Extremely cold weather and automatic transmission shifter

[flamingelephant]

Its been really cold the past few days (-40 with the wind chill) and we recently got a used 99 Interpid. The shifter wont shift out of park after sitting overnight (block heater is plugged in). I had to warm up for 20 minutes and then you still have to force the thing into drive. Any ideas what could be causing it? How to fix? The car is still in its 30 day exchange period, so if it is a major deal then i could go back

any ideas?

 

[HardcoreRobot]

move!

hahah sorry i dont have better advice

 

[BigJ]

Maybe check the transmission fluid?

 

[CraigRT]

if it can't shift INTO gear (not shifting gears) then it sounds like a linkage is all frozen up.. shifting once in gear is a totally different matter...

 

[Amused]

Heated garage.

 

[flamingelephant]

How can you fix a flozen linkage? Just park it inside and let it thaw out? Will the problem come back?

 

[flamingelephant]

heated garage not an option.... none nearby

 

[slag]

This is not a problem. This is normal due to the cold weather.

I can't believe you posted about this.

 

[desy]

Well if the car is over 100K get a tranny flush and I mean a good one where they remove the bottom pan and scrape the crud off and change the filter cause it probably hasn't been done before. Put a winter front on or Cardboard or something to get the engine compartment warmer, which will in turn warm the tranny faster, the block heater doesn't do squat for tranny oil.
In fact it may have a tranny cooler sticking out the front , cover that grill up but don't smother the cooler.

 

[flamingelephant]

Originally posted by: slag
This is not a problem. This is normal due to the cold weather.

I can't believe you posted about this.

I have never heard of a car not being able to shift out of park due to cold weather.... I live in Winnipeg, Canada.... it gets down to -40 fairly regularly during the winter... I've never had a car do it before, nor known anyone who has had this problem....

 

[desy]

I live in Stoon
It happens, although ususally its not locked out but extremely sticky and sluggish
Its why I recommend a fluid change. Also, sometimes its hard for them to shift into gear if they are in fast idle mode which they automatically do when its cold cold cold
Kick the gas and get it to rev down as well. . .

 

[Pepsi90919]

frozen brake-transmission shift interlock solenoid (common for older hondas)

 

[Kelemvor]

If it's within the return period, I'd take it back and let them know what happened and have them fix it or giv eyou your money back. Should be something they can check out easily enough.

 

[GRIFFIN1]

If the shifter is hard to move after you get it out of park, then it's probably a bad shifter cable. If the shifter moves freely after you get it out of park, then it's probably the solenoid that Pepsi90919 talked about.