Shift lock release mechanisms for automatic transmission cars are located next to the gear lever, and they work differently from those for manual transmissions.
KAMPALA | LIFESTYLE UGANDA — A shift lock release mechanism is located next to the gear lever on an automatic transmission car and works differently from a manual transmission car.
What is the shift lock release button?
The shifter on a manual transmission has the shift lock button, which works like this: The button is not used to engage the clutch. It’s not to activate the parking gears. It’s not to select a gear or reverse.
The shift lock button simply says “START.” If you press the button to start the car or shift out of gear, the car will try to move.
If the gear lever doesn’t move the car, and you try to engage the clutch with the shift lock button pressed, the car won’t move. The reason is that the shift lock button is a shift protection circuit.
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If the shift lock button is pressed, the transmission will stop to prevent it from shifting any further without a proper release of the emergency brake. How do you fix a shift lock problem?
How do you use the shift lock release button?
In most automatic transmission cars, the shift lock release is moved to a small pocket mounted on the inside of the shift lever. On a manual transmission car, this button is located on the shifter itself.
When the shift lock is released, the button is no longer in the slot in the shifter. Thus, it is no longer illuminated and does not function.
To get it back into the position to turn the car into Drive or Reverse, one needs to turn the shifter into Reverse, place the finger on the button and let go of the shifter (with the clutch pedal depressed).
The button will then turn into the position it was in when the shift lock was engaged. Did you know? The two-manual transmission cars that had the most problems in the US were Saabs and Mazda RX-7s.
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When is the shift lock release needed?
When the driver doesn’t have a drive-in mind when he starts the car. Or maybe he’s simply in a hurry and he thinks that, for the time being, he needs to use the car in whatever gear that may be in use.
What you’ll see is this behaviour. The car will start to move in the only gear that’s a smidge too low for the engine to run efficiently.
But the driver can’t get off the gas because the transmission doesn’t have the gears in any case, and the engine will continue to run, unaware of the problem. So it’s important to release the shift lock.
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How do I remove the shift lock? The shift lock is the lever on the gear lever that engages the shift lock mechanism.
What causes the failure?
A problem may be encountered when the gear lever is not moved all the way back. The car may not be driving properly or the car may be experiencing a serious malfunction.
If the shift lock release button is not pushed in all the way, the car may not be able to shift the car in the next gear. The car may not be able to shift the car in gear and it may be in a dangerous situation.
When the shift lock release button is not pushed in completely, the car may not be able to shift the car in the next gear.
When the shift lock release button is pushed halfway, it may be not sufficient to shift the car into the next gear.
Shift lock release can fail due to a problem with the transmission itself. If the gear lever is not moved completely back, the lock-up mechanism may not engage the gears.
When you are backing out of your garage or driveway, this is the most critical part of the operation. The gear lever activates the release mechanism. The release mechanism is attached to the transmission mechanism.
How to fix a malfunctioning shift lock release and what to do in an emergency?
When you shift gears, your vehicle makes a noise and vibrates to indicate a press of the shift lock button. It does this over and over until you hit the parking brake. It’s a little like when you stand in line to get a burrito: the burrito machine makes a noise until you push the button.
When the shift lock button goes off, there’s an audible click indicating that the transmission is locked. There’s nothing to worry about in this situation. The vehicle has simply reset itself.
The only thing to do is use the parking brake to stop the vehicle. There’s no mechanical reason for the shift lock release button to go off when you don’t want it to.
So, if you own a modern automatic transmission car, chances are that it’s malfunctioning and needs to be fixed.
