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This is my first time to post to this Forum. I've lurked a while and think I have learned some stuff about this car. This is a great forum!
We bought the car in 2006 and it now has about 107,000 miles on it. It only travels around 400-500 miles a year since the wife and I are both retired.
Last week I had to move the car out of the garage and it was very hard to shift to reverse. Finally, with a hard yank, which resulted in a loud POP, it went into gear. I moved it about 50 feet and parked it. When I went to put it back in the garage, it was the same thing; hard yank, loud POP. I'm afraid to try again unless I'm on my way to the shop with it because who knows how many hard yanks and loud POPs I have left.
I've read some threads about the thing under the cover that can break and the screws on the side of the transmission that can come loose. I don't think I saw any that were specific to the 2001 MY though.
I would appreciate any ideas on what to look for or which of the two possibilities to check into. I've never jacked this car up and hope I don't have too. I'm not even sure where to place jack stands.
That thread mentions a procedure for.setting the parking brake before shifting into Park. Try this next time you put the car away and see if this helps:
With any automatic transmission, not just this one, I've always followed what my Dad taught me:
1) Stop car with foot brake.
2) Shift to N while holding foot brake. This relieves any load on the transmission.
3) Set parking brake while still holding foot brake.
4) Release foot brake and let all weight of car settle on the parking brake.
5) Press foot brake again and shift to P and you're done.
With these quick steps, the parking pawl in the transmission is engaged, but has no weight against it. The parking brake is the primary thing holding the car. The pawl is the backup, a very robust one, I must say.
Sounds like a lot of work, but not really. It's a quick process I can do on autopilot. If you get in this habit, your transmission will thank you.
Karl brings up a very valid point. Did this all the time with my 00 S Type. If you don't do this (for some reason) it puts undue stress on both the shift cable and parking pawl and.. the plastics inside the shifter assembly!
Other possibilities.
Check fluid level.
Check shift cable for binding/stretching.
Also, you may need to re-teach the transmission. Going into each gear for 10 seconds, etc. etc. But would not do this until you get the hard shift sorted out first.
That thread mentions a procedure for.setting the parking brake before shifting into Park. Try this next time you put the car away and see if this helps:
With any automatic transmission, not just this one, I've always followed what my Dad taught me:
1) Stop car with foot brake.
2) Shift to N while holding foot brake. This relieves any load on the transmission.
3) Set parking brake while still holding foot brake.
4) Release foot brake and let all weight of car settle on the parking brake.
5) Press foot brake again and shift to P and you're done.
With these quick steps, the parking pawl in the transmission is engaged, but has no weight against it. The parking brake is the primary thing holding the car. The pawl is the backup, a very robust one, I must say.
Sounds like a lot of work, but not really. It's a quick process I can do on autopilot. If you get in this habit, your transmission will thank you.
No chock or anything the tire is up against when parked. About the only place it gets parked is on the level floor in the garage. If I ever do park on an incline, I set the parking brake. That's pretty much a habit with me.
Has the gearbox been serviced at any point since you purchased it? The 5R55N gearbox benefits from having the fluid drained and a new filter installed every 60,000 miles.
It may be best to drive the vehicle to get all the fluids warmed up and then see if the condition is still present. If so, have the shift mechanism and cable checked by a Jaguar specialist.
About the only place it gets parked is on the level floor in the garage. If I ever do park on an incline, I set the parking brake.
Okay, reading between the lines, you typically don't set the parking brake in the garage? There's going to be a slight incline (for drainage), so the weight of the car may have still settled against the internal pawls. This is a known issue with this transmission family. Even though the garage floor may seem flat, I'd suggest setting the parking brake anyway as an experiment and see if that helps. Use the method previously described to keep the weight on the parking brake, not the pawls.
When the shift lever is stuck in Park, how far can you move it? There's an interlock mechanism in the J-gate to prevent moving the lever until you have your foot on the brakes. If this interlock won't release, the lever will barely move aft, maybe an 1/8" at most. You'll also feel a hard stop as the lever hits the mechanism.
On the other hand, if you can move the lever about halfway to.R, and it feels spongy when it stops, you'd be looking at something at the far end of the cable, such as the pawls not releasing.
Okay, reading between the lines, you typically don't set the parking brake in the garage? There's going to be a slight incline (for drainage), so the weight of the car may have still settled against the internal pawls. This is a known issue with this transmission family. Even though the garage floor may seem flat, I'd suggest setting the parking brake anyway as an experiment and see if that helps. Use the method previously described to keep the weight on the parking brake, not the pawls.
When the shift lever is stuck in Park, how far can you move it? There's an interlock mechanism in the J-gate to prevent moving the lever until you have your foot on the brakes. If this interlock won't release, the lever will barely move aft, maybe an 1/8" at most. You'll also feel a hard stop as the lever hits the mechanism.
On the other hand, if you can move the lever about halfway to.R, and it feels spongy when it stops, you'd be looking at something at the far end of the cable, such as the pawls not releasing.
Good point about the slight incline in the garage, I never thought of that. The car sits in one spot for long periods of time so I could see that becoming an issue. When I get past this problem, I'll start using the parking brake all the time.
The lever will move just slightly and it is a hard stop. That is, until I really give it a yank. That's worked twice, but isn't something I want to keep trying.
The lever will move just slightly and it is a hard stop.
Groovy, making some progress! Sounds like the brake interlock isn't releasing. Let's run a quick test. I used my '02 as a.guinea pig:
Turn the key to the On position but don't start the engine. Turn off the radio and climate control so it's nice and quiet in the cabin. Listen carefully near the shift lever as you step on the brake pedal.
When you push on the pedal, you should hear a very faint click as the interlock solenoid releases. This sound is not very loud, so it's easy to miss. You want the cabin as quiet as possible. The sound is roughly equivalent to a small feather landing on a large pillow.
When you take your foot off the pedal, you'll hear a much more pronounced click as the interlock solenoid engages again. This click is loud enough to just barely hear with the engine running. With the engine off and all else quiet, you can't miss this one.
Please note that was for the 6 speed transmission used on 2003+ cars. I’m not sure how much is applicable to early models, but it should give you a general idea.
Turn the key to the On position but don't start the engine. Turn off the radio and climate control so it's nice and quiet in the cabin. Listen carefully near the shift lever as you step on the brake pedal.
When you push on the pedal, you should hear a very faint click as the interlock solenoid releases. This sound is not very loud, so it's easy to miss. You want the cabin as quiet as possible. The sound is roughly equivalent to a small feather landing on a large pillow.
When you take your foot off the pedal, you'll hear a much more pronounced click as the interlock solenoid engages again. This click is loud enough to just barely hear with the engine running. With the engine off and all else quiet, you can't miss this one.
I gave this a try and didn't hear a thing. I tried 3 or 4 times and never heard a sound. The shift lever will move maybe a half-inch toward R, then stop against something that feels hard.
One of the images, stolen and labeled to show the location:
So duplicate the fault, and then push up on the manual release button to confirm the interlock was not releasing automatically. Once confirmed, let's figure out why. Wiring diagram here, see section 04.1:
In that diagram, the gearshift interlock solenoid is shown near the bottom center of the page, within the J-gate assembly.
In the trunk, locate relay R6 for the interlock. Turn the key to On, place your finger on R6, and have a helper step on the brake pedal. You should feel the relay click. If so, this tells you the relay has received the command from the brake switch.
If no click, check the operation of the brake lights. The same switch that controls the brake lights also sends the signal to energize relay R6. If the brake lights are not working, check fuse F35 in the primary junction box, just outboard of the front US passenger's feet. If the brake lights still don't work and the fuse is good, you've probably got a bad brake switch or a broken wire in the circuit.
If the brake lights are good but relay R6 still doesn't click (key On), swap it with another relay of the same size. The front fog lamp relay (#7, under the hood) would be a good donor. Make sure the fog lamps work and then you've got a known good relay to swap in place of R6 in the trunk. If good now, you had a bad relay.
If relay R6 was clicking properly all this time, check fuse F5 in the primary junction box, that same hidden fuse box by the passenger's feet. This is the fuse that actually carries the power to energize the interlock solenoid after relay R6 closes. If the fuse is good, and relay R6 is a known good donor and is clicking properly in response to the brake pedal, you've probably got a bad interlock solenoid or a wiring problem in that circuit.
So duplicate the fault, and then push up on the manual release button to confirm the interlock was not releasing automatically. Once confirmed, let's figure out why. Wiring diagram here, see section 04.1:
In that diagram, the gearshift interlock solenoid is shown near the bottom center of the page, within the J-gate assembly.
In the trunk, locate relay R6 for the interlock. Turn the key to On, place your finger on R6, and have a helper step on the brake pedal. You should feel the relay click. If so, this tells you the relay has received the command from the brake switch.
If no click, check the operation of the brake lights. The same switch that controls the brake lights also sends the signal to energize relay R6. If the brake lights are not working, check fuse F35 in the primary junction box, just outboard of the front US passenger's feet. If the brake lights still don't work and the fuse is good, you've probably got a bad brake switch or a broken wire in the circuit.
If the brake lights are good but relay R6 still doesn't click (key On), swap it with another relay of the same size. The front fog lamp relay (#7, under the hood) would be a good donor. Make sure the fog lamps work and then you've got a known good relay to swap in place of R6 in the trunk. If good now, you had a bad relay.
If relay R6 was clicking properly all this time, check fuse F5 in the primary junction box, that same hidden fuse box by the passenger's feet. This is the fuse that actually carries the power to energize the interlock solenoid after relay R6 closes. If the fuse is good, and relay R6 is a known good donor and is clicking properly in response to the brake pedal, you've probably got a bad interlock solenoid or a wiring problem in that circuit.
Thanks for the excellent Step-by-step instructions. I skipped the first one because time was limited and I couldn't quickly figure out where to pull up to get the J-gate assembly exposed.
We verified that there was no feeling of movement of the R6 relay when the ignition was on and the brake pedal depressed. The brake lights also did not come on. We pulled the F35 fuse and checked it with a Multi-meter and it appears to be good.
How difficult is a brake switch to replace? I think I did one on a 56 Chevy back in the 70s and it wasn't too bad. Methinks things might have changed a bit since then though.
Groovy! Pat yourself on the back, as you are hot on the trail.
No idea how difficult it is to change the brake pedal switch. Can’t imagine it’s any fun.
If you can get to the connector without too much trouble, it would be a good idea to jumper the two wire terminals as a test. That would confirm the rest of the circuit is good before replacing the switch. This would save some grief if the switch was fine but the root cause was a broken wire elsewhere or a loose fuse socket.
Also, look to see if there is any adjustment at the switch and that pedal movement actuates it properly.
02-24-2020, 04:49 PM
2001 S-Type 3.0 Hard to Shift to Reverse
