Stupid mistake

Jim, Many thanks. I'm going to print your message out and keep it in my glove box...in case this happens again.
I had just this summer got the car sorted out so it will start and shift reliably.
So this was a scary 24 hours.
Bill

Bill,
Glad you got the car shifting again. However these problems have a tendency to come back. If it does you might want to check the clutch switch. If there is no shifting at all check if the switch is providing power. Second would be to check the white wires at the solenoids (the two terminals towards the front of the car). These should have power (with the clutch depressed) to pull the transmission out of gear. If the car is stuck in gear check the other two wires coming back from the main shift cylinder - one of them should have power. If one of them has power then the problem isn't electrical. If neither has power and you're stuck in gear you have an electrical issue.

As for parking the car in neutral - the big reason is you can't shift until the car is started which is why every Cord drive should have a clutch stick in the floorboard. The other reason is if you are on a hill the weight of the car can turn over the engine and allow the car to move (or worse if the ignition switch is on it can start the car and drive away without you). We have this happen about 20 years ago at a Spring Meet to an L-29. The car was parked on a slight hill in gear and somehow the ignition switch was on??? After sitting there for a while the car decided it wanted to leave, the engine turned over, started, drove across the road down a hill and into a fence. Luckily no one was hurt and the L-29 only have a very minor scratch. So never trust the transmission to hold the car.

Jim

I trust my parking brake. I have slight incline on my driveway that without the PB my car would be in the street. I had absolutely no brakes when I got my car and my driveway was treacherous.
Bill

Glad you fixed this problem but I sure would be interested in why this happened too. When I finish my car I will try to make sure I don't leave mine in any gear when I come to a stop and shut down the engine. I'm guseeing the parking brakes are whats holding the cars stationary when parked and not the trans in 1st or reverse gear. Leaving a standard trans in gear with the engines shut off was always a great way to hold them to a position when parked.

Mike, LOL! Her name is on the title w/mine so she can sell it eaily when I shove off this mortal coil....she won't hurt the car but candy and flowers should keep her from coming after me.

Tom, Don't know where I first heard about shutting down in neutral but I've come across it a couple of times. True or not it can't hurt.

1748S, I finally got it straighten out. Had to take the transmission cover off...which necessitated dropping one side of the bumper. Since nothing could be moved free-hand I got out my handy hammer and started judicously tapping. When that didn't work I used the handle to do some prying. All the while my wife had her foot on the clutch. We traded places, I started her up, the car that is and after shifting through the pattern a couple times, voila! Everything is back to normal
Thanx for your advice Bill

You might be able to reach the end of the vacuum shift can that you see when the hood is open. Try to move the vacuum rod in or out. Was the engine idleing higher when you last drove it to stop in the garage? Might be the vacuum line to the solenoid pack found on the side of the trans has lost vacuum connection to the intake manifold. Try starting at the intake manifold and tracing the vacuum line all the way to the solenoid pack. These transmissions shift by vacuum and electrical. Might have to start looking deeper for the non shift problem. Wish I was closer that 450 miles from you.

Hi,

I have never heard of this bit of Cord Advice. Starting the engine should bring up normal vacuum, [i:24fxyxys]n'est-ce pas?[/i:24fxyxys]

--Tom

First things first Bill. Buy your wife some candy and flowers unless you want a lug wrench through the windshield.
Cordially Mike

Thanks 1748S!
Gave it a try and no luck. Have gone as far as pulling the bumper and tranny cover to get better access but nothing will or can be moved.

Hello Bill. I'm not sure why your car wont shift or why these cars must be parked in nuetral. I feel you can reach up under the trans cover and grab the shift lever as it comes out of the front of the trans. This would be the cross shift arm to the vacuum cannister on top of the trans. Move it till you feel it can be moved across the "H" shift pattern. Might have to have someone press the clutch to take any twisting load off the trans gears or jack up the front of the car to take the load off the trans gears. If the car is safly jacked up and supported well try starting the engine and shifting thru the gears. Hopefully thats all you need and no switches are needing adjustment or replacement. Please post back what works.

Years before I got my 810, I knew it was a giant no no to shut off the car in gear.
Well guess what? Pulled in the garage, Saturday and turned off the ignition before I took it out of gear <!-- s:cry: --><img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/icon_cry.gif" alt="" title="Crying or Very sad" /><!-- s:cry: --> So, now it's locked in first. Thought if I got it moving forward I could eventually get the gears to shift. My wife pushed me out.....slipped on the oil pan , landed on it and ended up covered in oil. Got the car in the street, did a couple of laps around the block in first gear. No shifting luck!
So, whadido? Can I straighten this out or am I in line for a tow charge and a few hundred $ at my mechanic's shoppe?