Well, first things first. Make sure your money tree is well nourished and watered on a regular schedule. Check the ph balance of the soil, too. You'll need your money tree in top condition if you'd like to continue lobbing expensive parts at your car in hopes of a fix.

The other option is to actually diagnose the fault. Your call...

If you'd prefer the latter:

Look at the indicator lights at the base of.the shift lever. P or N must be illuminated or the starter will be inhibited. If anything else is on, wiggle the shift lever and see if that helps.

Next, observe the PATS indicator light on the dash, at the base of the windshield. This is for the security system, which may have inhibited starter operation as a precaution. Here is how it's supposed to behave if all is good:

Since your key fob is inop, lock the car with your key. Watch the little red light. It should flash once every 3 seconds or so (not sure of the exact time) to show the system is armed. Now unlock the door. The red light should go out. Now hop in the driver's seat and turn the key to RUN (Not start yet). The red light should come on solid ONCE for about 3 seconds and then go out. If it flashes anything after that, you've got a stored fault.

Try those two things and get back to us.

 

 

All right, making some progress!

First off, the J-gate is very different on early ('99-02) vs. late models. Your car has a 5-speed 5R55N transmission. Later models have the 6-speed ZF. If looking for parts, the difference is easy to spot. On your 5-speed, D=5. The first downshift (aft left corner) is 4. On a 6-speed, D=6, so the first downshift is labeled 5.

Don't rush out and replace the shifter assembly just yet. I vaguely remember somebody experiencing similar symptoms and the root cause was the shifter circuit board was clogged with dust and overheated. Can't remember if cleaning was enough, or if he had to replace it.

More details of the shifter operation here, including how the individual indicators light up. Note the conversation covers early and late models, so not all is applicable for your car:


https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/s...-usual-184878/


I can't remember if all of the indicators light up at low intensity with the ignition on as you described, or only with the lights on. I'll have to check later. Regardless, I do know if everything is working correctly, it's very obvious which gear has been selected.

Are you able to move the lever from P?

 

Found it:

https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/s...solved-150615/


Alas, this was on a late model (note the numbering on the J-gate) so it may not apply to your car.

I'm also wondering if the Range Selector Sensor (aka neutral safety switch) on the side of transmission has failed. If it can't tell the PCM what gear is.currently selected at the transmission (vs. the shift lever position), it may inhibit the starter operation. I'll have to do more digging to be sure.

 

 

 

 

 

Have you checked fuse #5 in the primary junction box? This is located outboard of the front US passenger footwell.

If this fuse was blown, I think it would cause all of your symptoms.

 

Okay, I had a little time to dig deeper in the wiring diagram.

Before doing anything, please hook up a battery charger to the poor car. Since it's been sitting for several days, the battery may be partially depleted by now. These cars are very sensitive to low battery voltage, so make sure the battery is fully charged.

Definitely check fuse #5 in the primary junction box. Remember, this is located inside the cabin, just outboard of the US passenger's feet. If the fuse is blown, the big question is whether it was a one-time thing and can simply be replaced, or if the fault will return. You could probably safely gamble a 10 cent fuse and see what happens. If the new fuse blows, it's time for a little more in-depth troubleshooting. That poor fuse feeds 7 separate circuits, so theoretically it could be any of those. However, the biggest amp draw is probably the gearshift interlock solenoid, so I'd lean towards that. That was replaced with the whole shifter lever assembly, right? If so, you may have already corrected the issue without realizing it, other than the blown fuse.

The following is based on that fuse being good. This is just some basic preliminary troubleshooting. We can dig deeper later if all checks good here. I'm operating on the premise that the lack of the gear shift position indicators is the culprit. Whatever knocked them out is also preventing the PCM from commanding the starter to engage. We get those lights back, and you'll probably be good. I'm using this wiring diagram, courtesy of Gus:


http://www.jagrepair.com/images/Auto...x2032002en.pdf



Scroll down to figure 04.1 for the transmission. Power to the J-gate assembly (bottom center of the page) comes from the wire labeled with a 16 inside a circle. Those numbers aren't official wire numbers, just a cross-reference to another page, with the key at the page footer. Also note the gearshift interlock relay gets power from 17 (also labeled with a circle). Both of these references lead you to figure 01.4, ignition switched power.

At figure 01.4, you can see how 16 and 17 are both powered via fuse #5. That's why I wanted you to check that first. Also note how this same fuse feeds other circuits, too, 13-19. Any time the ignition switch is in Run or Start, that fuse and all those circuits should have power. If that fuse were blown, you may not notice right away that those other circuits are also dead.

After confirming the fuse is good, here's how I'd suggest proceeding next. This is based on a lazy man's principle, of disassembling as little as possible. At the rear power distribution box (in the trunk), remove the gearshift interlock relay (#6).

Turn the ignition switch to Run (not Start). You should have battery voltage at relay socket #3. This is coming directly from the previously mentioned fuse #5 at the primary junction box. The sockets may not be individually labelled, but the relay itself should be. You'll have to determine which socket is which by using the labels on the relay you removed.

If voltage is good, use a small jumper between relay sockets #3 and #5. A paper clip would be fine. With these two sockets connected, this is the same output as if the relay had been actuated by stepping on the brake pedal. Power will be routed to the gearshift interlock solenoid, at the base of the shift lever. The shift lever should now be unlocked and can be moved out of P. Do NOT turn the key to Start, as the car could accidentally start in gear now. I just want to confirm the gearshift interlock is released.

So try these simple steps and report back. Fingers crossed...

 

 

Bumpity bump bump! And the fuse was?...

Or was this a drive-by, never to be heard from again?

 

 

Me too...as always Karl...if the info you give does not get someone on the right track, they should be headed for a shop....nice write up

 

I did not see it?
Has he checked the two small bolts on the transmission?
We have had them loosen up and fall out preventing the shifter from moving.
.
.
.

 

Good suggestion, but I think the symptoms are different.

For the loose cable, the Park interlock still works. The shifter is locked in P until you step on the brake pedal. Once released, the lever moves freely but the P (on the bezel) remains illuminated no matter where the lever is positioned.

In this instance, the interlock solenoid won't release electrically. It had to be manually overridden to release. Even then, none of the indicator lights worked. They illuminated white with the dash lights, but none ever turned red to show the gear selected. Both of those faults could be caused by that one fuse, but alas it's likely a moot point, as the OP has never been back...

 

 

Bump to bring this thread back to life so it's easy to find.

With three threads started on the same subject, I'd suggest responding only on this one as it has the most details. Ignore the other duplicate threads for now.

 

My apologies for not responding and thank you so much for all the help. You sir have gone above and beyond providing all that information. I will be working on the car this afternoon now that I am back in town. I lost my login info and couldn’t find this post for a while but I will update just as soon as I check those things. Thank you again for the help I’ll touch base very soon!