Stuck in gear
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Joined: Apr 2021
Posts: 19
Stuck in gear
I just want to start off by saying I'm not super knowledge about cars, but I recently bought my deceased father's 1969 olds 442 that's on a cutlass body from my mother. It runs and I had it transported from NJ to MD and I'm in the process of getting it to a mechanic to see what it needs.
Long story short the car was able to go into reverse to get off the truck and went into gear fine for the quarter of a mile trip home and didn't have an issues with the drive. The next day I went to take it out and it seems like it is stuck in gear. The floor selector moves to the different positions as if it where changing gears, but the car will only move forward even when it's supposed to be in park or reverse. When I do drive it it seems like it just stays in a low gear. I only drove it around my development so didn't go over 20 mph.
Any idea of what might be going on?
Long story short the car was able to go into reverse to get off the truck and went into gear fine for the quarter of a mile trip home and didn't have an issues with the drive. The next day I went to take it out and it seems like it is stuck in gear. The floor selector moves to the different positions as if it where changing gears, but the car will only move forward even when it's supposed to be in park or reverse. When I do drive it it seems like it just stays in a low gear. I only drove it around my development so didn't go over 20 mph.
Any idea of what might be going on?
Registered User
Joined: May 2011
Posts: 149
From: Hunt County, TX
I assume you have an automatic transmission. I would think that the shifter cable is broken or has become disconnected from the transmission.
Here is something to try, if your car still has the linkage that locks the trans in park when the key is in OFF you can turn the portion of the column that is between the dash and the turn signal lever. If you can turn it and feel detents you will be changing gears at the transmission. Turned all the way to the left is park, then 1 click to the right is reverse then neutral, then drive. The sleeve on the column moves just like your car has a column shift. I had to do this once many years ago to a 70 GTO. If the transmission lock linkage was removed this will not work.
Here is something to try, if your car still has the linkage that locks the trans in park when the key is in OFF you can turn the portion of the column that is between the dash and the turn signal lever. If you can turn it and feel detents you will be changing gears at the transmission. Turned all the way to the left is park, then 1 click to the right is reverse then neutral, then drive. The sleeve on the column moves just like your car has a column shift. I had to do this once many years ago to a 70 GTO. If the transmission lock linkage was removed this will not work.
Last edited by danktx; Apr 18, 2021 at 11:21 AM.
Thread Starter
Registered User
Joined: Apr 2021
Posts: 19
I assume you have an automatic transmission. I would think that the shifter cable is broken or has become disconnected from the transmission.
Here is something to try, if your car still has the linkage that locks the trans in park when the key is in OFF you can turn the portion of the column that is between the dash and the turn signal lever. If you can turn it and feel detents you will be changing gears at the transmission. Turned all the way to the left is park, then 1 click to the right is reverse then neutral, then drive. The sleeve on the column moves just like your car has a column shift. I had to do this once many years ago to a 70 GTO. If the transmission lock linkage was removed this will not work.
Here is something to try, if your car still has the linkage that locks the trans in park when the key is in OFF you can turn the portion of the column that is between the dash and the turn signal lever. If you can turn it and feel detents you will be changing gears at the transmission. Turned all the way to the left is park, then 1 click to the right is reverse then neutral, then drive. The sleeve on the column moves just like your car has a column shift. I had to do this once many years ago to a 70 GTO. If the transmission lock linkage was removed this will not work.
Registered User
Joined: May 2011
Posts: 149
From: Hunt County, TX
When I had the problem with the GTO, I had broken the ground strap between the engine and body so the shift cable was functioning as a ground strap and it melted the plastic in the shift cable and jammed it up. Make sure you check a ground is connected or add a ground strap between the body and engine to prevent the cable from causing problems in the future. Good luck with your car.
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