Paint Chips

Spring Dust-Off

Winterizing

1) The Park/Reverse relay operates those two gears. No. The proper name for the relay is simply the Park Relay. It is so named because it will allow you to shift to Park at any time unless the car is moving. This is true whether the key is in the on or off position. Once the selector has been placed in Park this relay will not allow the shift motor to work unless the key is put in the on position. Reverse gear does not enter into the picture.

2) The inhibitor switch on the transmission is there to prevent damage if you accidentally press the wrong button. Sort of. The original purpose of the apty named Park/Reverse Inhibitor Switch was to prevent any damage to the transmission if one of those two gears were selected when the wheels were traveling in a forward direction. Over the years the Inhibitor has begun to cause more damage than it prevents. Inside the unit there is a diaphragm that is forty years old and prone to failure. When it fails you will lose all of your transmission fluid as you are going down the road and the first indication that is happening is that you will stop moving. This is why it is recommended that you electronically by-pass the inhibitor, remove it and put a plug in it's place. Oh and keep your hands off the buttons while you're driving.

3) The way to long shift motor life is to always put it in Neutral before you shift into Park. The way to long shift motor life is to always set the Park Brake before shifting into Park. Also when leaving Park, first select a gear and then remove the Park Brake.

4) Sometimes when the car is hot it won't go into Park, it just clicks. Then when it's cool it is in Park and works fine. This is why anyone who has a car with Tele-Touch needs to have one of those battery shut-off switches. The clicking you hear is the shift motor's circuit breaker cutting in and out. Full twelve volts of power heading in the direction of the shift motor's select relay. The select relay is trying to perform the task that you asked of it (putting the transmission in Park) but the motor is unwilling for one electrical reason or another. When this type of situation occurs, disconnect the battery power and try again later. If the problem persists there is something seriously wrong with the shift motor itself. If the battery is not disconnected and it will not shift your motor you will either return to a dead battery or a burned out car.

5) It's a good idea to clean out the grease in the shift motor from time to time. If it ain't broke, don't try and fix it.