Help with Automatic Shifter Assembly

Couldn't find anything on the forums or YouTube that quite depicts the snag I've run into. I took apart my shifter assembly for deep cleaning. Put it back together and it seemed fine until I tried to put it in park and I couldn't take my key out.

Took it back apart and realized I had dropped a spring in the process, which I've put back in place (see photo) but don't think I have everything lined up right.


The spring I dropped out of place, circle above, and how I've I put it back together. Unsure of the placement of the plastic part it attaches to or if maybe I have the spring upside-down?

I can shift *into* Park, but the plastic bit (circle in turquoise below) that is supposed to lift up a lever in the shifter (in green, below) once I've done so doesn't move, and so I have to use a flathead to push it up manually to disengage my key, which requires disassembly. Not a life ruining situation but I can't get my head around where the little parts are suppose to go.



Any help would be great! Hoping to learn from this experience rather than take it in for fixing.

 

no clue on the spring placement...

when mine did this it turned out that the shifter handle/button wasnt contacting correctly & moving the rod. instead of resting on the notch it was behind it. check this just to be sure. free & easy elimination thing.

 

I don't know if this helps you, but I took this picture at some point when replacing all four of my shifter linkage bushings. Worked fine after reassembly. That spring did not move for me, and I did not have cause to touch it. Good luck!

 

Thanks guys! I did manage to reassemble most of it properly. After reviewing it looked like the switch plate was either too tight or just slightly out of alignment, but after a couple tries I got it back to normal function.

The spring itself it turns out is for the emergency lever next to the shifter so that if it doesn't trip the switch under normal circumstances, you can flip it yourself manually. Still haven't figured out how to get the spring to line up completely properly, so I don't have an emergency switch, but the truck is driving normally and in 19 years I've never had to use the e-switch anyway. I'm pretty sure it's just a matter of aligning the very top of the spring properly, but I'd have to take apart the O/D Off switch and take the wires out to get enough play in the shifter assembly to see what I'm doing, and I don't know that it's worth the headache at this point.