Shifter Moves But Doesn’t Change Gears – 3 Main Reasons

Introduction

Many unpredictable problems with our cars, such as engine failure, damage, brake noise, etc., are inevitable.

Among them, the issue “shifter moves but doesn’t change gears” always makes drivers confused and bewildered. It is also not safe if you drive your car under this circumstance. 

Fear not. Our article will explain why it happens and what you should do. Read until the end to learn more details!

The Reason Why Shifter Moves But Doesn’t Change Gears

Why shifter moves but won t change gears? That’s a question that needs to be clearly understood. Of course, when it comes to automotive, we might encounter many causes, such as wire or cable loose, badly related cable, fluid reduction. Let’s scroll down for more details.

manual gearbox

Loose Shifter Wire At Transmitting

The transmission sensor is connected to the shift in the car via a cable. Bolts and nuts are responsible for securing the cable at both ends.

And at these positions, there is an adjuster if it is necessary to replace the cable set with a length.

The shift cable had a kink in it below the inside gear selector.

Daily movement can create vibrations and wear with an incision that can cause connectors to come loose.

For the above reason, these connectors could be moved easily in the tuning space instead of remaining in the pre-designed position.

As a result, the gear shift moves freely, the gears will not switch, and the wrong gear may also occur.

Bad Shifter Cable

What does the shifter cable do? Automatic transmissions have a single shift lever that is linked to the manual valve in the valve body of the transmission.

So, this is another reason why the car stuck in gear but shifter moves.

Gearshifts and transmissions in cars are linked together through a flexible cable. However, this cable type tends to wear out, bend, stretch, and tear over time.

If your car doesn’t want to go into gear, perhaps it isn’t a faulty transmission. It might be because of a broken shifter cable.

The gear lever is moved out of the switch position when we stretch the cable.

For example, in cars with an extension switch cable that goes from P to D, it will display on the panel as L (represents Low Gear) or N (Neutral).

In cases where the cable shifter breaks, the connection between the transmission and the gearshift link is completely disconnected. 

If either cable is broken, the shifter handle cannot automatically return to its neutral position when it is not in gear. Yet, these situations hardly occur.

Reduce Transmission Fluid

Another common reason for “gear shift moves but car won t drive” is the problem of transmission fluid.

This is a necessary substance for your engine to function properly, whether automatic or manual.

The transmission fluid lubricates the moving equipment contained in the gearbox and minimizes friction.

However, this liquid can also be the cause of transmission damage. When it is polluted and stays in the car for a long time, it will be difficult for you to move.

And as a matter of course, your automobile will break down over time.

What Should I Do If The Gear Shifter Moves But Doesn’t Change Gears?

Try to check all the causes that we have given above. After carefully examining them, you still cannot start your car. We recommend you try checking your car’s gearshift kit.

changing gear

You can take the following test:

  • Start the automotive first, then step on the vehicle brake to slowly shift the gear to P (park). Put the car shifter assembly in the park position. Engage the parking brake.
  • Shift to reverse by pulling the lever to the letter R, and at the same time, check on the dashboard that reverse gear is confirmed.
  • To confirm reverse gear is activated, break briefly, then start backing to see in case the car reverses according to your movement.
  • Finally, do the same test with N and then D.

Will A Car Run With A Damaged Shifter Cable?

Can you drive a car with a broken shifter cable? A vehicle with a damaged gearshift can still move, but we don’t recommend driving it. 

It will be very dangerous for yourself and others if you drive a damaged vehicle on the road. You should bring it to an auto repair shop for absolute safety.

Indeed, when the gearshift is broken, you can’t imagine its dangers. You will need to consult the experts to show the best option for your vehicle. Its your job to change gears.

How To Change Gears In An Automatic Car

Shifting An Automatic Transmission

The computer controls the automatic transmission to hold the engine operating at an optimum revolution per minute (RPM).

When RPMs reach the top limits, the automatic transmission shifts into a higher gear so the motor will spin slower.

Conversely, when the RPMs fall to the lowest limit, it turns into a lower one so that the engine will spin faster.

RPMs

How To Shift In/Out Of Low Gears

To shift in, you follow:

  • If your car is in “D”, let’s brake until the speed is about 20-25 mph, then hold the speed steadily.
  • Switch to “2”.
  • If the RPMs reach the peak at 4,000 or 5,000, decrease the speed slightly.
  • Repeat the process to change to the “1”. Remember to slow down to the speed of 10-20 mph.

How about shifting out? It is so easy:

  • While your car is in “1”, increase to 3,000 RPMs.
  • Keeping that steady speed, switch to “2”.
  • At “2”, when the car reaches 3,000 RPMs, switch to “D”.

When To Use Low Gears

  • Tow Heavy Loads

Imagine transporting a huge amount of goods or pulling an object with a huge load; you can completely damage gears if you do not put it on a low one.

They are programmed to operate smoothly based on their weight.

  • Climb A Incline

Same as above, your machine may also be adversely affected. The engine is under load due to gravity pulling the vehicle upwards. Thus, always remember to shift low gears when going up an incline.

  • Ride Down A Hill

When driving down a hill, you’re often hitting the brakes a lot. This inadvertently creates a great deal of pressure on the car’s engine, which in turn causes damage. 

You should shift to low and let step on the vehicle brake pedal. The pistons then absorb some of the force to slow down.

Shift When You Want To

The core of an automatic transmission system is to handle the shifting for you. You will need to shift the transmission to a lower gear in specific cases.

Catching the right moment and having the freedom to change gears at any time will make you a better driver.

FAQs

How To Fix A Loose Gear Shifter Automatic?

My gear shift is loose. So how to fix it? Very easy if you obey this step by step:

  • Examine sources
  • Release nuts and bolts
  • Operate thread locker
  • Turn the gear button
  • Remove the gear containing the circle
  • Tighten the bolts and nuts

What’s Wrong When Your Car Won’t Change Gears?

Your vehicle’s system can show different symptoms if something goes wrong. You often notice they can be humming noise, the gear changes becoming less smooth, jerking continuously, or stopping completely.

When this happens, you will need a replacement gear shifter. In addition, the mechanical parts in the car may also have appeared to indicate their failure.

Symptoms of a poor manual transmission cable can be more challenging to diagnose. Cable replacement in Trailblazer/Envoys is a piece of work, molding out to remove carpet, then the center console has to come out.

Cutaway of an automatic transmission

Why Won’t My Car Shift Into Gear?

Why isn t my gear shift moving? For some vehicles, several electrical and hydraulic systems need to be interconnected. When one of the above two parts is faulty, this problem can happen.

The vehicle oil pump is at the back of the crankshaft pulley/harmonic balancer and is bolted to the engine block front.

Besides, some other causes include transmission fluid, electronic sensors, gears, linkage, etc.

When you are not sure of the linkage movement’s normal actions, you can refer to a vehicle with a similar operation as a guide.

Conclusion

This article has answered, “why shifter moves but doesn’t change gears?” It can be a frustrating situation if you are in a hurry.

Yet, do not try to control the car while the problems occur because it is dangerous for yourself and other pedestrians.

Indeed, automobiles always present problems that you cannot foresee. So, you should always take good care of your car by having it have a regular check.

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