Jalopnik 
Enter your username and password.
-
posts about #dodgechargermagnumpolicerecallshiftercolumn more → 
Dodge Recalls Over 20,000 Charger and Magnum Police Cars
Detroit, 3:37 PM
Sat Dec 5
16 posts in the last 24 hours
Tip your editors:
Editor-in-Chief:
Ray Wert | | AIM
Road Test Editor:
Wes Siler |
Weekend Editor:
Murilee Martin |
Associate Editor - Houston:
Associate Editor - Detroit:
Editor-at-Large:
Contributors:
John Krewson |
| posts about #dodgechargermagnumpolicerecallshiftercolumn more → |
Dodge Recalls Over 20,000 Charger and Magnum Police Cars |
Original material is licensed under a Creative Commons License permitting non-commercial sharing with attribution.
11/08/08
11/08/08
Apparently the column shift would slip from 'P' to 'R', and some woman got backed over by her full-size Ford while she was standing with the driver door open (I seem to recall reading that their were fatal consequences). The sticker warned against exiting the vehicle with the engine running.
After disassembling the dash a few times, my gear indicator no longer accurately displayed the selected gear. I just counted the detents to know what gear I was going to.
11/07/08
The old standby is to jam that bugger up as high as it will go; wiggle it around and try for best two out of three feel of security. Take your foot off the brake and wait a moment; no motion? Maybe ok. Lunge forward in the seat a couple of times like an idiot to see if you can get it rolling.
But even if it passes the lunge test, the lever can always slip a little. So get that emergency brake set, get the brick from the floorboard to chock the wheel--yeah, wheel, singular, because a brick can easily keep something that weighs 2 tons from moving. And turn those wheels into the curb.
It'll probably be there when you get back.
11/07/08
At the point where almost all of the transplant except a custom propshaft and e-brake cables were completed, I had to drive the truck. Hey, no problem, just cap the rear tranny output and roll in 4WD (so, fwd)!
Worked great, except for one little detail..
The 4WD was air/vacuum activated: Motor off = no 4WD. That, plus the combination of no rear driveshaft, e-brake cables, or smarts, meant that the first time I put it in 'P'ark -- on nearly-but-not-quite level ground -- I was damned lucky to look over my shoulder as I walked away.
11/07/08
11/07/08
No, this isn't a hypothetical example.
11/07/08
Solution? Count notches from park or last gear selected to figure out where you are. I also prefer column shifters on automatics, if only to free up some more floor space for storage.
11/07/08
Not that I'd know, obviously...
11/07/08
11/07/08
11/07/08
@philibuster:
Got a local cover band here in STL who call themselves The Ultra-Violets. I've yet to meet a soul in the audience who gets it. Must be going on 10 years at this point.
11/07/08
11/08/08
11/07/08
Also, I've always preferred my automatics in column form. It's not like I'm shifting the thing, so get the shifter up and out of the way, yeah?