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Posted 27 December 2007 - 05:33 PM
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Hi. 1999 Chrysler 300M, (Mfg 10-98 in Canada), VIN:2C3HE66G8XH_ _ _ _ _, Autostick, 78,000 mi. Purchased used from dealership about 5 yrs ago with 50,000 on odo, car had been serviced extensively and gone over from bumper to bumper. Purchased extended warranty, but that has recently expired.
The shifter has always been stiff going from Park thru R, N, D, or into Autostick (once in Autostick, the shifter is very light and easy to move from side to side). Dealer said stiffness was "normal," which I found hard to believe. It is the stiffest stick I have ever found on a car.
However, it has recently gotten even more difficult to move, and now have problems even getting it into Park. When shifting into Park, the stick feels like it is meeting resistance in the last half inch of travel (yes, I'm holding the release button in with foot on the brake...) and just wants to bounce back. The box will not appear around the P symbol in the instrument panel, and have had to resort to shutting the engine off, jiggling the shifter or holding it against the resistance to get the ignition all the way off and key out of the slot, then setting the parking brake. On startup, have to go to N to start the car. In other words, looks like it will not go into P anymore without a great deal of trouble.
Has anyone had similar problems and are there lube points and/or linkage adjustments that can be worked over? What is the linkage setup from the shifter to the tranny, completely mechanical, cable, ???
Any suggestions appreciated. Would a Chilton's manual be of any use, or any website where I can get some diagrams, pictures, etc., of the shifter linkage? Thanks.
****UPDATE****UPDATE**** JAN 20, 2008
Took apart the shift console to see if there was anything binding or if the cable was bad, or could be lubed, etc. Spoke with a very knowledgable tranny shop and the guy thought it was just a bad cable. The cable goes fwd thru the firewall, past the engine, and then loops back down to the shifter linkage at the tranny, making a 180 degree change of direction in the process. The inner portion of the cable is also covered in some sort of nylon sheath, and the outer portion is also encased in an extra layer of material to shield it from the engine heat, but regardless, time and heat tend to put stresses on it. If the inner sheath gets damaged or starts bunching up inside, then the shifter is going to get progressively harder to move as the wear progesses.
Bottom line, took the car to the shop, they changed the cable, adjusted the shifter, and it is silky smooth and very easy to move. The cable was about $80 and shop labor was about 2 hours.
Incidentally, also checked recalls, etc. There was one on the shifter as mentioned by another poster, but it has to do with it not engaging or slipping out of Park, and had already been complied with.
As a side benefit, this shop uses AMSOIL Synthetic ATF (which meets Chrysler ATF +4 specs). The owner said he uses it to protect his work. I had previous experience with AMSOIL lubes, have used them for about 7 years in all my vehicles and equipment, so I had them R&R the filter and flush the tranny with fresh AMSOIL ATF. There was a noticeable improvement in the smoothness of shifting, and the AMSOIL ATF is guaranteed for 100,000 miles in normal service.
This post has been edited by 757Gearhead: 20 January 2008 - 01:27 AM
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