Shifting out of Park

[Ian5700]

In the morning, after the truck has sat overnight it is very hard to get it to shift out of park, the safety lever is stiff or something, no matter how hard you press the brake it doesn't want to disengage. It will disengage if you force it by pulling the shifter back and pressing really hard on the safety button.

It is a UK explorer, so it has the floor shifter. However throughout the day the problem does not exist, the safety lever disenages nice and easily. It just occurs the first start of the day.

What is the solution to this?

 

[gijoecam]

As a temporary workaround, turn the ignition to the unlock position (if the radio comes on, you went too far), shift to neutral, then start the vehicle. If that doesn't work, it's got to be a mechanical problem with the shifter, not the brake-shift interlock. If doing so allows you to pull it out of park, there's a problem with the brake-shift interlock.

Just another few thoughts: Is it parked on an incline? Does it only do that the first time of the day, or every time?

-Joe

 

[Ian5700]

It's not parked on an incline, perfectly flat. It seems to only happen when the vehicle has been left for a while, 7 hours, etc.

I have just tryed what you said, and it worked with the keyed turned in position 1 and well as normally starting it up in park, but then it hasn't been left for a long period, so.

Once you get it out and get going it is fine, you can put it into park at the lights and it shifts out perfectly.

I have tryed lubing the pole that goes in the transmission with no change, can you lube the shift interlock? I drive in through tons of mud, so anything underneath would have been covered with mud.

 

[gijoecam]

Unfortunately I have no clue where the shift interlock is on the RHD vehicles... I've never had the opportunity to crawl around one. If I had to guess, I'd guess it was somewhere around the base of the shifter, but that's pure speculation.

OK, another question for you: Is the problem that the button on the stalk won't press in, or that the lever won't move once the button is pressed?

-Joe

 

[Ian5700]

Button won't press in, once i get the button to press in it shifts fine.

I get the button to press in by pulling back on the selector and pushing the button hard, then a click and it pushes in.

 

[Ian5700]

An update on this, if i let the car idle (warm up when first started) for 3 minutes or so the problem doesn't really exist.

Could the transmission be low on fluid?