Gearshift Cable Adjustment 5EAT automatic

[flatsix fool]

Can anyone point me to a source for information on adjusting the gearshift cable on the 5EAT transmission? The 5 speed automatic used in the 6 cylinder Outback and Tribeca has a different cable than the pre-CVT 4 speed automatic used with the 4 cylinder Outback and Forester. All the documentation I find online pertains to the 4 speed. 

[Fairtax4me]

How about year and model?

[flatsix fool]

The car is a 2005 Outback LL Bean, 3.0 six and 5 speed automatic (5EAT with 'sportshift' console shifter - not the pushbuttons on the steering wheel), a daily driver for nearly ten years with about 120,000 miles. 

 

A few weeks ago, the engine wouldn't crank, even with a fully charged battery. Cleaned up the battery and starter contacts, but no help. Released the gearshift lock and started in neutral, drove for a while, parked in my driveway and couldn't restart. Tapped the solenoid with a stick, it started, but when parked again, couldn't restart. Dash lights up, a few quiet clicks when the key is turned, but no cranking. 

 

Others have suggested the gearshift cable has stretched, possibly due to my shifting habits (first automatic in a long time, old habits die hard) but I've yet to determine how to adjust the cable.

 

Since I had a jammed cd changer, I removed the console and radio. Still have it out, hoping that someone might tell me there's something to adjust in the interior. 

 

All of the online references show an adjustment for the 4 speed automatic, mounted on the transmission case and only accessible beneath the car. But the cable shown, and the adjusting mechanism are different than what I see on my outback. I'm not about to take any more apart without having some idea of what I'm looking for.

 

Any help would be greatly appreciated. 

 

 

 

[flatsix fool]

I should add that the problem, as explained to me, is that the stretched cable won't allow the transmission interlock to disengage. If it can be shortened it can be made to do what it's supposed to. But how to shorten, and how to know how much to shorten?

[lstevens76]

Have you fully tested your neutral safety switch?  Every automatic somewhere (not sure where on this one) has a neutral safety switch to make sure you don't start it in R, D, 1, 2, etc...

 

If you were not having any shifting problems and the transmission was shifting ok before these problems started I would start with the NS switch as that is the most likely culprit.

[Fairtax4me]

Did you tap the starter solenoid and it started? That means the starter contacts are worn. If you have a simple test light, you can probe the small wire on the starter solenoid and the light should come on bright when the key is turned to the crank position. A voltmeter is even more useful because it will tell you exactly how much voltage is reaching that point. If you have more than 11v at the start wire on the solenoid, but no turning of the starter (no cranking) the solenoid contacts are probably worn.

Contact replacement is fairly simple and inexpensive. A replacement starter could set you back a few $$$. Then you may end up with a rebuild of questionable quality.

 

 

 

The cable is of the same design for 4eat and 5eat transmissions. The adjustment is done at the shift selector lever end where it sticks down through the floor pan.

 

The difference that you're probably seeing is that on the 4eat the park/Nuetral range switch is on the side of the trans.

 

The 5eat has the P/N and shift range switch built into the console, so there is no switch on the 5at transmission. Its possible if anything has been spilled in the console that the switch is sticky, but if moving the shift handle produces immediate change of shift position on the indicator in the instrument cluster, the range switch is fine.

When the sport shift mode is selected, the lever mechanism disengages from the selector cable, so moving the shift handle forward/back to the + and - positions produces no movement of the cable.

[flatsix fool]

Fairtax, thanks for all the advice.

 

I think the fact that it started after a solenoid tap was coincidental, since that was one of dozens of taps and none of the others helped. I just put a meter on the starter and found no juice flowing to the solenoid when the ignition key was turned. Dash lights up, needles sweep, chimes chime, but no start and no voltage indicated on the meter. And yes, the gear indicator lights in the dash properly display the gear selected at the console.

 

If not a bad relay, I'm back to assuming that the problem lies somewhere in the gearshift/neutral safety switch/interlock.

 

This has been a heavily used family car for a decade, and between kids and dogs and miscellaneous food and drink, there's a lot of accumulated crud beneath the console. I've cleaned it up and found no obvious sticking or binding on movable parts, and no electrical connections that seem to have been affected.

[Fairtax4me]

I'll have to take a second look at the wiring diagram for that car. If I remember right the ECU only gets a start signal from the ignition switch, it then grounds a relay to engage the starter solenoid.

[flatsix fool]

......with no juice flowing to the starter I unbuttoned everything again undid the starter contacts-that appeared to be clean-reattached them and just for the hell of it ran a jumper from the ground connection on the starter directly to the battery and....IT STARTS...with the jumper getting very hot in the process.

 

So it may really be as simple as a bad ground. Cleaning all the contacts thoroughly and will add additional ground wire capable of handling the current.

 

Still have to get the cd changer working, but that's a minor issue now that the car seems to be running again.

 

Thanks to everyone, especially Lucy Texan and Fairtax for their input.

[flatsix fool]

Of course that's not the end of the story.

 

I ran what I thought was a substantial wire from the braided starter ground to the battery negative terminal. The car started, but the insulation melted and the wire burned. Tried it once more with 10 gauge copper house wire connected to the bolt six inches away that's got a direct connection to the battery and it still melted the insulation

 

I know that there's a huge current draw at the starter, but that seems excessive for normal operation.

Before I pull the starter out, is there anything else I should consider?

[Fairtax4me]

I'm not sure which braided ground you're talking about. But I'm pretty sure that wire is binding because you're shorting source voltage to ground while cranking, Which is bad. Stop that or its gonna burn your whole car to the ground.

The starter motor grounds through the metal housing of the starter, which grounds through the large bracket held by the upper starter bolt.

If the starter works when you jumped 12v directly to the start terminal (the small spade terminal) the ground is fine.

 

It sounds like your issue is that the wire that goes to that terminal is not getting power when you turn the key to Start. There could be a few reasons for that, but they can be narrowed down pretty easily just by checking some things at the starter relay.

The start relay is in a big relay block under the dash on the drivers side with about 6 or 7 other relays. Hopefully it's labeled somehow so you dont have to guess at which is the correct relay.

Mark the start relay with a paint dot or sticker so you know which it is in case its bad, and it doesn't get mixed around with the other relays.

 

Once you've found it.

1. Try to start the engine and see if you can feel the relay click when you turn the key to Start.

If you feel it click, the coil circuit for the relay is working properly.

2. Turn the key to start and smack the relay with a screwdriver handle a few times. Does this make the engine start? If yes, can it be repeated 3-4 times? If yes, the contacts in the relay are probably burned and it needs to be replaced.

3. If hitting the relay does not cause the engine to start, remove the start relay, find a similar relay in the block and plug it in in the start relays place. Try to start the engine. Does it start? If yes, start again 3-4 times to be sure its repeatable. Does it start every time? If yes, start relay is bad, replace it. If no, possible wiring issue, or the start contacts are burned in the ignition switch.