Did Something MEGA-Stoopid. Gear Shift Locked In Park

[Michale32086]

Yep, I did something mega stoopid....

I can disassemble and re-assemble a laptop blind-folded, but car mechanics is like voodoo magic to me..

I have a 2002 Subaru Forester.. Gutsy little car and I love it, but the CRUISE CONTROL never worked. I decided today was the day I would fix it!!

Yea.. GREAT idea...

There are 2 pushbuttons on the dash to the left and down a bit off the steering wheel.. One is for CRUISE CONTROL and the other is for FOG LIGHTS (which I don't have)...

After prying the 2 buttons out of the dash, I noticed that they were somewhat similar.. So thinking I would confirm that the switch itself is good/bad I swapped out the buttons.. Put the CRUISE CONTROL button in the FOG LAMPS connector and the FOG LAMPS button on the CRUISE CONTROL connector.. I kinda had to force it a bit which should have been my FIRST clue that this was a bad idea... (Did I mention I am a MAJOR dumb-arse???)

Anyways, I started the car to drive around a bit and check my er..."genius"... Gear shift is locked.. That thumb-button you have to push to take it out of PARK??? Locked up tight.. When I push the thumb button, I hear a relay clicking behind the dash but I cannot push that button in...

How badly did I frak things up???

Any assistance would be most appreciated..

 

[Dick Foster]

Don't know but I liked your story

 

[manicmechanic007]

If you are lucky, you just popped a fuse for the brake interlock that lets you shift
You switched them back, right?
Use your owners manual and a test light to track down any blown fuses
I have been working on Fords too long and not real sure just how Subaru does it
But some also have a plastic piece that travels down the shifter to make a secondary lock work
Some, you pull the knob off and fish out the broken piece of plastic
That is how our old console shift Ford Probes worked
Google an exploded view of your cars shifter is what I'd do first

 

[Hjulbyhavn]

I used to tell my students that when you build a computer you should make sure you get Smoke, a Bang or a Strong Smell of burned circuit board when you blow something up. It makes troubleshooting that much easier, and you don't get to do it more than once. I just fired up a 40 yr old amp that i didn't need to open judging by the smell - it really saves time.
I hope ManicMec is right about the fuse, learning how to pull a dashboard sound time consuming, plus what will you do with the extra fasteners and screws.
You could have popped a relay since the Fog light switch is not likely to be current limited. 1. Fuse 2. Relay 3. S#!!7

 

[bmart]

The old joke that everything runs on smoke. When you let the smoke out...it stops working.

 

[Dick Foster]

It's called magic smoke. I knew this to be true because I spent my life in the electronics industry. It's a universal truth.

 

[Michale32086]

Thanx for all the replies.. We spent a week or so in the mountains of North Carolina. Took the grandkids and the puppies up their to play in the snow.. Got caught up in an ice storm..

As an aside, I was amazed at how many Subaru cars I saw in the area.. Like every 3rd car we saw was a Subaru!!!

Anyways, thanks again for all the replies. I am gonna work on the Subaru today and see if I can square things up..

 

[Michale32086]

OK I disassembled the shift mechanism and found the locking tab and figured a way to disable the locking mechanism so the vehicle is drivable.. I couldn't find any fuse or anything blown to cause the lock to come down..

I am planning on taking the car into the shop and having a friend go over everything..

My question now is will disabling the locking tab screw anything else up?? I am assuming it's not a safe idea to disable the lock mechanism, but will it cause more damage??

Thanx again for all the help.. It's really appreciated...