It sound like your problem is in the shift linkage. Most likely it is caused by a worn or missing bushing. With the car not running try grabbing the linkage from under the hood (where the steering colum passes through the firewall) and wiggle it. The linkage should not move more than 1 or 2mm, if it does follow it either up or down to where it is loose and replace the bushing. The other possibility is a worn Neutral safety switch (located on the transmission) it should have a 3 wire plug towards the rear of the trans. This switch can be bypassed for testing purposes with a jumper wire (I STRONGLY advise not to leave it bypassed as it is a safety feature and will allow the car to be started while in gear), you will need to figure out which wire is 12v and which one goes to the ignition and connect the jumper between them. If the car then starts your switch could be your problem and in need of replacement.
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Thursday, February 5th, 2009 AT 9:57 AM
