Liberty Locked in Park

[jzjohnz]

Just did a front brake job on my 2006 V6 4WD Liberty (107k miles) by changing out the rotors as well as the pads. Got ready for a test drive and the thing won't release the transmission out of Park.

Anyone have any insights as to why this may have happened? The brakes lights work when the pedal is depressed but still stays locked in park.

Thanks.....

 

[JPNinPA]

Did you turn the wheel all the way to one side while doing the brakes?
You may have locked the wheel so far to the one side you need to turn a little more to allow it to release.


So lets say you turned the wheel all the way left to install and bleed the right brake. If you put the wheel on and drop it down all the unsprung weight makes it hard to turn the wheel. Esp if the wheel locks against the steering lock.

Suggest jack the front up and center the wheels. Then see if it will come out of park.

Sometimes the ignition gets locked like this.

Second with the vehicle on the ground (not inclined) rock it forward and back. If you were on an incline and (likely) didn’t use a parking brake. The vehicle was resting on the trans brake.

Lastly while bleeding the brake you may have loosened or damaged the shifter interlock.
This is a different jeep but concept is the same
Why Wont My Car Shift Out of Park - Shifter Interlock - YouTube

Never look down on anyone unless you are helping them up - Jesse Jackson

 

[jzjohnz]

I changed the rotors and pads only & did not bleed the brakes, but what I did do is, like you mentioned, turn the wheel to the far left and far right for better access to the caliper and associated hardware for each wheel I was working on. I then returned the steering wheel to the center before mounting each tire back on, otherwise there was hydraulic jack interference from having the jack right under the lower ball joint.

During all that, I had the front center of the vehicle jacked up & held in place with 2 jack stands. Still had to use a hydraulic jack to raise each wheel high enough to remove them for access to the brake parts.

also, during all this time, I had the rear wheels chocked, transmission in park and parking brake set. When finished, I raised the vehicle and removed the 2 jack stands then lowered it back to the level position. I then went inside the vehicle and released the parking brake. When I later got inside to go for a test drive, I couldn't get the transmission out of park.

Oh, and forgot to mention that I have since tried rocking the vehicle back and forth (vehicle is sitting on level home garage floor) & that didn't seem to work. I will try raising the front end again, like you suggested, and center the wheels to see if that solves it.

 

[jzjohnz]

Thought I'd give an update on my Liberty that was locked in park. After driving around town for about 5 weeks using a "L" shaped piece of round bar stock to shift the transmission by pulling & pushing on the cable that goes to the transmission (after popping the cable off the shifter console pin), I finally got tired of it and ended up removing the entire console to reveal the plastic solenoid on the left side of the shifter to see if that was the culprit. Turns out that the solenoid was stuck in the fully extended position & wouldn't release to allow the shifter to unlock out of park. At 1st I thought it was mechanically stuck in the extended position but realized later that it was most likely electrically locked that way. I noticed that when locked in the extended position, it is electrically locked that way & when released, it becomes de-energized, so something in the electrical system that feeds that item was not getting the signal to release it.

Didn't do anything to it except put a small amount of WD40 in the shaft hole and it's been working fine since, but really don't think that was the fix. Still haven't been able to figure out why it ended up that way & it only happened after lifting the front end of the vehicle to do a front wheel brake job. It was either a coincidence or something was triggered during the brake job to cause it to happen.

Another thing I discovered is that it doesn't appear that that solenoid can be purchased separately & can only be had by buying the whole shifter console mechanism which can only be purchased new from the dealer for around $500.

 

[JPNinPA]

Look in a junkyard for the solonoid?


Never look down on anyone unless you are helping them up - Jesse Jackson

 

[TerryMason]

Is this what you are referring to:
Mopar Transmission Variable Force Solenoid Sensor For42RLE Automatic Transmissio | eBay

This is off a 2012 Liberty with a 42RLE transmission, so it may not be the same part that you're referring to

 

[jzjohnz]

Is this what you are referring to:
Mopar Transmission Variable Force Solenoid Sensor For42RLE Automatic Transmissio | eBay

This is off a 2012 Liberty with a 42RLE transmission, so it may not be the same part that you're referring to

View attachment 25148

What your pic shows is probably the shift solenoid that goes on the transmission (from what I understand). The item I'm referring to is a cheap looking white plastic solenoid (they call a motor) that is mounted on the left side of the shifter module inside the console in the vehicle. From the posted pic you can clearly see it just to the left of the shifter module.

https://apis.mail.yahoo.com/ws/v3/m...lNorrin&downloadWhenThumbnailFails=true&pid=2