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Locked in Park

3K views 13 replies 10 participants last post by  Owen R 
#1 ·
Ok I get in my 96 vette and start it up. Mash the Brakes and push the button down on shift lever to get it out of park, But it will not unlock. Its getting where it happen every time I get in the car. Anybody else had this problem. If so what should I look at first.
 
#2 ·
It is the brake interlock solenoid. This happens to a lot of us and the only fix is to remove the cover and then take the solenoid off. There are no replacement parts available, so just unplug the solenoid and pop it off and then throw it away. Everything else will still work just fine, only you won't need to step on the brakes in order to depress the button. The solenoid looks like this:

 
#4 ·
Thanks for this info Andy(And picture!!). Though mine is not defective, I learned something new and will remember this for a future reference :thumbsup3: :cheers:
 
#3 · (Edited)
Bravo!! I've had my '96 for three days now. Went out to take the wife to church Sunday and couldn't get out of park. "Way to go" she said, "you sure know how to buy 'em". However, since it works most of the time, the solenoid should still be good. I think an examination of the solenoid armature and a little grease will solve the problem.
 
#6 ·
Ah I see, part of making cars safer along the years.
 
#11 · (Edited)
Thanks

QUOTE=95vette;571670]It is the brake interlock solenoid. This happens to a lot of us and the only fix is to remove the cover and then take the solenoid off. There are no replacement parts available, so just unplug the solenoid and pop it off and then throw it away. Everything else will still work just fine, only you won't need to step on the brakes in order to depress the button. [/QUOTE]


:thumbsup3:[:thumbsup3:[:thumbsup3:[
Thanks thats going to save me a lot of time. No Kids in the house any more and most time it's just me in the car. I think I can put it in gear with out hitting anything.

I am all for safety but sometimes I think they take it too far. One day the Goverment is going to deside that cars themself are not safe and deside we need to be protected from ourself.
We all have to take the BUS.:pigsfly::pigsfly::pigsfly::z1-2:
 
#13 ·
Both the owners manual and the FSM have something to say about this, and it's not about the solenoid. They say that the parking pawl in the trans can become jammed if you park on a hill without using the parking brake. In extreme cases they say you may need a PUSH to free up the pawl. It's indexed under "shifting out of park" in the owners manual.

So the solenoid might be your problem, but not necessarily so.
 
#14 · (Edited)
I am having the same problem. I have an '85 Vette and my shift button will not depress. I opened the whole center console and there is absolutely no brake interlock solenoid. I don't know if this has already been removed with a previous owner or what. I attempt to depress the button and watch the mechanism and it looks like this part isn't working as it should, any ideas?
Tire Wheel Automotive tire Motor vehicle Crankset
 

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