Expert: Roland Finston - 1/5/2012

Question
QUESTION: Hi Roland,

I had a problem with my 2000 Concord not being able to shift all the way into park. It felt like the cable or linkage was binding, in that it was getting progressively harder to move the shift lever. Finally, it wouldn't go into park at all. I followed the shift cable adjustment procedure you described in response to a similar problem dated 1/6/2007. However, now I can't get the shifter to move at all, and the steering wheel is not locking up as it should. Is there any suggestion you can give me that might help this problem? Is there a safety switch on the brake that might not be allowing it to shift? Could this be a more serious transmission problem?

ANSWER: Hi Tim,
I have the '98 and '99 manuals, but not the '00. I would believe those apply to your car but can't be certain. The '04 manual does show the presence of the brake pedal solenoid system but that is not likely to be on the '00. But it does sound like you have an issue with the steering column and the gear shift mechanism. Is this a floor shift or a column shift set-up?
My thought would be to xerox copy and postal mail you the pages that are applicable to whichever set up you have. It costs me 10 cents per side plus the postage. I could do the copying and mailing first and then when you receive them you could send me back the costs via 44-cent stamps. I will let you know the number of pages involved when you tell me the set-up and your postal mailing address.
Roland

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Roland,

Thanks for your quick reply. My shifter is on the floor, not the column. There is the main cable that goes to the transmission, then another wire cable that I believe goes to the steering column lock mechanism. Does the stiffness in the shifter, and the inability to get it into park lead you believe the problem is with the shifter linkage, or could it be a transmission problem? Other than the shifter lever being somewhat difficult to move, it didn't have any problems shifting when it was running. Should I post my mailing address to this site, or is there a more secure way to do it that won't put it out there to the rest of the world. Thanks again for your help, and I will certainly give you a high rating in the evaluation.

Tim

Answer
Hi Tim,
You could disconnect the cable at the vertical shift lever on the transmission proper and try rotating that through its range of motion to answer the possibility of aa issue there. Absent that, I would focus on the two cables in the cabin.
You can ask a NEW question, check the box to make it PRIVATE, and then tell me the address. No one will see it other than Allexperts site management and me.
Roland