Still trying to figure out what to do about my 2000 camry shifter. The car has 145K miles on it and is in great condition. The shifter has become my latest problem. It has become sensitive to being in the correct position to cause the trans to go into drive. I usually have to slightly pull it back to cause the shift into drive. It's position has also affected my cruise control being able to activate. I stopped by the Toyota dealer and they played dumb as to whether this is a typical problem for a camry of this vintage. So here are my questions: (1) Should there be a detent for each gear selection? As I pull the shifter back toward 2nd gear it becomes more difficult and 1st gear is no longer attainable, (2) If there are detents, are they in the shifter mechanism inside the console?, (3) I was told that the detents are inside the transmission. If that is true, that becomes a major job to repair?, (4) Could there be a problem with my shift cable? Do they stretch or become corroded inside causing more effort to move the shifter. Do they need periodic adjustment?, (5) I took the car to a trans shop and was told for an estimate as much as $300. I welcome any advice, tips, guidance, etc on this topic as I would like to fix this myself instead of getting robbed by the dealer.

 

Perhaps the shift cable is out of adjustment. The shift arm location on the trans should be in Park, when the gear selector inside the car is in Park. Disconnect shift cable end from shifter arm and if required move arm to Park position. With gear selector inside car in Park, determine if the shift cable end is oriented in the correct position to bolt to arm.

Inspect the shift cable itself under the rubber boot on the trans end. It is common for the cable to break where it attaches to the end fitting that bolts to the arm. Check for damage or fraying.

To test the detent system INSIDE trans, remove the shifter cable from the arm on trans. Then move arm and feel for a detent at EACH gear position.

There is a rotary electrical switch behind the shift arm. This is what tells the engine computer if the trans is D, P, N.

If detent system has failed, it can be easily accessed by dropping trans pan. The detent system has a cam mounted to the shift arm. A spring arm having a roller end rides on the cam. The spring arm is held to the trans by a couple of bolts. If the detent system has failed, the arm may have broken off. The dealer can order one.

The gear selector has a stop to prevent shifting from N to R without pressing the side button. There is also a solenoid lock requiring the ign and brake to be on to move from Park. You can manually override this by using the override button hidden by small plastic cover on the shifter cover have the shift letters.