I just completed an engine replacement on a 1998 civic. This is the first one I have ever done with an automatic transmission. When I was trying remount the trans to the new engine, I removed the shifter cable from the trans.

long story short here. I got the whole thing back together, and it doesn’t shift correctly. When I put it into say, reverse, I’m in neutral. (Basically, it’s off by a notch or not quite a notch) So I attempted to adjust the cable under the shifter. It seems to be an impossible length required. How could this be? I got under there and looked, sure enough it was not all the way forward, into park. Any suggestions?Something I’m missing maybe? Doesn’t make any sense to me right now.

 

Put shifter in park
Put transmission in park
Bolt up the shifter cable

 

this is what I attempted to do. It needed to come so far forward, that the adjustment collar just fell off the end. Doesn’t make sense.

 

Well, this is the 1st time you've done a swap on an automatic so maybe thats why its not making sense. If you're sayin your shifter is in reverse but its not moving because its in neutral than you need to move it one more position. Also you wouldn't be able to start car if it was in any other gear other than Park and Neutral.

 

Was this after you tried doing the cable adjustment under the shifter cover?

Maybe you shortened the length of the cable so it now won't reach the lever on the transmission under the car when in park.

 

when I try to adjust it longer, so it reaches the proper place for park, I run out of adjustment. It comes completely off

 

the adjustment it too short to do that, this is why I am thinking I am missing something somewhere else

 

It can’t come out further. And as you can tell, it’s out a lot more then it was, which doesn’t make sense to me. I realize the retaining clip isn’t in, I was just trying to show you how far out I have it, and it still isn’t long enough

 

Anyone near Austin/Killeen TX, that could maybe help me finish this? I need to get this thing done...

 

It shouldn't be too short.

 

I agree, but it is. Could I have the cable twisted or something like that? I don’t see anything majorly wrong with it.

 

Did you remove the transmission completely, did you do anything else. Long stories being shorten don't explain what happened in between.

 

engine blew(literally) so I removed both the engine and trans, through the bottom. Attached the new engine to the trans the first time without removing cable. Crushed a dowel, so pulled it back apart. Installed again, to make it easier, I disconnected the cable, got it all back in, got it to start, but the shifter didn’t line up with the corresponding position light.

 

Can you provide pictures of the cable to transmission housing?

 

Did you lose any transmission fluid? I find it odd that your car was in neutral instead of reverse. If you had started the car it would've reverse into someone. Remember, you can only start the car i neutral and park.

 

this is mostly true, it wasn’t ALL the way in park. Move it down to reverse, that’s neutral, neutral, that’s D4.

be forewarned, if the shifter **** says park, but it’s not really, it will start....

 

You'll need to download the FSM to adjust the cable again. Hopefully everything was installed back its place around the shifter cable on the transmission, theres a piece that holds the cable in place.

 

This would be why I always remove the shift cable cover plate on the transmission and then remove the cable pivot arm and cable to remove the transmission... no adjustment is needed when you put everything back in later.