bconman

My shifter has been getting rather stiff, and then today it really is ez but not doing anything. I think the bushing on the shifter rotted and the cable is now off. That means I cannot drive it anywhere to get fixed. I think I will need to remove the passenger side center side panel to reach it to replace the bushing. What must be done to gain access? Thanks for any help on this. Im sure it is a easy fix once I can get to it. At least it is stuck in park.

Lexmex

Your ES300 is a little bit different than my RX300, but I know the ES interior. You need to remove the wooden panel around your shifter to get at it. usually a flathead screwdriver will do.

In addition, your bushing is probably kaput, so this is where I got a spare one,

bconman

Oh this is not good. I pulled top panel and looked down thru the crack and I see that cable is still attached to shifter. So either the cable broke or the problem is at the trans end. I will try and figure that out tomorrow. I have seen the procedure for putting in a new cable and it involves a LOT of things being removed to install. And once again, the big problem is there is no way to drive it to a auto repair shop if I cannot control the transmission. I hate to put a ton of cash in it but it only has 57,000 miles on it. With luck I will fall of the ladder tomorrow while patching and cleaning my gutters.

harrisbaig

I had exactly the same issue when parked at walmart. got it towed to a transmission shop. they found the cable had broken loose. they repaired and put it back. it cost me about $200 and has been working fine for the last 2 years.

bconman

Did they fix the old cable, or install a new one? I would rather fix it if a fix is out there, rather than tear out the interior to install a new one.

harrisbaig

they repaired it. new would have cost more in parts and labor.