I have searched this forum for a similar situation as mine and cannot find one. As i was installing a new radio unit into my 2005 C6 with Auto trans I knocked into the shifter and forcefully moved it out of the parked position. Very stupid of me I know. Now my Vette will display "shift to park" as I turn it on and will not respond to any movement of the shifter. It is not the switches for the solenoid, I tried that first. Is this a linkage replacement problem or a whole shifter assembly? Has anyone ran into this before??

 

Because Of the shifter cable problem,and a forced movement of shifter. I would think it's in gear and shift cable broken.

 

Been there, done that, with this same A4 transmission except in our 2001 Coupe. Fortunately it was stuck in neutral and not in gear. But it still wouldn't start because it was not in "Park".

 

Although different models and auto transmissions, I had a similar DIC message appear on my 2013 GS. I found that the trigger (button on your shifter) popped out of place and was not pushing down on the rod that runs through the shifter shaft. That rod pushes on a lever that then engages the 2nd micro-switch in the shifter body that tells the cars ECM that the car is in Park, thus the (shift to park message). The shifter has two micro-switches, one that releases the park pawl when you try to start the car and the 2nd that tells the ECM the car is in "Park".

Worth checking this out...Good luck...GD

 

2005 A4 trans has trans position sensor by the shifter shaft on the trans, not in the trans like the A6's.

So when shifter cable is not adjusted correctly,( or grommet is wearing out) will cause problems with trans position sensor not showing trans in park.


And don't confuse it as the micro switch in the shifter assembly, that when car is started/you have our foot on the brake pedal/shifter in park, will energize release solenoid so you can take the shifter out of park.

 

On my 07 it was the left micro switch. Needs adjusted or replaced.

 

The micro-switch #2 that I speak of is circled in red on @Dano523 picture. This one is engaged by the shifter shaft rod that tells the ECM the shifter is in "Park" and therefore eliminates the "Shift To Park" DIC message.

GD

 

Not on the 2005 A4, and the switch that tells BCM if trans is in park, neutral, or forward gears, is down on the side of the trans at the trans shaft lever that end of cable.

So what you have on both sides of the shift cable is grommets that connects to the shift and trans lever shaft, that can start to wear out.




When the shifter end grommets start to wear out, then shifter assembly in car, is not shifting the trans lever via the other end of the cable down at the trans (and trans position sensor down at the shaft as well) not far enough to switch the position sensor from neutral, into park position, and why BCM sees trans not in park.

So you start with replacing the shifter cable grommets both ends, leave the end of cable adjuster open, put shifter in to drive, click trans lever into the drive position, then snap cable adjuster closed to that length, and so long as trans position sensor is fine at trans shaft, all should be right with the world.

If push came to shove, and before you replace the cable grommets both end, could un-click the cable adjuster to put lever in park, make sure trans lever is in the park postion, lock tthe cable to that lenght, and should at least solve the park problem of car not shutting down (and allow you to check the trans position sensor to make sure it working as well/does not need to be replace/pulled apart to be cleaned), but with the slop in the cable between the two end via worn grommets, going to get funky when you go to shift the trans lever in the car, into other positions.

Also, may be easier to just get car up on lift, move the trans shift lever all the way into the park posistion to move PNP sensor into park that the cable is not pulling it all the way, and if can will now shut down since PNP is telling TCM and BCM that trans is in park, then while car is up, go to town on changing out the cable grommets, and don't forget to readjjust the shifter cable with shifter in park, and trans in park in the end.


On the A6 trans, did way with the external trans position sensor (PNP), and now it has a micro switch up in the shifter, as well as the TCM in the trans, that is telling the BCM when the trans is in part.
Note, on A4 trans, TCM is not in the trans, but rather tucked away behind the ECM in the front passenger fender.

So, either cable grommets are shot and your about to lose trans shifting all together when one of the grommets pops off, the trans range switch (PNP) is bad itself, or when radio what being installed, somehow they screw up the wiring for the trans range switch (PNP), that goes to the TCM So PNP black wire of PNP, goes to ground G402 , and the rest of the wires out off it going directly to TCM..
G402 is #2, and maybe screws up that ground connection when installing say a back up camera switch off the back up lights in the rear of the car.


Or just manhandle the shifter when they where installing radio, to really do the cable grommets in instead.
Hence kind of going with this one as a last thought, and when you get under the car to put the trans shift lever into park fully, puts the PNP into park position fully, and you can now shut the car off, will be going at the grommets to replace them, and reindexing the shifter cable length for drive/drive position between trans lever an shifter positions.

 

@Dano523 Good to know more about the anomalies and the differences between the one-off 2005 and all other C6 Corvettes. So the PIC that you posted is generic and not necessarily for the 2005 A4? I ask, because if it also has a second micro-switch, what is the purpose for that switch on this model? Always good to learn more about these cars as they are aging and we will see more and more of these type questions in the C6 forum.

Thanks for your clarification...GD

 

Thank you! I believe I have the issue figured out and will update once she is back up and running!

 

Thank you! My mechanic buddy and myself have dialed the issue in to hopefully being the shift linkage cable either being broken at the transmission connection or stretched to the point it is inoperable. The linkage cable came in yesterday and hopefully in the next few days she will be up and running. We re-built the shifter assembly and made sure all of the sensor switches worked, so I am fairly confident it is at the transmission sensor/connection.