94 XJS 6 Convert. New battery today. Nothing engages when key is turned. Also can't get it out of park to get it towed. Suggestions??? Glenn

 

Is this car new to you or has it been sitting for awhile? Mine has an anti-theft switch that disables everything electrical. I'm not sure what the safety switches are on a 94 but you may not be able to remove it from park unless the brake pedal is depressed.
Otherwise, the shifter cable could be seized or broken. It's pretty easy to disconnect from underneath with a 15mm wrench.

 

This started out as a no start issue. After sitting for a couple of months I could not start the car. There was no electricity going to the starter. It was dead. I recharged the battery and still nothing. There was power elsewhere, such as windows, lights, etc. I got busy with other things and the car has been sitting about 3 months. I replaced the battery a few days ago and still no power to the starter. I've tried stepping on the brake, turning the steering wheel and everything else I can think of. Now it is stuck in park and I hesitate to call for a tow.

 

Okay, if you have power elsewhere in the car than that helps narrow things down. Your power cable goes from the battery, underneath the car and up onto the firewall on the right side. Then goes back down to your starter. Your solenoid is what tells your starter whether to engage or not. If the solenoid is bad or has no power, nothing will happen. It is very common for a car that has been sitting to get moisture in the solenoid and it seizes. You can try jacking the car up on the right side and tapping lightly on the starter with a hammer while someone holds the key in the start position, sometimes that will be enough to break it loose. This is where I would start first.
Moisture will also cause the shifter cable to bind. Jack up the car on the left side (drivers side for us) spray it with penetrating oil and have someone try shifting it while you assist the linkage on the transmission with a pair of pliers.
Let me know how it goes?

 

Thanks for the reply. The problem is threefold. It is parked in a tight location. 2. there is no second person to help. And, 3, I'm an old fart with a really bad back. I'll have to work on this a bit. Thanks. Glenn

 

Good luck with that Glenn.

I had this problem on my '91 6 cycl. facelift last summer.

Tight accesss in the parking spot. Had to get it trailered away. This in itself caused enough problems - 4 attempts by different teams to load it on to the trailor.

When the garage did investigate it turned out the outer cable sheath on the auto trasmission cable had gone at the auto box end causing the inner cable to jam and not move.

They replaced whole cable in the end but I think they must have had a pig of a job. Cost me £336 (557 US) in the end.

I think mine was probably an unusual case though so don't be dishearted. Keep us updated too!