I have a 1996 1500, 318, automatic and the parking paw will not engage all of the time. The switch that lets the ignition switch operate will also not engage at all and the transmission has to be put in neutral to start it. Any comments on others having the same problem? The paw has never been engaged when the truck is moving and if it is damaged it is by having a lot of use engaging it because the truck has 350,000 miles on it. I just changed the transmission fluid about three months ago and there were no deposits of material in the pan and the fluid was fairly clean. I adjusted the band and after test driving the truck it shifted fine and has since.

I have taken some transmissions out and worked on ant rebuilt a couple and am not afraid of a little work. I am thinking that the only way to repair this problem will be to pull the trans, remove the pump and install a new paw. Please any comments that would save pulling the transmissions would be music to my ears.


Emmett

 

Did you try adjusting the linkage?

 

I will take another look tomorrow but I did not see any adjustment. I took the rod off the trans shift lever arm and it is as far back as I can get it and still no neutral safety switch engagement. There may be some adjustments on the inside of the transmissions but, I don't remember seeing them. I need a diagram of the transmission, the manual I have just has the band adjustment and general information, they sure have it figured out when they sell the manuals to you today. I have some manuals left from the seventies and they had just about every item you needed to work on just about anything on the car, not today.

Thanks

Emmett

 

Check here: https://dodgeforum.com/forum/2nd-gen...e-manuals.html


This is from the '01. should be close, if not the same.




(8) Lower vehicle and verify proper adjustment.


Or the safety switch could be bad. I don't know if there is adjustment on that or not.

 

Thanks for the adjustment procedure for the safety switch. I can only think that the linkage may be over adjusted back past the switch. Thank, you for the manual it will really come in handy!

Thanks

Emmett

 

Any result yet?

 

I took a look at the linkage just to get an idea of what I need to do to make adjustments. I have some time today and am going to try to stop at the local yard and see if I can get a look inside the transmission pan. I will take the linkage off of the shift arm and see if I can find the park position and start the car then check to see if the paw is engaged. If manually shifting does not work it has to be something restricting the movement of the lever inside the pan or something stopping the paw from engaging at the front of the trans. I hope that I can report an end of the problem today and the fix, I hope it is adjustment!


Emmett

 

I pulled the shift linkage off the shift arm and I could not move the shift arm back far enough by hand to get it into park. I think I am going to have to drain the oil to see if there is something bent or broken inside the case. I can hear the parking paw sliding against the stop when I move the truck while I am holding the shift lever back so I think that there may be something broken off or bent.

Off to the yard to see how the lever work against the paw and maybe snag a part ot two.

Thanks

Emmett