Shift indicator flickers, cruise control cancels!

[Montego Murph]

So here's a little something I've not seen before.

Once every few weeks I'll be cruising along on the highway and the cruise control is not longer engaged, and the "D" indicator light is flickering as if there is a flaky connection.

When I come to a stop, jiggling the shift between D and 4 or N cleans up the connection and all is well again.

I'm guessing that after 167k miles, that contact in the shift selector is a little gummed up, and there's probably a yes/no circuit passing through that light to determine if the cruise control can be safely activated. (thus disconnecting the cruise control when the shift moves to neutral to prevent the engine from grenading at 12,000 RPM.) My plan is to find this switch, clean up the contacts which are probably covered with goopygoo like the old GM window switches, then be happy for another 160k.

I've taken the shift quadrant apart a few times to investigate the Sticky Shift Syndrome, but have never noticed a shift position sensor in there. To be fair though, I've never really looked for one either.

Any ideas where this might be?

 

[AuSeeker]

Not sure where the sensor is BUT could be possible that it's in the transmission?

Did you notice a wiring harness connected to the shifter assembly, if not then I would think it's all connected in the transmission?

 

[Montego Murph]

I don't remember... however I do have an old shift quadrant in the basement. I'll poke around on that and see what I see.

If THAT doesn't turn up anything, I could always remove the console on mine, disconnect the shift cable, and then move the shift back and forth. If the lights on the dash change, it's somewhere in the shift. If they don't, it's in the transmission!

 

[Montego Murph]

OK. I did a little snooping in the electrical schematic and learned that there is a something that Toyota calls the "Park Neutral Position Switch."

I can't seem to verify the location though. I don't recall seeing it in the shifter assembly when I took that apart a while back. It appears to be mounted to the outside of the transmission. These are the only mentions of it I can find in the service manual.

Anyone here recall seeing something that looks like this? It seems that "Cover, Engine Under, #2" is my location, but I can't find reference to that in the manual.

 

[Bassturd]

Those are usually bolted to the outside of the transmission. The picture in your diagram looks like it is. Should just be a few screws a nut and an electrical connection

 

[Montego Murph]

OK, so here's a followup: I found it

Passenger side of the transmission, just above the pan. SHOULD be easy-peasy to replace.

I'm not thrilled that it's a $200+ part from online parts places, and suspicious of the $29 ones from ebay (even though the photos look like an authentic part, who knows....)

 

[Qub3d]

Im experiencing the same issue. Did the replacement work?

 

[Montego Murph]

Qub3d, it turns out I didn't have to replace mine. With the key at "unlock" and engine OFF, I ran the shift a bunch of times between R and 3 and that seemed to clear off any gunk built up on the contacts. It seems really unlikely that it would work, but it's been fine since 2023... so....