1983oldsmobiledelta

how does a 1980s cutlass floor shifter work it just slides form R to D and form 1 to 2 to D i ant even got push the side button to make it do that but i ant got it put on yet cas im not sure if it works cas it slides around like that thats all i know bout it it has P,R,N,D,1,2 if that helps any help thanks

fdwheelman

???

Not sure I understand the question...

I can tell you, you'll need the button.

BlackGold

Normally I don't even read, let alone answer posts without punctuation and upper-case letters, but I guess I'm in a good mood.

There is a nylon (?) shaft inside the chromed shifter rod. When you push on the button on the handle, it pushes that nylon shaft down, which then allows the shifter to move past the locked detents. If your shifter moves without ever hitting the locked detents -- without ever pushing the button -- that simply means that the nylon shaft is stuck in the down position. You don't need the button if it's stuck like that. I drove an '85 442 like that for 7 years. In fact, I replaced the T-handle with a wooden ball, because the plastic handles kept breaking. I wouldn't mess with it, unless you're worried about knocking it into reverse while driving down the highway.