Transmission will not shift out of park into any gear?

Hi,

Are the brake lights working? Power to the park lock actuator comes from the brake light switch.

As far as a bypass, I attached the directions below. Give that a try and let me know if it helps.

Take care,

joe

See pics below.

I will find out if the brake lights work. However, this vehicle does not have that override. There is an orange pull loop on a steel lever that lifts up? Aren't they also supposed to have another override? It seems the shifter is stuck in the middle range of the gate between P and D. When it is manually moved it goes right back to that position.

Jeff,

I attached a pic below that I found. Does this help? Other than these two, nothing other is provided for this vehicle.

Let me know.

Joe

See pic below.

I'll get a picture and then we can both scratch our heads.

Sounds like a plan, Jeff. LOL What kind of bike is that in the pic you attached?

Let me know. If I don't hear from you before tomorrow, Happy Memorial Day!!

Joe

That's one of my babies. It's a 1978Z1R KZ1000D with a Wiseco 1105 big bore kit, Andrews 2x cams, oversize intakes,Mikuni 29 smoothbores and a Kerker 4 into 1 exhaust. Have a safe and enjoyable holiday. I may get the photo tomorrow if I get over there.

I thought I recognized it but I wasn't sure. LOL. All I can say is Hold On!

Take care and I'll check in tomorrow to see if you got the pic.

Joe

Apparently, the brake lights work, and I'll have photos of the release? later today.

I was able to look more closely at the shifter. There's no attachment to the cable. It appears to be electronic and I'm assuming it controls a servo that actuates the cable on the transmission. The brake lights work but I don't know if this shifter block is even getting current. I'm attaching photos of the box, the lever we previously spoke about and the linkage on the transmission as well as the cable. Where the cable originates is somewhere under the dash. Where the cable attached to the lever goes or what it does is anybody's guess. As you can see in the photos the shifter is stuck in the middle of the range of travel. I also tried pushing up on the linkage where the cable connects and was met with sprung resistance. The last picture is the Fusebox. There's a spot for a transmission relay but there are no pins there or a relay. The transmission shifter fuse is good.

Hi,

There is an adjustment on the cable where it attaches to the shifter. See pic 1. Pic 2 shows the cable runs under the dash and comes out under the hood. Then it attaches to the transmission shift lever. See pic 3

Let me know. The relay spot is unused.

Joe

See pics below. Note: My information is based on a floor shifter.

Here's some photos of the system and parts. The cable doesn't attach to the shifter control which is baffling. The only cable is attached to the park release.

Hi,

I checked 2011 and 2013 to see if it may have been a midyear change. Both additional years vehicles are the same as the 2012.

So, to confirm what you are saying, if you open the hood, there is no cable coming from the firewall to the transmission as seen in the pic below.

Joe

See pic below

No there is but it does connect to the shifter control. The cable that connects to the release I'm not sure if it's the same cable. How would I test for power at the controller? How many volts and which wire? I don't know the colors right off hand. When I lift the release lever with the loop the cable to the transmission linkage doesn't move?

Hi,

There are two different transmissions that are possible. One is a 5-speed, and the other is an 8-speed.

I attached wiring schematics below. If you have the 8-speed, it has a shift by wire design (SBW) that I have a feeling you have. If that is the case, we need to scan the can-bus system to determine the cause of the issue. In this design, different modules communicate back and forth via the CAN (controller area network).

Here is a link that explains how it's done:

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/can-scan-controller-area-network-easy

With the 5-speed trans, you can check the actuator for power via the brown wire with a yellow tracer at the shifter assembly. You should have battery voltage.

I attached the wiring schematics for both designs below. Note there are no identified actuators for the 8-speed. Instead, it is done via the can-bus SBW. The first two pics are the 5-speed and the last two are the 8-speed. I had to cut the page in half to make it readable for you, but I did overlap them so you can follow from one to the next.

Let me know if this helps.

Joe

See pics below.

I had a feeling it was drive by wire and I don't think my scanner will do a can scan. It's a Foxwell NT630 plus. It will scan for transmission codes but that probably won't help.

Hi,

Give it a try and see if anything shows up. It may be indicated with the transmission. I suspect you have the 8-speed transmission.

Have you ever turned the key off with the transmission in gear? If so, does it automatically shift to park?

Joe

Push button start. The shifter just stays in the middle.

Hi,

The shifter is designed by Mercedes (to the best of my knowledge). When you say it stays in the center, I now understand what you have. The shifter itself really doesn't move more than one click and returns to its starting point.

We need to scan the CAN on this to see if there is a code that will point us in the right direction. Otherwise, it will become a guessing game which can get expensive.

Let me know.

Joe

Okay, I'm not one to throw parts at a problem. I'll scan it with mine and see what comes up but I'll probably have to come up with a CAN scanner.

Hi,

Let me know what you find out.

Joe

Definitely.

Several engine codes, PO520,PO522(current)and U1412(current) Transmission codes, PO563(current) system voltage high, U1467, and PO850(current), park/neutral switch input circuit. That's what I know so far. I didn't test for current to the shifter control.

I have a U1467 code among others. This indicates a shift control error. I read sometimes the connection gets knocked loose. Is it in the kick panel on the driver's side?

Hi,

Wow, that's a lot of codes. The ones that seem related are the U codes and the P0563. The one thing that ties them together is the transmission control module (TCM).

The U codes could also be set by the electronic shift module (ESM). From what I am reading, they aren't normally associated with the TCM. The ESM is the entire shifter. Is there anything that may be loose or damaged as far as wiring or connectors?

Let me know.

Joe

I read that the pin connector sometimes gets loose or disconnected inside the kick panel by the driver's feet. I'll check that tomorrow and let you know what I find out.

Hi,

Absolutely, anything is possible. I hope it is something simple. That would be great.

Take care,

Joe

Well, there was no connector inside the driver's kick panel, but the photos will show a definite problem. There's no continuity in the electrical connection to the shifter knob. I'm not sure if this tore when I pulled the knob off or before. Either way it didn't work before. The problem is the cover plate can't go over the shifter with the knob on. Videos show removal of the knob without damaging this ribbon. Any ideas?

Hi,

Wow, that doesn't look good. I don't feel that it is repairable and will need to be replaced. Have you tried finding one yet?

Joe

Yes, but there seems to be 2 part numbers. The only difference is the last letter. One ends in AC and I believe the other ends in AD # 68140727AC is the number of the one in the car. Is there a difference in the two parts? Also, which wire supplies power to this shifter?

Hi,

I attached a pic below of the wiring to the shift module. I highlighted the only fused power supply. Other connectors are part of the CAN.

The part numbers are for the same part. The one ending with AD is the replacement part number. See pic 2 below.

Let me know if that helps.

Take care.

Joe

See pics below.

We'll never know what the issue was. She got rid of the car.

Hi,

I'm sorry to hear that. Was she frustrated with this issue or did she plan to sell it after the repair?

Joe

Forced to get it out of her complex parking lot. I never even got to check for power or try a new controller. Saddest part is someone low balled her with a bunch of BS.

Hi,

Ugh! That is frustrating. I wish we could have resolved the issue sooner. I hope she didn't give it away, but it sounds like she didn't get what it is worth.

Regardless, please feel free to come back in the future.

Take care,

Joe