I was wondering if someone could describe the physical form and workings of a parking pawl. I mean, I understand what it does, but I can't get a mental image of how and what shape.
According to http://www.answers.com/topic/parking-pawl The parking pawl locks the transmission's output shaft to the transmission casing by engaging a pawl (a pin) that engages in a notched wheel on the shaft, stopping it (and thus the driven wheels) from turning. If you go to http://auto.howstuffworks.com/question528.htm you can see some pictures.
Here, check this thread. It wanders around a little from time to time, but you should read the whole thread: http://priuschat.com/forums/park-gear-vt6682.html I had to link to the "old" forum to get the attachment.
