Stuck in Park -- shift lock button won't work either!

[abscate]

You need to get a helper to try and shift while you go the front and see if the linkage is binding. You might need to disconnect the linkage to see this.

I dont have an AT of this vintage so I dont have a lot to add.

[plumsmooth]

Here's a Picture see that yellowish looking section of the mechanism -- similar color to the solenoid... IT looks like the solenoid moves out of the way (or shift lock does the same thing) and it is supposed to go down but it slightly moves up when I press on the rod (without the shifter in place)... Should I stick a screwdriver in there?

[plumsmooth]

Problems from parking on an incline

The park system is simple and robust, but problems can occur. One such problem is a shifter that will not come out of the park position. The most common cause is the brake/shift interlock, discussed in the next section. Another cause is too much force applied by the park gear.

Parking on an incline can cause the parking mechanism to stick

Parking on an incline may cause our shifter to stick in the park position. If we release our brakes, after we shift into park position, the vehicle may roll. This places the weight of the vehicle on the parking gear and pawl. With too much load on the system, we cannot shift from the park position.

When parking on an incline, we first firmly apply the parking brake. Before shifting to park, we take our foot off the brake pedal and make sure the vehicle does not roll. With the vehicle weight held by the parking brake, we shift into the park position. With this method, the parking brake holds the weight of the vehicle and not the park pawl and gear. We can easily move our shifter out of park position.

If the shifter will not come out of park position, due to the vehicle rolling, we need to push it slightly, to relieve the pressure. Moving the vehicle uphill takes the weight off the transmission. If the incline is slight, we may move it by hand. Be sure to apply the brakes firmly, before taking it out of the park position. On larger inclines, we may need a wrecker or push-vehicle. Only a few inches will normally relieve the pressure.

[plumsmooth]

So seeing this (read above), even though technically my park job was pretty close to flat. The air having come out of my back tires. Does the air come more out of tires exposed to the Sun? And I might have been on like a 1/2 degree incline. This led me to consider that I had slipped back enough to be leaving the Parking Link -- or whatever it is -- too tight to let the shifter pull the cable.

So I not particularly strong 205 pound Man. Now that there is sufficient air in my tires, I bounced on the back of the car for a minute. Then I got in and thought how is this thing going to run without the console but then I examined the console windows and that one switch for sport winter economy etc...

So I started the Car and pushed on the rod a few more times and guess what. It released! And honestly the grease in and around it seems enough but maybe I should spray some silicone in there too? Somewhere if any one has any ideas Where to? And amazingly my brain kicked in and said: You better drive this thing 3 feet you idiot so I did. And now it seems FREE. However I am really not in the mood to put it back together right now my back hurts I might play guitar instead. BTW, the shift rod as I am officially naming it is now sitting a bit higher up then before.

I might raise the price to 750. Actually I wish I lived on a bigger piece of property I wouldn't hesitate to get a windshield and get this thing inspected and keep it. I have an emotional attachment to it -- not only because it was a graduation gift at 36 getting my first degree (thanks Mom). But what I went through with it after my Mechanic inadvertently led me to learn about and perform a PCV system change on this all by myself thanks to Matthew's Volvos Forum. I'll never forget the day I was about to give up and realized the bottom bolt of the manifold cover was either horizontal or vertical and I had been feeling around down there for like 3 hours off and on. Who knows maybe I'll keep the car..

Anyway sorry I digress. You can see why I do not get anything done with my life... Hey I might as well change the Shifter Bulb which btw is one of those thing that fixed itself a few years ago. You guys know how un-often something just starts working gain and stays working... P.S> It would have been helpful if I could have figured out how to get that stupid ash tray out of there but it would only come forward then dangle 'more' in the way... And I wish they would design these consoles to have different size screws? I'm lucky I was able to rig up my mini socket wrench with a 1/4 socket going to a GRK t25 bit. I only lost 2 of them in the console trying to get it off. Hey guys that wasn't the shifter bulb next to the cigarette lighter 12volt was it? I haven't yet made a visual on any other bulbs in there. IF I was to keep this car I build make my own new rustic console out of Luan or something.