Transmission Linkage snapped

[LukeZ]

Hey guys,

I had a little problem that I was hoping someone could help me with. I was at the mall last night getting a birthday gift for my dad. I was getting in my car to leave, started it up and shifted into drive. I heard a snap and the shifter became really loose and moved freely. I pushed it forward and it went back into park, but I cant pull it into any other gears now. I opened the console up and found that the cable connecting the shifter to the transmission snapped. I was able to pull it all the way out of the tube that it comes out of.

I dont have time to fix it myself because Im at school. I called my mechanic and he said I could either get it towed or have someone hold the brake while another person crawls under the car and shifts the transmission with a pair of pliers or something. First off, is this safe? Second, how would I go about doing it? Its almost impossible to crawl under there without jacking the car up, so I just wonder how safe the whole thing really is (leaving the car in drive on a jack, with a person holding the brake). Has anyone experienced something like this?

Thanks for the help.

 

[79 USA 1]

For what it is worth....The factory linkage in Chevrolet cars and El Camino's floor shifters still is hooked up to the steering column. You should be able to grab the area behind the key portion to rotate it through the shift quadrants. Would be a whole lot safer then crawling under a car.

 

[pagrunt]

If the mechanic openly suggested to have someone get under a car (running or not) you need a new mechanic. Like 79 USA 1 said use the column bowl to shift to get it home.

 

[Bonnewagon]

That happened to me once. I was forced to get under the car and hook a coat hanger to the shift arm on the trans. I ran the hanger up through the cable housing into the car. I was able to yank on the coat hanger to shift from P to D but that's all. Depending on where your neutral safety switch is, can you manually get it in to Drive and fool the switch into thinking it is in P or N to start the engine by moving the shifter or the lock-out rod on the column?

 

[ssn696]

Try the column bowl trick to get it home. I'm afraid the car needs to be parked for now until you either get another cable or swap steering columns. I swear I have one of those shifters, but what box is it hiding in?
If you have the 700-R4:
https://www.ecklers.com/elcamino/el...ssion-with-console-1984-1987-55-288328-1.html
If you have one of the three-speed automatics, here's a replacement part:
http://rover.ebay.com/rover/1/711-5...0001&campid=5335822911&icep_item=183637901390

 

[LukeZ]

Hey guys,

The column trick worked, thanks so much! Saved me a $200 tow truck.

Waiting for the new cable to come in, going to get my mechanic to put it in. Hopefully it all comes out okay.

I found on the drive home that the shifter will work if you're pushing it forward, I.e. 3rd to overdrive, neutral to reverse, etc. but the cable is what allows you to go the other way