Advanced Stuck in Park

SuperSquidky

Member
Mar 3, 2020
19
2
Louisville
My 1997 Disco is stuck in park. I have tried all the normal fixes. Checked fuse, brake lights work, the solenoid is good and made sure the shift button is working. I even tried to pull the truck forward using the winch. Very frustrated. Any other suggestions on how to fix the issue would be great. Thank you in advance.
 

JUKE179r

Well-known member
Sep 14, 2016
761
95
Suffolkshire, UK
If It's like the Disco 2, make sure the automatic gear handle is fully pushed downward into the gear selector mechanism.
My friend's wife had her purse wrapped around the Disco 2 gear knob. When she was exiting, she yanked up her purse which was caught up on the gear knob raised it up about a 1/2 inch.
Man were out there for hours crawling around his truck with multimeters trying to find the fault. His wife finally told us what happened with her purse and the gear knob. My buddy smacked the top of the gear knob downward and then he was able to shift out of Park.
 

WaltNYC

Well-known member
Mar 3, 2010
707
135
NYC
This may help. I realize you said the button is working but perhaps not as well as it should.

 

SuperSquidky

Member
Mar 3, 2020
19
2
Louisville
I checked the shift lever knob and it works. I am also missing my clip. I can hear the solenoid click. So I do not think it is the swifter. I did put a new starter in the 1997 Disco and while the truck was on jacks I had to use the winch to unload another old car. The truck did move around while still in gear. Nothing terrible (less than a foot). Could this have caused an issue? What am I missing? I bet it is something simple.
 

rovercanus

Well-known member
Apr 24, 2004
9,643
244
I checked the shift lever knob and it works. I am also missing my clip. I can hear the solenoid click. So I do not think it is the swifter. I did put a new starter in the 1997 Disco and while the truck was on jacks I had to use the winch to unload another old car. The truck did move around while still in gear. Nothing terrible (less than a foot). Could this have caused an issue? What am I missing? I bet it is something simple.
If the solenoid is working and you did what you said, you have put such a load on the pawl that it won't move. You will have to pull like a sumbitch to get your shifter to move. Think of it like parking on a steep hill. You could also try to unload it by winching or pushing the car in the opposite direction of where you loaded it before. Good luck.
 

fishEH

Well-known member
Jan 26, 2009
6,927
201
Lake Villa, IL
Did you pull the shifter surround off and confirm there isn't a penny or Jolly Rancher preventing the selector from moving?
 

mearstrae

Well-known member
Mar 15, 2017
143
18
Pennsylvania
Take the shift selector cover off and pop out the interlock solenoid, and see what happens. It might narrow things down (and while in there look for that penny or Jolly rancher). If that works leave that silly PITA solenoid out.
 

Parrie

Active member
Mar 26, 2019
25
1
Maine
What Mearstrae says. I wouldn't advise trying to pull the truck while in park or pulling the shifter like a sumbitch...the parking pawl is fairly wimpy.
 

pdxrovermech

Well-known member
Jul 3, 2009
1,807
57
Portland, OR
WTF did you say you're missing the clip for you shift lever knob? Seems like that would be your answer. If not, it would be real easy to disconnect the cable from the side of the tranny, so that you could at least isolate the issue to the shifter and not the transmission. Oh just saw that you put a new starter in too, If you dont hook the ground back up its possible to melt the shift or parking brake cable.
 
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CBiDrive

Well-known member
Sep 20, 2007
108
22
Parker, CO
Check to see if your brake lights are working. If your brake switch at the pedal fails you will be stuck in park and your brake lights will not come on. Ask me how I know :rolleyes:
 

StangGT5

Well-known member
Feb 4, 2019
295
130
Atlanta, GA
WTF did you say you're missing the clip for you shift lever knob? Seems like that would be your answer. If not, it would be real easy to disconnect the cable from the side of the tranny, so that you could at least isolate the issue to the shifter and not the transmission. Oh just saw that you put a new starter in too, If you dont hook the ground back up its possible to melt the shift or parking brake cable.

A friend of mine sold a Jeep to a lady, who immediately took it to an auto parts store to have a new battery installed. She called my friend screaming that the Jeep had caught fire. The fire department showed up and found the e-brake cable engulfed in smoke because the battery had slid over (the parts place didn't reinstall the hold down) and welded itself to the body. If I recall they had stretched the cables across due to a mismatched battery too. She learned the hard way parts guys who can click a drop down menu are not the mechanical oracles they make themselves out to be.