My 2000 Pontiac Montana gear shift lever moves freely, but does not shift. Where is the linkage located under the hood and to the transmission and how do you repair or replace it?

SOURCE: 2000 Pontiac Montana hood won't open

Many times if you pull on the release and have someone give a sharp "bounce" on the leading edge of the hood it will get the latch to work. If you get it open, make sure you spray the mechanism with some wd40 to free it up.

SOURCE: 1997 pontiac sunfire manual transmission won't shift out of gear.

What you can try is to remove the shift cables from the transmission side. then move the shifter and see if everything is free if it's still sticks then the cables are going to be replaced. if everything is moving with the cable off. then you need to remove the shift tower on the tranny (where the shift cable is I belive it's 5 bolts) remove the tower and you will see the shift pin. Inside the tower there is a cotter pin that breaks and that will cause you to have one gear and unable to selected another gear. If you are not mech inclined I would no attemped the shift tower repaire, the cables do it will save you money. The shift tower has bushings that can fall into the tranny.

SOURCE: why won't my 2000 pontiac montana transmission

the transmission is gone, check all fuse and relay for the transmission. last effort, hope it fix your problem

SOURCE: 2000 Pontiac Montana . Goes

It sounds like the pressure control solenoid inside the transmission. With that many miles I would suggest going ahead and rebuilding it. You need to remove the transmission from the van anyway to replace the solenoid. I have rebuild several of these, be sure to put in a shift kit, it makes a big difference. I've rebuilt them before and wasn't happy with the way it shifted, so I pull it back out, put in the kit and that did the trick. So, needless to say, I always put the kit in the first time. Although, I do know a guy that changed his filter and added some Lucus oil treatment for the transmission to the new oil, and he says he hasn't had that problem sence........makes me wonder.

ZJ Limited

• 17989 Answers
• Posted on Sep 13, 2011

SOURCE: The gear shift on my

If that fluid is full and it will not move at all forward or reverse then either an axle has failed eighter right front or left front (usually would see fluid leaking out or hear a noise) or more than likey either the pump inside the transmission has failed or somehting internal like the chain or input clutch or drum. Its going to have to get to a shop to see how deep inside the transmission the problem is.

If the trans doesn't engage into gear when selected that is more of a mechanical problem rather than electrical. There has been a service bulletin for that type of concern.

You will want to have the transmission checked by a trans shop or dealership to have an estimate of the repairs. Here is what it states.

A/T - Gear Engagement Time Information

INFORMATION
Bulletin No.: 03-07-30-007E
Date: May 05, 2008
Subject: Engagement Time of Electronically Controlled Transmissions in General Motors Vehicles (Garage Shifts, Park to Reverse, Neutral to Drive, Neutral to Reverse, Park to Drive, Delayed Engagement) Models:
2000 - 2002 Chevrolet Camaro
2000 - 2005 Chevrolet Corvette
2000 - 2002 Pontiac Firebird
2004 - 2006 Pontiac GTO
2000 - 2008 All GM Light Duty Trucks
2003 - 2008 HUMMER H2
2006 - 2008 HUMMER H3
2005 - 2008 Saab 9-7X

with 4L60-E (RPO M30) or 4L65-E (RPO M32) Automatic Transmission

Supercede: This bulletin is being revised to add the 2008 model year to the trucks. Please discard Corporate Bulletin Number 03-07-30-007D (Section 07 - Transmission/Transaxle).

Park/Neutral to Reverse or Drive (commonly called garage shift) engagement times may be different from what many customers might be accustomed to especially if they have recently traded for a General Motors vehicle.

Normal Park/Neutral to Reverse or Drive engagement time will be in the vicinity of one (1) second if the automatic transmission fluid (ATF) is above 0°C (32°F). When the ATF is colder than 0°C (32°F), the engagement time will become longer the colder the transmission fluid. A time limit factor cannot be placed on proper engagement times because the factors that affect transmission operation are many.

At the moment of engine start, for economy and emission requirements, the transmission line pressure is maintained at low levels. This allows a lower cold idle engine RPM (the colder the oil is, the higher the energy level (engine torque output) required to pressurize the oil).

When the driver moves the shift lever from "Park/Neutral" to "Reverse" or any "Drive" range, the following actions must occur for the powertrain control module (PCM) to determine at what pressure to control the transmission line pressure.

The module will look at the following items:
1. The voltage readings of the engine coolant temperature sensor (ECT).
2. The voltage reading of the transmission fluid temperature sensor (TFT).
3. Whether or not air conditioning is requested.
4. Movement of the shift lever and controls engine RPM based on the gear position selected. The module will adjust the engine RPM in response to the torque requirements needed to increase transmission line pressure.

When the module determines the status of the above items, the module will apply the appropriate signal to the PWM pressure control solenoid, thereby controlling the application of the required clutch(es) depending on the driver's selection.

Controlling transmission apply pressures allows the transmission to engage in a smooth manner, thus reducing the potential of abrupt/harsh engagement of the transmission.

All of the above actions happen very quickly; however, the resultant time interval may be approximately one second.

When determining if shift times are excessive, the exact conditions that the vehicle was in at the time the extended garage shift occurred must be duplicated. The following are several possible conditions.
^ Was the vehicle outside or in a heated garage?
^ What was the temperature of the environment at the time of the occurrence?
^ Length of time the vehicle sat unused, such as overnight or a weekend, etc.? A vehicle that has been driven to the service facility cannot be tested for this concern because the transmission, the engine oil and the coolant are no longer at the temperature they were when the customer experienced the condition.

No attempts to repair should occur unless the condition can be duplicated under the conditions the customer experienced.

Road test the vehicle following the steps below until the vehicle engine and transmission temperatures are at normal operating temperatures. This is approximately 16 km (10 mi) of driving.
1. In a safe manner, bring the vehicle to a complete stop.
2. Place the shift lever in Neutral and wait five seconds.
3. Place the shift lever in Drive. A delayed engagement of approximately one (1) second will occur. THIS IS NORMAL. This time may be extended if the engine RPM is above the base idle, controlled by the driver's foot rather than the control module.
4. Drive the vehicle for a distance of not less than a tenth of a mile (160 m).
5. In a safe manner, bring the vehicle to a complete stop.
6. Place the shift lever in Neutral and wait five seconds.
7. Place the shift lever in Reverse. A delayed engagement of approximately one (1) second will occur. THIS IS NORMAL. This time may be extended if the engine RPM is above the base idle, controlled by the driver's foot rather than the control module.
8. Place the shift lever in Neutral and wait five seconds.
9. Place the shift lever in Drive. A delayed engagement of approximately one (1) second will occur. THIS IS NORMAL. This time may be extended if the engine RPM is above the base idle, controlled by the driver's foot rather than the control module.

If an out of line condition (excessively long time, over two seconds, to engage a gear) is observed, the following components within the transmission should be inspected for the cause of the concern.
^ Forward clutch piston seals (delay to drive)
^ Forward accumulator piston and seal for damage (delay to drive)
^ Low and reverse clutch piston seals (delay to reverse)
^ Reverse input clutch piston seals (delay to reverse)
^ Stator shaft to reverse input drum seals (delay to reverse)


Hope this helps.