver cross-bar (aluminum) that connects the bottom of your shifter **** arm to the lockout plastic piece on the left and the shifter slider on the right so they can all move as one assembly.

Someone has removed the one on mine. The one in the replacement is in there HARD, can't even budge it, so I'm assuming it was done deliberately, possibly for racing purposes, who the heck knows.

I'm going to 3D print one on the Mark Forged to see if I can fix the one that's still in the car so I don't have to waste a bunch of time fooling with a shifter replacement. I'll upload some pictures in a bit.
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Old May 26, 2020 | 09:27 PM
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Update pictures on metal rod that sits at the bottom of the automatic shifter button. The button pushes this rod down and it engages the plastics left and right that are part of the shift lockout and such. These are from an intact shifter I bought in case I can't fix this one.

How they got it out is a mystery.

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