Good thread.

 

What a blessing this forum is.

Pulled the boot back, lubed the tab and it works fine.

Saved a costly towing bill and an unknown mechanic's bill.

Thanx to everyone for the replies.

I also have a fix for the front brake rotors warping if anyone need it.

 

Thank you mwilly & zorkmid2000!

Until this week, I had only experienced this issue 5 or 6 times over the past 1.5 years in my '02 Dakota, but the last several days have been a nightmare with this happening almost every time I started the truck. One thing I did notice was the fact that this problem seemed to only surface during cold weather. My theory on that is the possibility that whatever lube was still present on the mechanism was less fluid due to the lower temps. Prior to a while ago, my only solution to the problem was to frantically pivot the tilt steering wheel while banging it up and down until the interlock released the shifter. After reading your suggestions and viewing the pics, I was able to remove the boot, and shoot some Tri-Flow lubricant on all of the related moving parts. Immediately after that, everything was freed up.

Thanks again!

 

I would like to thank everyone also. This happened to me today after my Van was loaded and heading out. I was stuck and I ran a search and found this forum. I'm not a mechanic by any stretch of the imagination, but my van was fixed within five minutes of reading this.

You all saved me a towing bull plus whatever they would have said was wrong, just for a squirt of wd-40. My shifter is as smooth as butter now.

Thanks to everyone that helped me on this thread.

 

Thanks MWilly and others for your suggestions. With them I was able to recover my Durango this morning from a parking lot where I had left it last night.
There are two probable causes for this problem. The first, addressed by MWilly involves the locking cog at the top of the shift mechanism and takes a couple minutes to check. Remove the rubber boot at the base of the shift lever. The slide-lock cog should disengage when the key is turned on. If it does not, simply spray some thin lubricant onto the mechanism (it is easy to see) and move it with a small screwdriver or pen to free it up.

If that slide is working properly and disengages when the key is on, but you still can't get out of Park, the second locking cog further down the cable is probably not retracting when you step on the brake pedal and attempt to shift. That means the contacts in the brake switch connecter are probably dirty. There are two plastic locks on the connecter. The red one needs to be pushed over so when you squeeze the connecter itself it will unlock and you can disconnect it. Spray electric contact cleaner on the contacts, let them dry, reconnect and then try again. That should solve the problem. I've had both situations.

If the top lock functions and you spray the brake switch connections and still have no result, leave the brake switch connector disconnected, shift from Park to Neutral then start the vehicle (with the emergency brake on), re-connect the connector so you have brake lights then move the vehicle to where you can work on it. It is possible the brake switch connecter through which the shift lock relay runs is worn or defective. Not a big deal to replace it.

In 90% of the cases, these two problems are the culprit. It is possible but unlikely that you have a faulty solenoid which requires a great deal more 'digging'. I've learned since originally putting up this post that the brake light switch connector (the multi wire unit that plugs into the switch) can fail. The wires can break or work loose and if that happens, you will be chasing the other two problems when it is a faulty connector. There are connector repair kits on the internet or you can make up your own using 18 and 20 ga wires and re-constructing the connector using new wire. Takes about an hour at most.

 

I figured out this was wrong with my dad's truck, do you know how to fix it besides leaving it unplugged? Is there a replacement part that you know of? Thanks

 

Does anyone know how to replace this. The BTSI

 

is a good video showing roughly what you are looking for (even though the video is for a van). If you're a little guy like me you can stand beside the truck and kind of duck under the dash and turn a bit to see the brake switch. Luckily mine was just loose and has worked perfectly since I tightened it up this morning. Thanks to all the help above as I was parked in a 3 hour limit downtown aprking spot so you saved me a $50 tow + shop service.

 

Thanks all - I was able to remove the boot, shoot it with WD40 and it works great now. No need to buy a T-20 and remove the plastic column cover either.

 

I've got this same issue with my 2008 Ram 1500. I can shift it manually down on the transmission but the cable itself seems "locked up". I tried depressing the brake, the brake lights come on but still no joy.