Shannon Sue

So I did the soda spill on the center console/gear shift. I can't find out how to take the black plastic off around the shift to get to my circuit board to clean it and hit it with the blow dryer. I tried taking my whole assembly out but the front torx bolt is stripped to a circle (Im literally crying) I got the small plastic piece off the left top of the gear shift module and see half of the board. Im so rough, I already broke several things taking my console off to try and get the gear shift module off. Ive read several threads and searched. Someone please help before I lose my mind. I have 5 kids in several extracurricular activities, a full time night job, and I've been without a vehicle for 2 months. This sucks LOL

khomer2

Welcome Shannon Sue,
Sorry to hear about your removal issues.

For the stripped torx screw, you need to drill it out with unless you can use a small head-type of vise grips to grab the head and turn (you will need to replace it, of course)

Watch this video (plenty on utube...)


For the spillage cleanup, use electrical contact spray cleaner as instructed.

Plutoe

If its been two months, I bet the assembly is dry

raymond g-

true, but dry doesn't mean that the electrics will return to normal. note that what was spilled was not water but
soda which means sugar, which means sticky and attracts dirt and dust .... all of which may further insulate
electrical contacts. of course, anything not totally evaporated may still serve to create an electrical connection
when it is not desired.

hyperion667

Soda sux! And why do so many people begin sentences with SO these days?!

Shannon Sue

SO-da... Idk you tell me since you are one!!!

Shannon Sue

I cleaned the little board and then found out my battery died. I got a new battery, and hooked everything back up (I think). Nothing happens when I put key in. Only the first time I put it in stuff came on such as A/C and I quickly turned it off. Also, the radio code appeared but I didnt have my book out so I turned key off. After that, I got nothing. The key wont turn at all!! Where do I go from here? Buy a gear shift assembly? They have some on ebay. I have a 2000 automatic and I was worried about the process after installation of the newer assembly. Will I need to find a guy with a computer or does it plug and play? I see in my book the resyncing process for my ESP, windows, and headrest after battery replacement so I know I will have to do that. Thanks for the help!

raymond g-

sometimes, if you include your location in your profile, a helpful forum member may be nearby and
can take a look with you. your descriptions may not fully describe all the clues one needs to
troubleshoot such as sounds, clicks, lights flashing etc. troubleshooting tips: always measure
the obvious several times, don't assume anything, and avoid chasing symptoms by guessing
and replacing parts -- it could get expensive if your guess is wrong.

the fact that you mentioned the radio code implies that voltage is present. be careful how you
describe what you see/hear. when you say "nothing happens" is not as good a description vs
"no ignition click...no instrument panel lights..."

don't dump money into a gear shift assembly (yet) because it's just a wild guess right now.

if I were there in front of the car, i'd be looking for quantifiable measures such as voltage
readings to start as well as confirming the health of the battery through load testing.

e350forme

sounds like battery is not hooked up properly ? usually its the easy stuff

I would start there since car doesnt start

get her started and then see if shifter is still having issues

finding a used shifter on ebay runs about 100 bucks

Shannon Sue

I changed the gear shift selector. When I went to power the car, I had to input radio code. All electronics came back on. However, the car would not crank! It tried to turn over but it seemed the starter wasnt coming on. The sound was a soft turning over where you could tell something important wasnt coming on. Is there something that has to be done with a computer? It seems like some anti-theft mechanism in place. I hope I make sense. The gear shift module was the correct one for my car and the company I bought it from said it was "plug and play" I'm not sure about that, as nothing else was wrong with the car before spilling soda. Can someone verify for me please?!

Shannon Sue

Im near Lafayette, Louisiana and I bought a new battery and changed it before the procedure of changing out the gear shift module. All connections are tight.

Shannon Sue

I'm used to working on my Ford truck. This is driving me nuts

Shannon Sue

By the way, I bought a grab it bit to get the stripped bolt but couldnt get it to budge so I broke the old gear shift module off and chiseled the plastic off from around the bolt and then used a wrech to get the bolt out

e350forme

check if your "main fuse" is intact.also, it is on passenger side, under that plastic cover. remove screws, pop cover and check if the big 40am fuse is good. sometimes wiggling the only black relay helps spring the starter to life. (plug and unplug the only black relay on the fuse panel). you will see alot of wires in this area of car. i think the housing is also for ecu and tcm which is for transmission.

I am working through a similar thing, car does not crank at all when i use the key. it ended up being the relay module, also called an overload panel.

Shannon Sue

ok I will check it. I saw the fuse box while installing the battery. I will update. One could only hope thats the problem. Thank you

hyperion667

Was it diet soda?

Shannon Sue

My daughter said it was coke.

E55Greasemonkey

I'm guessing it wont start because the transmission is in gear, or the shifter is not reporting gear selector position. Did you attach the shift rod onto the new shifter? Did it fall out? Is the current gear selection PRND showing in the instrument cluster?

Shannon Sue

Good question. I didnt notice the PRND on the cluster. Why would it not report the gear?
I did attach everything and put the pin back on. Is there supposed to be a click when the pin gets into place? How does it lock on? I can slide it off whereas when I took it off the first time I had to use a screw driver.

E55Greasemonkey

A faulty shifter assembly will cause the inst cluster gear to show blank, or sometimes just a pixel rectangle. Did you plug in all the wires on the shifter? The shift rod attaches to the shifter and the transmission with clips. Easy to tell if the car is not in park, it will roll. I've cleaned out "soda shifters" by taking them apart and using a hose outside and toothbrush to clean the circuit boards and place in the sun to dry.

Shannon Sue

The shifter rod is attached. I had to put the car in neutral to push it from under my carport to work on it. It was raining today. I will give you an update in the morning. The gear shift module I bought works. If no programming has to be done Im guessing it would be a relay or fuse. I just remember seeing ignition parts and a computer thing with the gear shift module in a bundle for sale and thought maybe I had to reprogram it or clear it or something.


**If anyone is mechanically inclined and has fb messenger I can send an audio of the sound the car is making when I try to start it.

Thanks for all the help

Shannon Sue

It did tell me take the key out when I tried to start it. Can anyone tell me why it would say that?

fabbrisd1

If the key was in the ignition during jump-start-battery-hookup - yes - a key can get fried, or worse.

Shannon Sue

Yesssss! I got it! It was the fuel pump relay. I thought that was for the starter. When I checked the fuses the fuel pump fuse had blown so I went ahead and got the relay. Popped that baby in and it was trying to start but wasnt getting there. Took a long screw to check the fuel pressure under the hood and she fired right up. Just had to get her going. Thank you everyone for the help. Even if what you said wasnt the solution I gained insightful information to be able to get down to the issue myself without wasting a lot of time and money.

Fair warning to new people reading... no drinks near the center console. It cost $160 total for the gear shift module, fuse. And relay. (Plus $160 for a new battery that I needed anyways)

e350forme

success!