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I’m having a problem that’s familiar to many, and I’ve read the relevant posts and installed the relevant fixes, but still having issues. Wondering what to try next.
TL;DR = 2005 SSR with automatic trans won’t crank. Shift lever stuck in park, button won’t depress, turning key powers up the dash and windows, but turning key results in only the relay click from engine compartment and no cranking.
Long version = About a month ago our 2005 SSR with automatic trans suffered a failure of the bushing at the connection of the shift lever cable to the actuator arm on the transmission body. This occurred while out and about, car was not cold. As expected, this resulted in the shift lever being stuck in park and the car would not crank. When the flatbed driver arrived, he found half of that little white bushing on the ground, half still hanging on the end of the shift cable. He attempted a roadside fix but no luck, so car was taken to our local big Chevy dealership. They replaced the bushing (and installed a new battery) and said all was well.
It was not.
A couple of weeks later, with car sitting in driveway (cold), she wouldn’t crank. Turning the key resulted in the dash powering up as normal, and the power windows and door locks all worked, but when turing the key to the start position all we got was a relay-sounding click from under the hood and no cranking. Shift lever stuck in park, couldn’t even push down on the shift lever button. Brake pedal seemed very hard as well.
I should note that the wife always depresses the brake pedal when turning the key, even though the service techs said this was not actually necessary as the SSR does not check brake pedal position before allowing the starter to engage. When we experience the “won’t crank” scenario she described the brake pedal feel as “very stiff, very hard to depress” when the car is off and cold.
I should also mention that we had the dreaded "Check Brake System" alert on the dash display a while back, and managed to have the ABS computer module replaced with a reman unit as new ones were unavailable from GM. This was before any of this shift lever business started, but I mention it in case failures of the ABS module could interact with the start procedure in any way.
So I read all the threads I could find on this forum relating to this issue, and purchased The Dicktator’s upgraded shifter cable bushing kit from the Simple Engineering website. I also got the ABS module heat shield and some other goodies. In addition, I purchased OEM ignition switch, brake pedal position sensor / switch, and shift lever solenoid modules online, just in case any of these were failing and causing the problem. With all these parts in hand, the SSR decided to start that day, so we took it back to the dealer and described all that we had learned.
Dealership installed The Dicktator’s shift cable bushing kit and the ABS module heat shield, and found a vacuum leak in our brake master cylinder, which was replaced with a reman unit. They also installed the brake pedal position sensor / switch that I had brought, but did not install my replacement ignition switch or shift lever solenoid. They said all was well.
It was not.
The SSR drove fine for a week or so, and then yesterday refused to crank, just like before. Brake pedal feels hard, shift lever stuck in park and unable to depress the button, although dash powers up and door locks and power windows all work as normal from battery power. Turning the key results in dash power-up and that single click from under the hood that sounds like the starter relay closing. But she won’t crank.
In the past, when this problem first started cropping up (but before the initial failure of the shift cable bushing that left us stranded), the wife has managed to get the SSR to crank by leaning heavily on the brake pedal, as if getting it closer to the floor would somehow close the circuit. The service techs explained that the brake pedal does not need to be depressed to allow the starter to engage, and even if it did, the brake pedal position sensor / switch is designed to actuate as soon as the pedal is depressed just a tiny bit, so the brake lights come on as soon as you touch the brake pedal - (and they do, even when the SSR won’t crank) - and that there is no “secondary switch” that only actuates when the pedal is pressed further. But the wife maintains that pressing hard on the brake pedal in the past would get the SSR to crank, so who am I to argue?
So - now we’re right back where we started. Even with The Dicktator’s shift cable bushing kit, a new battery and reman brake master cylinder, and new OEM brake pedal position sensor / switch installed - the SSR is stuck in park and won’t crank.
We’ll have it dragged back to the dealership again, but it would be great if I could point them at the problem so that they don’t stand there scratching their heads and saying, “I dunno, man…. that’s weird.”
At this point this will be the third trip for service of the same problem, and the wife is ready to call in an air strike on the dealership!
And so I’m reaching out to you, the sage wizards of SSR innards, to see if anybody has any suggestions about what to look for next?
TL;DR = 2005 SSR with automatic trans won’t crank. Shift lever stuck in park, button won’t depress, turning key powers up the dash and windows, but turning key results in only the relay click from engine compartment and no cranking.
Long version = About a month ago our 2005 SSR with automatic trans suffered a failure of the bushing at the connection of the shift lever cable to the actuator arm on the transmission body. This occurred while out and about, car was not cold. As expected, this resulted in the shift lever being stuck in park and the car would not crank. When the flatbed driver arrived, he found half of that little white bushing on the ground, half still hanging on the end of the shift cable. He attempted a roadside fix but no luck, so car was taken to our local big Chevy dealership. They replaced the bushing (and installed a new battery) and said all was well.
It was not.
A couple of weeks later, with car sitting in driveway (cold), she wouldn’t crank. Turning the key resulted in the dash powering up as normal, and the power windows and door locks all worked, but when turing the key to the start position all we got was a relay-sounding click from under the hood and no cranking. Shift lever stuck in park, couldn’t even push down on the shift lever button. Brake pedal seemed very hard as well.
I should note that the wife always depresses the brake pedal when turning the key, even though the service techs said this was not actually necessary as the SSR does not check brake pedal position before allowing the starter to engage. When we experience the “won’t crank” scenario she described the brake pedal feel as “very stiff, very hard to depress” when the car is off and cold.
I should also mention that we had the dreaded "Check Brake System" alert on the dash display a while back, and managed to have the ABS computer module replaced with a reman unit as new ones were unavailable from GM. This was before any of this shift lever business started, but I mention it in case failures of the ABS module could interact with the start procedure in any way.
So I read all the threads I could find on this forum relating to this issue, and purchased The Dicktator’s upgraded shifter cable bushing kit from the Simple Engineering website. I also got the ABS module heat shield and some other goodies. In addition, I purchased OEM ignition switch, brake pedal position sensor / switch, and shift lever solenoid modules online, just in case any of these were failing and causing the problem. With all these parts in hand, the SSR decided to start that day, so we took it back to the dealer and described all that we had learned.
Dealership installed The Dicktator’s shift cable bushing kit and the ABS module heat shield, and found a vacuum leak in our brake master cylinder, which was replaced with a reman unit. They also installed the brake pedal position sensor / switch that I had brought, but did not install my replacement ignition switch or shift lever solenoid. They said all was well.
It was not.
The SSR drove fine for a week or so, and then yesterday refused to crank, just like before. Brake pedal feels hard, shift lever stuck in park and unable to depress the button, although dash powers up and door locks and power windows all work as normal from battery power. Turning the key results in dash power-up and that single click from under the hood that sounds like the starter relay closing. But she won’t crank.
In the past, when this problem first started cropping up (but before the initial failure of the shift cable bushing that left us stranded), the wife has managed to get the SSR to crank by leaning heavily on the brake pedal, as if getting it closer to the floor would somehow close the circuit. The service techs explained that the brake pedal does not need to be depressed to allow the starter to engage, and even if it did, the brake pedal position sensor / switch is designed to actuate as soon as the pedal is depressed just a tiny bit, so the brake lights come on as soon as you touch the brake pedal - (and they do, even when the SSR won’t crank) - and that there is no “secondary switch” that only actuates when the pedal is pressed further. But the wife maintains that pressing hard on the brake pedal in the past would get the SSR to crank, so who am I to argue?
So - now we’re right back where we started. Even with The Dicktator’s shift cable bushing kit, a new battery and reman brake master cylinder, and new OEM brake pedal position sensor / switch installed - the SSR is stuck in park and won’t crank.
We’ll have it dragged back to the dealership again, but it would be great if I could point them at the problem so that they don’t stand there scratching their heads and saying, “I dunno, man…. that’s weird.”
At this point this will be the third trip for service of the same problem, and the wife is ready to call in an air strike on the dealership!
And so I’m reaching out to you, the sage wizards of SSR innards, to see if anybody has any suggestions about what to look for next?
Thanks for ALL you do to help the R family.:grin2: Your OK in my book.
