The 5 finger Chopstick Shifter Death Strike Technique

This is by far the most bazaar repair advice that I’ve ever found on the internet. At this point everyone knows I’m still land locked and in the process of prepping the boat for the Caribbean sail. So I still need land based transportation, you know for those runs to marine supply store (I wonder if anyone has ever thought about a chandlery shuttle service? hmmm…). Last night my trusty Jeep Wrangler decided that it would no longer go into park, no matter how many choice cuss words of persuasion I used.

Sitting in a gas station parking lot I did a quick Google search and sure enough the ‘Wrangler Forum’ had a thread about my very issue. Seems there’s a plastic rod inside the shift leveler that unlocks the park safety pawl when you push the button on the side of the handle. This plastic rod has a tendency to break over time.

To my amazement the solution to fixing this issue was to cut a chopstick down to size and use it to replace the broken OEM part. Seriously!!! This had to be some kind of joke! However there were multiple people responding and attesting to this fix. Seems the dealer does not offer a more durable solution and if you want them to fix it you have to by a whole new shifter assembly. Hrumph!!!

Sorry dealership people all my spare cash is ear marked for boat upgrades and repairs, I can’t afford to buy a whole new shifter assembly.

Buckling under to internet peer pressure I drove back home, found an old chopstick in the back of the junk drawer and followed the instructions. Damn if it not only worked, it had a firmer engagement feel. So for the sum total of zero dollars my chariot is repaired and working better than factory. TAKE THAT DEALERSHIP REPAIR DEPARTMENT!!

So save those chopsticks from your next Chinese takeout order, you never know, they could save your car maybe even your boat?

Cheers,
Island Rambler

P.S. I know this really isn’t germane to sailing, cruising, boating, etc, but I was so blown away by such a simple yet off the wall fix that I thought it was worth sharing to remind everyone, sometimes the fix is junk drawer simple.