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Transmission Won’t shift into park after engine stopped while driving.

1fast4door

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Hello all!

My wife and I have a 1970 Plymouth Satellite 4 door with a 383 Big Block and A727 transmission. We have been doing a lot of work and recently we replaced the fuel pump and fuel lines up to the carb and also replaced a freeze plug behind the starter. After all that we have been finally able to start the car and get it to run. Well we decided to take it for a drive around the parking lot in our apartment complex and while driving the car shut off and will not shift into park. The car won’t start either. It sounds as if the battery is dead which could be because we aren’t sure if the alternator is charging the battery or not but what doesn’t make sense is that the car was in drive as it shut off and now it doesn’t want to go into park. It’s as if it’s stuck in drive or neutral. Do you any of you have an idea were we should begin? I checked the shifter linkage and all that’s in place. It feels as if it shifts through all the gears. We do have a leak currently at the transmission pan because the gasket was crushed in which we plan on replacing soon. Any ideas would be much appreciated!

P
 
Does it go to the reverse position? And was the key still in the run position when trying to place it in park?
 
Sounds like a shifter issue to me.
Have someone sit in it with brake on and
bridge the junction box if it turns over it is
shifter.
Make sure you have someone inside holding the
brake if you do not want a close look at the trans
pan!
 
Does it go to the reverse position? And was the key still in the run position when trying to place it in park?
It will go through all the gears with the key in or out. When it happened I had foot on break and placed it in park as soon as engine stopped and then it just kept rolling. I flipped the key off then tried to start and it would crank but not start as if it didn’t have the power to turn over. But when we flip the key the fuel pump pops right on no problem.
 
Sounds like a shifter issue to me.
Have someone sit in it with brake on and
bridge the junction box if it turns over it is
shifter.
Make sure you have someone inside holding the
brake if you do not want a close look at the trans
pan!
I’ve taken apart the shifter and mind the rods going down and double checked the adjustment on them. I can even manually move the shifter lever at the trans and it feel like it moves through all the gears. This is with the car off. Could it be a pressure issue? Like I said the trans pan has a leak at the gasket and I’m not sure if that could cause an issue or not. We both are very new to learning how to work on cars so this whole thing has been a wonderful and frustrating learning experience lol
 
When it happened I had foot on break and placed it in park as soon as engine stopped and then it just kept rolling
It kept rolling because you were on a slope? As the engine was off already I guess you are referring to the fact it does not engage the park ratchet latch.
Is it a column shifter or console?
The manual lever on the trans requires to be in the furthest position backward, disconnect the linkage and push it backwards as far as you can.
It might not go in Park if the park ratchet is not lining up, you might have to roll the car a little to get it to engage which can be confirmed by the car is no longer able to roll as it is locked.
Once that is confirmed engaged you adjust and connect the lever mechanism with the selector lever (column or console) locked in park position.

Likely at the moment the trans is in Reverse instead of park, being the reason it is not starting.
If you flip the selector 1 notch it should be in Neutral and you would be able to start the car, assuming the Neutral safety switch is working as intended.
 
What Wietse said. I'm guessing you have a worn out plastic bushing on the gear shift linkages next to the transmission and the car is off a gear from what you think.

I had this issue once. Park was reverse. Reverse was neutral etc. And because you're not truly in park or neutral the neutral safety switch isn't letting the starter work.
 
Worse comes to worse, a fella could just disconnect the linkage at the transmission and manually put
the lever on the case into Park, right?
 
Before you do anything else. Disconnect the linkage at the trans itself. Move the arm attached to the trans into the park position. Does it lock in park? Yes? then its a linkage issue. (which I highly suspect since you also have a no crank issue). No? pull the pan. Is the rod going into the tail shaft housing attached to the valve body? No? E clip has falllen off. The valve body will need to be removed to reattach it. Yes? Then pull the tail shaft housing the pawl is most likely broken.
Doug
 
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