hi all, I have a 2004 neon auto with a 2.0 liter. the tranny shifts great but I have noticed that I can just grab the selector stick and not press the button and take it from park to any gear I want. hope somebody can tell me what it is and its a quick cheap fix. thanks in advance

I know mine will go from 1 to 3 to OD to N without needing to push the button. You can go from 1 to park though? If that's the case, I'd guess ATM that the actuator lever rod (don't know what exactly it's called, if anything) under the shifter handle is stuck down like you are pushing the button or the lockout broke.

thanks I will check it, makes sence

ok, I have read alot and noticed I did not explain it right. If my auto 2004 is in park I can pull it from park with out pressing the button or stepping on the brakes to reverse or neutral. dodge said I need a new shifter, however I took it all apart and there is a cable that I would presume is an interlock and if I disconnect it it works right except for having to press on the brake to shift the car from park but now I have to press the the button to shift the gears.

The Neon doesn't have a shifter interlock system AFAIK, so not having to step on the brakes to shift out of park is normal. Both Neon's I've had do that. A shifter interlock system uses a solenoid and has an emergency release function, which the Neon doesn't have either. I simply know a bit about it because I've just had to bypass the interlock on an Olds we just got.

not trying to start something but there is a second cable, I could be wrong on the name of it but on the shifter it states aply brake. when I took it apart and messed with the second cable I had to apply the brake or I could not shift out of park at all the cable is alittle messed up and I need a new one but it attaches to a little piece like a cam that rocks and thats what lifts when you apply the brake, I will have time to take it apart on monday I will take some pictures

That cam is the lockout mechanism I believe. That's what keeps it from going into R from N without pushing the button, well, when it's working properly. The apply brake I also believe means apply the parking brake since you don't have to apply the actual brakes to remove the car from park (keep it from rolling if it were accidentally removed from P). That Olds I mentioned says something like "apply brake to shift from park" on it.

That little cam system could be the reason though, whether it be the cable or the cam itself. I didn't think about that. You push the button and it lifts that rod and allows you to get to the gear(s) that are normally locked out/stopped by certain points in the cam/lockout. Instead of being level and being able to slide from 1 to 3 to D to N without pushing the button, there will be a cutout in the N position that locks the rod in place to prevent it from simply sliding from N to R without intentionally wanting to by pressing the button on the shifter.

So, I was looking through the FSM for something else and...there is a shift interlock. It's just set up differently than other systems I have seen. The cable connects to a solenoid, that is attached to the steering column under the MFS.

Download the '03-'05 FSM from the link in my signature, and then check out the transmission section, starting on page 240. It gives you a table that has "expected" behaviors and tells you how to adjust the "shift interlock cable."

thank you