Parked on an imcline: hard to get out of park

Vehicle data: W210/99 E320/ 5 speed automatic

When parked on an incline. it is rather difficult to move the gear lever from park to reverse/drive. BTW. I recently changed the transmission fluid.

Do I need a swifter selector adjustment? and if so how.

[G-Benz]

This is an issue with ALL auto trannys in park on an incline.

When placed in park, the vehicle will roll slightly until the park mechanism locks on the "pawl"

When attempting to disengage, the parking mechanism not only has to release from the pawl, but it has to overcome the resistance placed on it by the weight of the vehicle as a result of being on an incline.

So on a level surface, disengaging park is just a gentle "clunk"...on a hill, it's more of a "POW".

Totally normal...

[Rockman59]

When parking on a hill put the parking brake on first....then put the shifter into the park position. When leaving, take the shifter out of the park position first, then release the brake. No more problems.............

[nhdoc]

Originally Posted by Rockman59

When parking on a hill put the parking brake on first....then put the shifter into the park position. When leaving, take the shifter out of the park position first, then release the brake. No more problems.............

The Rockman is exactly right. In fact, you should not rely upon the pawl to hold the car as its primary restraint. That is what the parking brake is for, but especially on the hills you will appreciate it and save yourself all that clunking. You can put the car into park and set the parking brake before you take your foot off of the service brake which most people find becomes intuitive and second nature when you start doing it this way. Then, again, press the service brake and release the parking brake using the service brake to hold the car when you take it out of park...the key is not to allow the car to roll after you have put it into park or before you take it out of park.

[unkl300d]

If there is a sidewalk, curb the front tyre into it, then engage the parking brake, then put it into park. Then open the door. then leave. AND THEN.....

That helps alzo.

[Moneypit SEL]

Originally Posted by unkl300d

If there is a sidewalk, curb the front tyre into it, then engage the parking brake, then put it into park. Then open the door. then leave. AND THEN.....

That helps alzo.

Bad idea. I once had a roadside call from someone who did that very thing. The driver was unable to turn the ignition key to start the car because the weight of the car was being held by the front wheel jammed against the curb, which caused the steering wheel lock to bind. It was tight enough that I couldn't manually turn the steering wheel enough to relieve the stress. Eventually, I went bumper to bumper with the service truck and pushed enough to get things going again.

Originally Posted by G-Benz

This is an issue with ALL auto trannys in park on an incline.

When placed in park, the vehicle will roll slightly until the park mechanism locks on the "pawl"

When attempting to disengage, the parking mechanism not only has to release from the pawl, but it has to overcome the resistance placed on it by the weight of the vehicle as a result of being on an incline.

So on a level surface, disengaging park is just a gentle "clunk"...on a hill, it's more of a "POW".

Totally normal...

G-Benz & others: thanks..

This behavior just recently started and I am not taling about a 45 degrees incline, just a slight 1 or 2 degrees incline. I just think that something is just not right. I have gone back to some previous parking spots where the gear swift was smooth and now I hear some chunk noise when coming out of park.

BTW, is an MB selector lever and linkage adjustable?


In the case of an automatic, my driving habit is not to apply the park brake at each and every park except when parked at a noticeable incline. However for stick, the parl brake is apply every time.

[Jim H]

Originally Posted by PA2TU

...When parked on an incline. it is rather difficult to move the gear lever from park to reverse/drive...

As mentioned, this is to be expected.

The car has a manual Parking Brake for a reason: it is meant to be used each time the car is parked.

Regular use will prevent lockup you have experienced, and may prevent the Parking Brake components from binding due to corrosion.

The Parking Brake can be used to slow or stop if the Service Brakes become inoperative.

Refer to the Owner's Manual...

Don't feel too bad, though, 99% of drivers seem not to use the Parking Brake.

Best Regards,
Jim