shift cable end is not attached at the trans on Chevrolet Cavalier

Open your hood and locate transmission. Easy enough! on top you will see(can't remember if you have to remove breather first or not)a leaver with a cable that should be attached to it. It is probably broken at that end or under your gear shifter. using some pliers you can move that leaver all the way back. This will put the car in neutral and then the car will start. Move it two clicks up from park and you will have neutral, you can now push?tow the car if need be. Now the neutral safety switch is preventing the car from starting. If the cable has become detached due to loosed nut, broken cotter pin etc maybe you can see this and fix it yourself! If everything is fine at the trans. remove the console between the seats and check out the cable connection at the shift lever. A bit oversimplified but that is the gist of how to fix.

A broken shift cable isn't an expensive repair. The cable connects the gear shifter to the shifting arm of the engine. A sleeve houses the shift cable to keep it free of dirt and grim. The purpose of the shifting cable is to adjust the arm as it moves from first, second, third to fourth gear. The cable also adjusts for movement into reverse. The shifting cable breaks when there is too much pressure applied. Pressured is caused from overheating in the transmission. When a shift cable snaps, the gear shifter can no longer switch from gear to gear.

Take the rubber boot off the gear shift inside the vehicle and lift it up, exposing the area where the gear shift and the transmission connect.

Look for the shift cable and the shifting arm. A single bolt and nut connect the shift cable and shift arm.

Twist the nut connecting the gear shift and the transmission. Use a socket wrench and remove the gear shift. Use an open-end wrench to loosen the nut holding the shift cable and the shift arm together.

Slide off the sleeve on the shift cable and loosen the shift cable at the other end with an open-end wrench. Both ends of the shifting cable attach to the shifting arm in different location

Hitch the new shift cable to the 2 anchor points on the shift arm using the same bolts and nuts. Reconnect the gear shift to the transmission and push the rubber boot back into place around the gear shift inside the car.

Test the functionality of the shifting cable by moving the gear shift in and out of gear.

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There is one good video link showing how to repair broken shift cable.Click this link below and see the video:---

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nQN8EYXXldc&feature=related

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How the snapped shift cable looks, click this link below and see the cable fitting:---

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S8i5aIn4YcU&feature=related

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