Mercury Montego

1968 Mercury Montego Drive Train / Driveline  When shifting 

I can't shift the automatic transmission out of park. The car is parked in a garage on level ground. What can a non-mechanic type of person do before taking it to a mechanic?

You can give this a shot... rock the car back and forth and attempt to shift the car out of gear. No need to start the enging. You should not have to worry about depressing the brakes prior to the attempt to shift. If this does not work then you might be able to play with the linkage and see it that might work. Good luck.. AL

It still might have rolled forward just enough to lock the parking pall so that it can not be moved.

One other thought, if this problem is while the engine is running, there may be an emergency lock for the shift system for low fluid conditions.

Check the transmission fluid level after the engine has been running for a few minutes. If the fluid is low, add transmission fluid to see if that takes care of the problem.

Do this ONLY after checking the fluid level AFTER the engine is at normal operating temperature.

Checking the fluid with the engine not running will give you a VERY false reading.