Another sticky shifter post (1 Viewer)

[mftrnr]

Hello! I know this has been posted about before but looking through the search results I only found some older threads without any real fixes. With some time passed, figured I would see if this is something someone has remedied.

I have a new to me 2008 Land Cruiser, I bought it, drove it for a few days and had to wait for plates/reg to come in the mail from another state. After it sat for almost a month the shifter is really hard to shift and it feels like it is binding up. I went to park it and it wasn't even making it into park, it would shut off but the dash said to engage the transmission into [P]. When I let off the brake, engine off it even rolled and had a terrible noise like it was rolling in park (maybe not fully engaged?). I was able to move the shifter into neutral and get the engage back on, but even getting into reserve was tricky, I had to kind of play with it to get it to engage. Very strange.

Before I parked it I had cleaned the inside, it was pretty dirty so I was worried I pushed some crap down into it but it still isn't adding up in my mind.

I was so excited to finally get to drive my new LC, but this is putting a damper on it. Any help is much appreciated!

Mark

 

[linuxgod]

The Transmission Floor shift Assembly (aka "the shifter") moves a rod to change the gear. I'm not an expert but I'd start by checking the nut that attaches that rod to the transmission as well as to make sure the rod isn't bent or something. I've heard a few people say they've had trouble getting out of park or in my case have seen the shifter "jump" a bit when in Park so I'm curious what your root cause is.

Side note: your error saying to shift to Park... I got the same issue in my wife's Mini cooper, even though it was in Park and the vehicle wouldn't roll. We ended up having to dismantle the shifter and replace a tiny spring in there. ($10 plus 90 minutes of labor vs the $2100 the dealer wanted to replace the whole shifter). I don't think it's an identical design or problem, but I feel your pain.

 

[linuxgod]

Check this clip and pin underneath the truck which connects the shifter to the trans and make sure it's secure...

 

[mftrnr]

Thank you both for the info and diagrams. So I did disconnect the shifting rod in the post from linuxgod, and the shifter in the cab moves freely, so I'm no longer suspicious that its gummed up or dirty. But that makes me nervous that it's something in the trans... not feeling very optimistic at this point.

 

[mftrnr]

Hah sorry just looked back and noticed one person posted both, thanks. I'm just feeling a little flustered. Can I not edit my posts to fix? I'm getting my ass kicked by everything right now, hah.

 

[doru]

Posts are editable.
Edit:
Just use the... to get to the edit option.

 

[linuxgod]

I’m not an expert but I’d suspect a slightly bent shifter linkage binding up over a problem inside the trans. I checked the FSM briefly but didn’t see any troubleshooting for stuff or misaligned shifter issues. I wonder if the shifter rods are easily sourced and swapping them might resolve the issue. I suspect they’re fairly cheap if you can find the part #s on partsouq.com

 

[customcruiser]

I get the same issue when it rains -- couple days after it's hard to move the lever but it goes away less than a week

 

[mftrnr]

Posts are editable.
Edit:
Just use the... to get to the edit option.

I don't see that, and I have been a long time forum user. I know some forums limit new users (I only have a couple psots) but editing seems like a weird thing to restrict.

edit: The edit feature did just appear, maybe it is only available after a handful of posts?? too funny, but it is there now.

 

[mftrnr]

I get the same issue when it rains -- couple days after it's hard to move the lever but it goes away less than a week

That is so weird, I've come across similar stories searching... how can this be? I'm so hesitant to be what feels like forcing the shifter on my new to me LC.

 

[mftrnr]

I’m not an expert but I’d suspect a slightly bent shifter linkage binding up over a problem inside the trans. I checked the FSM briefly but didn’t see any troubleshooting for stuff or misaligned shifter issues. I wonder if the shifter rods are easily sourced and swapping them might resolve the issue. I suspect they’re fairly cheap if you can find the part #s on partsouq.com

Yeah that's not a bad idea, it appears the rod is available for not that much. The shift lever coming off the trans was fairly stiff moving it when it was disconnected from the linkage but I have nothing to compare it to, after the leverage of the shifter linkages maybe it was normal.

 

[linuxgod]

I’d look closely at the transmission mount as well. Seems possible it could be worn and the transmission has moved slightly… maybe not enough to affect drivability but enough that the shift rod no longer lines up.

 

[GordJ]

We went on a little trip and the LX sat outside for three weeks in cold, wet weather and when I got back I had a sticky shifter. My solution was to drive it and, sure enough, it loosened up. It could be that yours just needs a little exercise.

 

[bloc]

The most plausible explanation I’ve seen of this was corrosion where the internal transmission rod goes through the shift selector switch on the side of the transmission. This switch tells the ECU/TCU what gear you’ve selected. And apparently getting the nut off and switch out to replace is often very difficult due to the corrosion.

Not sure this is it but may give you some stuff to research online.. tundras have the same transmission so this issue should be shared.

 

[mftrnr]

Thanks everybody the for inputs, I drove it a bit today and I can't say definitively but I think it was a little better after putting it through the motions a handful of times. It is still strange to me this is something experienced in these vehicles, but hopefully it means it isn't too detrimental to experience it.

This all makes me lean towards blocs suggesting that it may be corrosion on the parts near the trans.

So if anybody in the future is searching, here is another thread without definitive answers.

 

[pvchaitanya]

My shifter also feeds heavy and sluggish. And it’s right after rain and fog. Not sure if there is a correlation. Will open up covers to see if there is any build up. It feels like if the shifting channel is filled up with heavy weight grease.
It happened before when I left the truck for 3 weeks untouched and got normal after an hour drive.