tmuti13

anyone know where this is located on an AWD RX300? I can't find pictures or anything anywhere. thanks.

Lexmex

Ah, I think I know what you are talking about. Look on the front of the transmission.

tmuti13

Thanks, Lex. as always, you are right there with an answer. this looks to me like it would be maybe a foot or so below the top of the transmission dip stick?

Lexmex

Here is another shot. Tranny dipstick is a bit above, just noticed where the tranny pan is and you should be able to locate it.

tmuti13

Thanks again Lex!

Lexmex

I don't have the actual shot of the linkage, but it is there. It is a major PITA to play around with, but not impossible given the space limitations.

lexus114

Just curious for your concern,are you going to lubricate the linkage?

tmuti13

well my concern stems from an earlier post about transmission issues (not being able to go in reverse or push the vehicle when in neutral - the vehicle acts like it is in park).

I dropped the pan, did a filter change and put in new fluid and still having the same issue.

i talked to a transmission guy yesterday and he mentioned that the shift linkage could be the problem. He also mentioned a parking pawl (which I'm also not sure where this is located) being stuck. So if anyone knows where the parking pawl is, that would be a great help as well.

I'm pretty mechanically inclined and have worked on cars (mostly american) for about 15 years, so if I can do anything to avoid taking this thing to the shop, I will.

Lexmex

For the Pawl, I think you're going to have to dig inside the tranny.

tmuti13

That's what I was afraid of.

lexus114

I know that can happen,when the vehicle is parked on a steep hill,with out the park brake being applied first.Puts pressure on it,and makes it difacult to get out of park.(that is internal btw)how far in,Idont know.

tmuti13

when you say get our of park, do you mean that you can still move the gear shift out of park (like I can still on mine) and the car not move or do you mean that the gear shift itself will not get out of park and is stuck?

lexus114

In the situations i have been in,i couldn`t even move the shifter out of park.(did not happen in this car yet)Last time this happened to me, was in my beater car,1997 cavalier.

tmuti13

well, i'm ruling out the linkage as the problem. my brother came over and got in the rx and changed gears and the linkage moved in each gear. we also put some tow straps on his truck and tried pulling the rx out while it was in neutral. my brother was able to drag it a few feet and we decided to stop as the wheels were still locked up (btw, i could drive the rx when it was in D, but i could only go a couple of feet because of the curb in front of my house). i did a quick search on parking pawl and it sounds like this is the issue. Here is the description of the park pawl and its function:

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
A parking pawl is a device fitted to a car's automatic transmission that locks up the transmission. It is engaged when the shift selector is placed in the Park position, which is always the first position (topmost on a column shift, frontmost on a floor shift) in all cars sold in the United States since 1965 (when the order was standardised by the SAE) and in most other vehicles worldwide.

The parking pawl locks the transmission's output shaft to the transmission casing by engaging a pawl (a pin) that engages in a notched wheel on the shaft, stopping it (and thus the driven wheels) from turning.

Most manufacturers and mechanics do not recommend using the transmission's parking pawl as the sole means of securing a parked vehicle, instead recommending it should be engaged after first applying the vehicle's parking brake. Constant use of the parking pawl only, especially when parking on a steep incline, means that driveline components are kept constantly under stress, and can cause wear and eventual failure of the parking pawl or transmission linkage. The pawl might also fail or break if the vehicle is pushed with sufficient force, if the parking brake is not firmly engaged. Replacement can be an expensive operation since it generally requires removing the transmission from the car.

It is also not recommended to use the parking pawl to stop a vehicle in motion. The pawl mechanism is not strong enough to stop a vehicle in motion or may not engage at all. Under that much stress, the pawl may break off in the transmission, leading to costly repairs.

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parking_pawl"

carguy07

So you can go forward but not backward?