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Shifter won't shift out of park 04 DTS


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Hello,

I just bought a 2004 DTS and every once in a great while the shifter won't go out of park and I have to use the manual orange button to shift it out. I did a little research and it looks like some others have had this issue. It requires the shift interlock solenoid to be replaced, but you can't just buy the solenoid and you have to replace the entire shifter assembly. Is this correct?

I haven't done any testing except for I know the brake lights work and I can hear the click when I push on the brake.

Is it difficult to replace the shifter assembly? Any tips on doing it?

Thanks!

-Dusty-

2006 Cadillac DTS Glacier Gold Tri-Coat with 175,000 miles

1993 Cadillac Sixty Special Gold Mist with 185,000 miles

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....I can hear the click when I push on the brake.

As the car is new to you, there is no way you can know what sort of nasty fluids have been spilled and found their way into the shift lock mechanism.

If it was my car, I would pull the shift knob off and remove the trim panel to inspect and clean the shift lock mechanism.

It might help the cleaning process to remove the vertical carpeted panel on the LH side of the console.

Jim

Drive your car.

Use your cell phone.

CHOOSE ONE !

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I think that's a good plan, Jim. It happened again to me this morning and I could hear it clicking in the shifting mechanism so I kept tapping the brake to activate it and it eventually went.

That would make sense that something sticky is causing it to engage slower when the vehicle hasn't been shifted yet for the day.

-Dusty-

2006 Cadillac DTS Glacier Gold Tri-Coat with 175,000 miles

1993 Cadillac Sixty Special Gold Mist with 185,000 miles

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I agree....it would be worth checking to see if a Coke got spilled into the shifter assembly.

I think the shifter unit is replaced as a complete unit. They use to be pretty hard to find. The trans selector cable is available by itself.

To get the shifter handle off. You have to very quickly yank the shifter knob straight up while the car is in neutral. Kind of brutal to do..it kind of snaps on with no retainer C clip used (like the older cars have)

Somewhere, I have some real pics of the shifter assembly workings.

post-2-0-41631600-1371224439_thumb.jpg

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Just to be certain you understand, the shift lock pin prevents the shifter from moving left to right.

This is "sort of" what it looks like under there.

th_img006_zpsc7833632.jpg

Jim

Drive your car.

Use your cell phone.

CHOOSE ONE !

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Just to be certain you understand, the shift lock pin prevents the shifter from moving left to right.

This is "sort of" what it looks like under there.

th_img006_zpsc7833632.jpg

Jim

Drive your car.

Use your cell phone.

CHOOSE ONE !

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Happened to a buddy of mines 2000 dts. There's a little piece of metal that magnetically moves out of the way when you hit the brake and it can go bad apparently. I taped it so it was always pressed in until he got in a unit from a salvage yard. He used car-part.com

* 1966 Deville Convertible

* 2007 Escalade ESV Black on Black

* 1996 Fleetwood Brougham Black on Black V4P -Gone
* 1983 Coupe Deville Street/Show Lowrider -Gone

* 1970 Calais 4dr Hardtop GONE
* 2000 Deville DTS - Silver with Black Leather and SE grille GONE
* 1999 Seville STS - Pearl Red GONE

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Really? Then that's not what the issue is then. I can move it left and right all day long. I just can't move it down to reverse and so on.

The only time it's happened to me so far is in the morning and if I tap the brake about 10 times, it will allow me to shift into gear.

-Dusty-

2006 Cadillac DTS Glacier Gold Tri-Coat with 175,000 miles

1993 Cadillac Sixty Special Gold Mist with 185,000 miles

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Really? Then that's not what the issue is then. I can move it left and right all day long. I just can't move it down to reverse and so on.

It is possible that whatever is preventing you from moving the shifter down is binding or damage in the cable from the shifter to the top of the transmission.

You will have to remove some engine air intake pieces to access the bellcrank mechanism that moves the valves inside the transmission.

Jim

Drive your car.

Use your cell phone.

CHOOSE ONE !

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Really? Then that's not what the issue is then. I can move it left and right all day long. I just can't move it down to reverse and so on.

The only time it's happened to me so far is in the morning and if I tap the brake about 10 times, it will allow me to shift into gear.

yes that's the same thing I'm talking about. He couldn't shift out of park. Its the tinyest little cylinder of metal that clicks out of the way when you hit the brake and it gets weak over time. yes you can move the shifter side to side but the solenoid thing gets in the way of geting out of park. I'm not sure if you can buy just the solenoid but it was pretty cheap and easy to just change the whole shifter.

* 1966 Deville Convertible

* 2007 Escalade ESV Black on Black

* 1996 Fleetwood Brougham Black on Black V4P -Gone
* 1983 Coupe Deville Street/Show Lowrider -Gone

* 1970 Calais 4dr Hardtop GONE
* 2000 Deville DTS - Silver with Black Leather and SE grille GONE
* 1999 Seville STS - Pearl Red GONE

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I haven't had a chance to look into it yet, but it actually doesn't bother me much. I'm guessing it will get worse and probably a lot worse when it gets cold outside.

-Dusty-

2006 Cadillac DTS Glacier Gold Tri-Coat with 175,000 miles

1993 Cadillac Sixty Special Gold Mist with 185,000 miles

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I was right about it getting worse, just wrong about the time frame. I no longer hear a "click" when pressing on the brake pedal and I am forced to use the orange release button. I'm assuming that the solenoid was on it's way out when I was having troubles before and now it has met its doom.

As far as I can tell from other posts is that you have to get the whole shifter assembly. I found one on eBay for $65 plus shipping. Is there any tips or hints anyone can give me for tearing it apart? I can see it's going to be a fun job.

-Dusty-

2006 Cadillac DTS Glacier Gold Tri-Coat with 175,000 miles

1993 Cadillac Sixty Special Gold Mist with 185,000 miles

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I was right about it getting worse, just wrong about the time frame. I no longer hear a "click" when pressing on the brake pedal and I am forced to use the orange release button. I'm assuming that the solenoid was on it's way out when I was having troubles before and now it has met its doom.

As far as I can tell from other posts is that you have to get the whole shifter assembly. I found one on eBay for $65 plus shipping. Is there any tips or hints anyone can give me for tearing it apart? I can see it's going to be a fun job.

Logan posted above on how to remove the shift knob. I would at least inspect the solenoid to see if it is all gooked up with a contaminate. That could be all that is preventing the solenoid from activating.

Kevin
'93 Fleetwood Brougham
'05 Deville
'04 Deville
2013 Silverado Z71

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Whoops, sorry, I meant the bezel around it. Does it just snap out or do I have to take the sides off to get to this solenoid? I just don't want to brake anything because I can usually do that with ease.

-Dusty-

2006 Cadillac DTS Glacier Gold Tri-Coat with 175,000 miles

1993 Cadillac Sixty Special Gold Mist with 185,000 miles

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I got everything apart thanks to you guys and took out the entire assembly so that I could look it over. Everything was clean under there (except for the occasional crumb and dirt particles) so I think it's safe to assume that the solenoid is toast. I did clean the terminals where it plugs in as best I could, but it didn't help. I wired the override so that I don't have to push the button until I can figure out where to find an assembly.

Unfortunately the solenoid is pop riveted into the assembly so I do need to get the whole assembly. I went to that car-part.com site and couldn't seem to find anything. If anyone knows of where to get one, please let me know. :)

-Dusty-

2006 Cadillac DTS Glacier Gold Tri-Coat with 175,000 miles

1993 Cadillac Sixty Special Gold Mist with 185,000 miles

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Use an ohmmeter on the solenoid before you give up on it. It should have a few Ohms across the terminals and not be shorted to the mount.

CTS-V_LateralGs_6-2018_tiny.jpg
-- Click Here for CaddyInfo page on "How To" Read Your OBD Codes
-- Click Here for my personal page to download my OBD code list as an Excel file, plus other Cadillac data
-- See my CaddyInfo car blogs: 2011 CTS-V, 1997 ETC
Yes, I was Jims_97_ETC before I changed cars.

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Just a safety heads up. I had the shifter out or in I can't remember but I was trying to shift it it and I had my finger in the mechanism and sliced into it pretty bad almost cut it off. Just be careful, there's a reason its covered with a console :D

* 1966 Deville Convertible

* 2007 Escalade ESV Black on Black

* 1996 Fleetwood Brougham Black on Black V4P -Gone
* 1983 Coupe Deville Street/Show Lowrider -Gone

* 1970 Calais 4dr Hardtop GONE
* 2000 Deville DTS - Silver with Black Leather and SE grille GONE
* 1999 Seville STS - Pearl Red GONE

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:o

I could have gone all night without reading that. Sorry for your misfortune.

CTS-V_LateralGs_6-2018_tiny.jpg
-- Click Here for CaddyInfo page on "How To" Read Your OBD Codes
-- Click Here for my personal page to download my OBD code list as an Excel file, plus other Cadillac data
-- See my CaddyInfo car blogs: 2011 CTS-V, 1997 ETC
Yes, I was Jims_97_ETC before I changed cars.

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Wowza! Thanks for the heads up!

-Dusty-

2006 Cadillac DTS Glacier Gold Tri-Coat with 175,000 miles

1993 Cadillac Sixty Special Gold Mist with 185,000 miles

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