park ave 1991 ultra, gear shifter stuck in 1

[Marko S]

good day all,

2 weeks ago i picked up a barnfind buick, engine turned over and getting into gear was just fine.
After drying and stripping it in my workshop me and a friend just did a little check where i would go true al the gears and he would see and listen for anything.
But when i got down to the last one gear #1 it got stuck, and since then i cant get it up anymore it seems to be completely stuck in 1 now.
Somebody got an idea what it could be?

thanks in advance.

 

[2007LucerneCXL]

Check for a mechanical bind in the shifter mechanism, others may offer additional suggestions.

 

[BuickGirlFromMars]

I would pop the shifter cable off the lever, see if the column binds. You may have a column interlock issue. 1991 was the first year for a BTSI(brake to shift solenoid) and that could be the issue

You can also look under the column and see if something is binding or caught under it

 

[Marko S]

I would pop the shifter cable off the lever, see if the column binds. You may have a column interlock issue. 1991 was the first year for a BTSI(brake to shift solenoid) and that could be the issue

You can also look under the column and see if something is binding or caught under it

So we got this far for now, cable loods to be clear but if i understand you correct there is interlock inside right?
Im guessing we got to remove the Steering wheel for that right?

 

[BuickGirlFromMars]

So we got this far for now, cable loods to be clear but if i understand you correct there is interlock inside right?
Im guessing we got to remove the Steering wheel for that right?

1991 is the first year of the BTSI
its at the base of the steering column, the actual solenoid
it has a vacuum hose going near it pretty sure its not too far hidden or anything.


the interlock is unlikely inside but i could be wrong, the old style columns were not BTSI in 1990 but the colunms are fundamentally the same pretty much, so that means its likely only an external in my opinion at least

 

[2007LucerneCXL]

Look at #3 in the diagram, you should be able to remove it from the column and try moving it as mentioned it could possibly be a mechanical problem beyond the column, consider it another option to review.

 

[BuickGirlFromMars]

Look at #3 in the diagram, you should be able to remove it from the column and try moving it as mentioned it could possibly be a mechanical problem beyond the column, consider it another option to review.

aha i missed seeing you posted that. yes thats a helpful diagram

Wait, thats the shift tube. Oh i see what you mean. Yes, removing the shift cable from the column and see your problem persists on both sides. you could have a froze cable or you could have a column/btsi problem, so at the transmission you try and move the lever with the cable undone from the column at the column at then in the car you try and operate the lever as if you were to go for a drive, key on, brake pressed, move shifter.
you will know very quickly what it could possibly be to like 3-4 things at most

 

[2007LucerneCXL]

Unfortunately lots of moving parts so isolating the area to focus on would assist in troubleshooting. Some have posted that a nut has come loose on the shifter linkage while others have had a mechanical issue inside the transmission shifting mechanism.

Not discounting the column as a possible area but disconnecting the cable and trying can confirm on what the next step may be.