What to Do if Your Chevy Silverado Gear Shifter Is Not Working

Truck faults can be so frustrating, especially ones that compromise your ability to go anywhere. Just such an issue might be a malfunctioning gear shifter on your Chevy Silverado. This normally handy piece of equipment can cause major issues when it is not working properly.

In this post we will take a closer look at this innocuous little handle, what can go wrong with it and if we can do anything to fix the issue ourselves.

What Does the Chevy Silverado Gear Shifter Do?

To understand the issues that could cause troubles with a gear shifter we must first know what it should be doing when actually functioning correctly. The gear shifter allows you to choose the different gears on a manual transmission Chevy Silverado.

When this shifter does not engage the correct gears or becomes stuck this can cause some very annoying problems. So let's get down to what might be wrong.

Why Is the Chevy Silverado Gear Shifter Not Working?

You have started the Silverado and you are ready to get underway but the truck will not go into gear. This is a nightmare if you can’t get the truck into gear you are going nowhere fast. What could be wrong? Can I fix the issue myself? Well keep reading and let’s see if we can find out.

There are obviously many other reasons that your Chevy Silverado gear shifter may be malfunctioning but the above are the most common issues you may face. We will take a closer look at these issues and give you some insight on how to fix them.

Damaged Gears

The gear box is made up of several cogs which have teeth that interlock together with the other cogs to help the changing of the gears. Over time as metal teeth grind on metal teeth they start to wear down until they become so worn they no longer fully engage and can not turn each other anymore.

When this happens no amount of gear shifting will help you engage the gear you are looking for. You will be left with little choice now as the gearbox is a complex part of your Silverado, it’s time to see a mechanic.

If you happen to be skilled in fixing vehicles yourself perhaps you can do this yourself and save money but this may require a whole new gear box to remedy.

Brake Light Switch Failure

Believe it or not a faulty brake light can be the cause of the issue with your gear shifter. If for example the brake light switch is not working then signals to the solenoid shift interlock may not get through. When this happens the gear shifter does not function correctly.

If your shifter isn’t working have someone watch your brake lights while you press the brake. If they do not come on then there is an issue with the switch which is also causing the gear shifter problem. This thankfully is not a hard fix.

A new switch can be found at your local auto parts store and a YouTube video may be all you need to make the replacement yourself. If you are not in the least bit mechanically minded however there is nothing wrong with getting some extra help.

Damaged Safety Mechanism

If you don’t already know the safety mechanism is a built-in fail safe that helps to prevent accidental reversing accidents. Accidentally being in reverse has been the cause of a large number of accidents over the years so this is an important mechanism.

This safety mechanism includes solenoid cylinders which allow the gear shifter to move more easily. It receives signals from the brake pedals, however, when it is damaged it no longer gets these signals.

As a result of this lack of signals the gear shifter may become stuck and the key may also be trapped in the ignition. This obviously means that a replacement of this safety mechanism is needed straight away in order to free up your gears.

As this is a safety feature you should only challenge this yourself if you have complete confidence you can pull off the repair. You should otherwise contact a mechanic who can help you with the issue.

Low Gear Oil or a Leak

Pretty much every component in the engine of your Chevy Silverado needs oil to keep everything moving smoothly. The gears are no exception to this rule and they even have their own oil reservoir to keep them turning smoothly.

If there is not enough oil to keep the gears lubricated then they do not mesh together smoothly and may grind harshly against one another causing undue wear and tear. As they struggle to turn together the gear shifter will become harder to move and you will hear audible noises from the gearbox.

A lack of oil in the gearbox may be the result of an oil leak so this should be investigated and fixed as soon as possible. Once this leak is found and fixed the oil should be replaced and you should find the shifter starts to work better again.

Limp Mode Has Been Activated

In Chevy Silverados there is a function known as “Limp Mode" which kicks in when an issue with the vehicle has been detected. This is because a sensor is reading that something is wrong such as overheating so the engine will limit its activity.

This is a protection precaution that makes sure you do not push your engine too hard if there is a developing issue. Even though this might just be a sign that a sensor is malfunctioning you will now no longer be able to drive normally.

Your only option is to get the vehicle somewhere where the problem can be diagnosed and fixed. There may be an actual problem or maybe the sensor just needs to be replaced but either way until this is done the Silverado is stuck in low power or limp mode.

Transmission Parking Pawl

The parking pawl is essentially a pin that engages into a notch in a metal ring which is attached to the transmission's output shaft. This is engaged when the gear shifter is in park. When in park this pin stops the transmission output shaft from turning and thus stops the drive wheels from turning as well.

If the parking pawl becomes stuck and will not disengage then the gear shifter will not move to the drive position. You may need to have this pawl replaced in order to get back underway.

Is It Cold Outside?

Sometimes there may be nothing wrong with the gear shifter at all and it could be a purely environmental issue. In cold conditions oil in the car can become thicker and move more slowly around the car.

There is a good reason you are advised to start your car on a cold morning and let it warm up before you go anywhere. Letting the engine warm up allows the oil to get warm and better do its job.

A stiff gear shifter could be caused by cold stiff oil in the gearbox. If you let the car run for a few more minutes the oil will warm up from the engine and the gears should become smoother again.

Conclusion

There are plenty of reasons that a gear shifter in your Chevy Silverado can become problematic. Generally speaking they are not always easy fixes so unless you have solid car care skills you may need some outside help to fix them.

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