Gear indicator reading off from actual gear

J323B

MEMBER
2001 GMC JIMMY
201,000 MILES

This vehicle has a floor shifter, gear indicator shows off one gear from actual gear ie: when in neutral indicator shows drive and when in reverse indicator shows neutral. Truck will not shift into park unless you force shifter all the way forward which makes it hard to start truck. I was able to remove the shifter boot and manually release the lock to change gears but I am curious how to adjust so everything works properly or what need to be replaced to fix this problem. Thank you

Saturday, October 7th, 2017 AT 3:52 PM

1 Reply

STEVE W.

MECHANIC
15,233 POSTS

I would check the linkage lever on the side of the transmission. There is a bushing in that end of the cable that can wear and fall out and the shifter gets out of sync. If it's the top unit it isn't hard to replace. You pop the trim panel out of the console, remove the nuts from the studs, disconnect the shift cable and the shifter lifts out. Watch out for the cable end and the indicator light wiring. Once out you should be able to see what is causing the problem, either the shift gate plate or? That is in the way.

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