91 245 shift lock works perfectly all day every day EXCEPT the first start in the morning. I have to use that yellow lever to shift it to drive before the first drive in the morning. After that everything is fine. I can then drive it one more time or ten more times during the day with no problem and I can hear and feel the shift lock solonoid click. I do not hear it first time in the morning though. I recently cleaned the electrical contact points in the pizza slice hoping to address this problem. A long time ago, while I was redoing the shift lever, I disabled the solonoid on another car. However, I forgot how I got it out and how involved the job was. Is there a procedure somewhere describing the replacement of the solonoid? Thanks. Erwin

Hi Erwin,

I don't know about any procedure to replace that solenoid. Thankfully I've always been successful at resolving the problem elsewhere.

The most common reason I've found, for early morning failure, is the brake light fuse is cracked in the middle. It fails to pass current until it warms up some and expansion causes the crack to be joined. Next time it happens, check both your brake light operation, and the snowflake light on the AC switch. The brake light is the most likely failure.
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Art Benstein near Baltimore

Dancing cheek-to-cheek is really a form of floor play.

I am wondering if I have the same issue, not quite sure. Would be interesting if so. What happens with mine is that:
before the first start, the gear is hard to engage. Specifically, the knob on top of the shift leaver cannot be pressed down. It usually works after a short while, after slight wiggling of the leaver or repeated stepping on the brake pedal. But this could also be superstition. Am I talking about the same symptom?
BTW, this is a 1991 240 with AW-70, 190k.
Cheers,
Boerre

The problem is, unless you have something behind you to reflect the light when you get in your car in the morning, you have a hard time determining your brake lights are operating. So you just might wind up speculating about this until it crosses that threshold of curiosity.

The way it is happened in at least two, maybe three instance I know of, is the brake fuse is broken. It falls apart if you pull it out. A new one can be seen to flex each time the pedal is pushed, so it is obvious to me the fuse element work hardens over time until it cracks - right in the middle where it is thinnest.

This may be the common reason the shifter doesn't release in the morning, but don't overlook more mundane causes, like a sluggish solenoid, sticky with a spilled soft drink (previous owner of course).
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Art Benstein near Baltimore

Sea captains don't like crew cuts.

Wow, I just couldn't have imagined that a cracked fuse could behave so predictably. Incredible.

But I changed the fuses (both 7 and 12 for good measure) and it didn't cure the problem, at least not entirely. So I will be looking into cleaning the solenoid of the spilled drinks, soft or not (previous owner).

Is this what I should be doing:
http://cleanflametrap.com/neutsw.html

Cheers,
Boerre

Well, if it was a cracked fuse (#7), it would have been obvious as soon as you removed it - it would fall apart*.

The pictorial on the neutral safety switch probably won't help here, even though that switch is involved in actuating the solenoid, it is also needed to run the starter. I assume you can start the car when this happens, but just feel ridiculous when it comes time to put it in gear.

Sorry, I have never needed to actually reach that solenoid, so I can't help if the problem actually is there. I have stuck a probe in its wire though, to make sure it was getting juice.

*Unless it is one of those glass fuses.
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Art Benstein near Baltimore

To err is human, to moo bovine.

Indeed, it starts no problems, just the shifting is an issue. It is quickly solved by wiggling the leaver. So I figure I should clean something in there. But I might wait until after the TABs, and wiggle in the meantime.

The #7 fuse stayed in one piece after taking it out, so that wasn't it.

Cheers,
Beorre

The only thing I can think of suggesting, would be very easy to do if you can remember to. Change your routine slightly. Before starting, pull the p-brake. Turn the key to kp-II, and wiggle the shifter, listening for a click coming from the shift lock relay in the center console around the coin tray.

If you don't hear one, use the manual release to get yourself in neutral - keep your foot off of the brake (remember p-brake it set) and move the shifter slowly around the neutral point until you can hear the relay engage as the neutral safety switch completes the circuit to its coil. This will verify the fuse 12 circuit all the way through the relay, neutral safety switch, and to ground through the starter itself.

Now, with it in neutral, shift relay engaged, step on the brake pedal, listening for the solenoid in the shifter. Because the manual release has now limited the solenoid's plunger travel, it won't be loud, but you'll be able to hear it engage if things are quiet where you are and the plunger isn't gunked up. The circuit here is fuse 6, through the brake light switch, relay contacts and solenoid and back to ground. I'm not familiar with where, exactly, the solenoid's black wire goes to ground. Maybe there's a loose screw there?
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Art Benstein near Baltimore

While their life may be 20,000 hours, a wayward baseball will break one of these $10 to $20 bulbs as easily as a 25 cent incandescent.