Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums General Troubleshooting Sticky Auto Trans Park Detent

I have a 1996 Contour with 2.5L DOHC engine, auto trans, and all options except a spoiler and heated seats. The car has 70,000 miles on it. Mine since new.
Recently the auto trans selector has intermittently gotten stuck in the PARK position, where it then takes a scary amount of effort to move it out of PARK.
Any suggestions?
TIA,
Dan

Always put your e-brake on when you park (before you put tranny in park). Remove all the console crap around the shifter and see if you can see anything binding.

The transmission parking brake pin is only one source of this. Mine does this because the mechanism of the thumb button is worn and does not depress enough to get past the detent sometimes. Have not taken it apart yet.

Thanks. Any tips on how to get to the adjustment?

There is no adjustment if the shift handle is worn.
You will need to replace the handle.

If after you are parked, and before you release your brakes,
apply your parking brake, shift to to N,
release your foot brake, let the parking brake set, and then shift to P,
you shouldn't have any problems with the car rolling forward
or backward and possibly catching the parking pawl.

happened to me with a 73 Torino years ago.. parked it on an incline and put in park... came our of store and could not get it out of park..had to get someone to get behind me with their truck and push it about 2 inches so the paul i the transmission will release from the park position..... this might be your problem if on an incline(ever so slight) the weight of the car is pulling on the paul(the thing in the transmission that stops the car from rolling when in park).....solution for me was that anytime i go into park i put on the E-brakes before releasing my foot off the brakes so the car does not roll back and lock onto the paul.. it can happen with late model cars also, the paul never changed in years...its doing its job.....

Thanks to all who responded.
I was indeed parked on a hill when it first happened.
My habit of not using the EB, gained from years of living in climates where the parking brake cable often froze, finally caught up with me.
I may have damaged the pawl. Time will tell.
Z

Sounds like you shifter. If you have to replace just a warning...it is a real PITA due to the fact the O/D button is intergrated into the shifter.

Just wire splicing right?