Hi, my 1997 Camry LE just recently **** the bed in a target parking lot and I have no idea whats wrong with it. The engine works fine, everything works except when I try to shift out of park it does not shift. The shifter is very loose and it will move freely even if I don't press the button. When I move it to reverse or drive it does not show up on the dash that I even left park, I think it is just an electrical problem but I don't really know.

Any help would be appreciated

 

The shifter inside the car is physically connected to a lever on the the trans by a push/pull cable. Moving the shifter moves the cable which moves the lever on the trans which shifts the trans gears.

The cable can break, typically where it connects to the lever on the trans.

Have someone move the shifter inside the car while you watch the shift lever on the transmission.

This lever is visible when standing in front of the car, hood open. Follow the trans dip stick down to the trans then look around for a large cable going to a lever on the side of the trans case facing the radiator. This cable is connected to the shift lever inside the car.

If the cable is broken at the trans lever you should still see the end of the cable move in and out of the cable sheath. With engine off you can also try to manually shift the lever on the trans. If the cable NOT broken, you should not be able to move the lever.
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If the cable is broken you should be able to reconnect it to the lever using wire. This should hold long enough for you to get the car to a shop.

The dash lights are connected to a switch on the inside of the shifter lever. The switches engage with trans shift lever movement.

If the shift lights on the dash are not illuminating with shifter movement, the shifter lever may not be moving.

The cable might also be broken or disconnected where it attaches to the shift lever inside the car but this is not very common.