Good morning to you all around the big wide world - it's a beautiful winter day here in the southwest of Western Australia, blue skies and 20 degrees...it IS nice living in paradise!

I first became a visitor to the form when I was having stuck-in-park issues with the S Type. After deliberation and procrastination and many many visits to the forum I made the decision to have a new parking pawl installed by the dealer in my closest major city - Perth - the company is called Roadbend, third generation family owned business and quite good to deal with.

I had the pawl installed, the transmission serviced, the drivers window winder replaced and the headlight shells polished. All good til yesterday when the stuck-in-park thing reared it's ugly, useless, frustrating, revolting head again. All day I had been in and out of carparks, and sometimes it would snick itself out of park like a thing of beauty, and sometimes it felt a little rough. Almost sounds like an adjustment issue somewhere but where oh where?

Then on the penultimate park of the day, I had to park on a gentle incline, so gentle that when it did it's thing, I had no trouble at all gently rocking the car back and forth. To the degree that I could hold it pushed forward and reach the foot brake to hold it there with no trouble. With the foot brake on it eased out of Park like it was nothing. On the very last park of the day - at my local liquor shop for a bottle of Jose Cuervo - I decided to leave the handbrake on whilst moving it out of Park. It was a flat surface, and the lever came out easily and smoothly. Perhaps taking the handbrake off before moving the lever out of Park gave the car just a little movement, enough to jam the pawl. Even with the foot brake on.

I religiously do the footbrake-neutral-handbrake-park movement, but to no avail in this instance. I am a bit sad this is still happening. My dealer assured me all else in the transmission is fine - cables not stretched, quadrant in fine condition. Ah well. We'll see how it goes. If it continues, it goes.

Thought I would attach a picture of the old parking pawl for those who have no idea what one is or what it looks like, I know I didn't. Number 1 is where the pawl sits when in park {against a pin, that rotates as the pawl is rolled over it I would assume?}, number 2 is the lug that has to slide/roll over the said pin when being taken out of park. The dealer said that on the replacement pawl that lug is smaller. Makes sense. He looked faintly horrified when I suggested that I would've just ground it down on the bench grinder! Just kidding...

I will keep you all posted.

 

Hi Barbara ... greetings from the east coast.

Sorry to hear your parking pawl woes have returned. I can't throw any solution your way because, as you may be aware, later models such as ours moved to the ZF 6speed and EPB. As you are aware from research on the forum, this has been reported often as a failing in the early MY S-Types and there is plenty of advice to "avoid inclines" and "handbrake on before engaging park" then "disengage park before handbrake off" ... which you appear to be aware of, and doing.

I'm sure that some of our techs will chime in, but I must say that respected Jag dealers and service agents like Roadbend and Barbagallo should stand behind their fault diagnosis and repair, for which presumably you have paid good money. At least, I would suggest you give them the opportunity to make good.
Best wishes Barbara ... and keep us posted,
Ken

 

Thanks for your kind words - I will contact Roadbend when I've calmed down a little and have come to some sort of agreement with my husband as how to proceed. Neither of us are interested in a car that will turn out to be a little precious, and RB were very careful to say that the replaced parking pawl wouldn't be a guarantee of it not happening again, they said that before they'd had a look at the rest of the transmission though. As I said, it feels smooth as silk sometimes and other times a little rough.


Lucky I have owned old motorcycles my whole life [well they were new when I had them!] and am used to temperamental machinery!

 

The last sentence is at odds with the first para. (If handbrake is on then no rocking should help or be possible.)

 

Handbrake off to enable rocking back and forth.

 

OK... something still not right since it should not have been possible... slightly loose or stretched handbrake cable maybe? Worn pads? Something.

 

Barbara,

My Black car does it sometimes.

I have got into the habit of releasing the "pull" on the gearlever if it feels tight, and then "go again" and it slides out easily. This has led me to look at the nylon slide ON the gearlever itself, inside the console. I noticed that nylon thingy sort of cocking over as the lever was being dragged out of "P". The "cocking over" was more pronounced when the car was actually sitting against the park pawl, as in a small slope situation. I do not use the park brake unless in a STEEP situation, which is rare where I call home.

Much mulling over "why is it so", and I applied a small smear of Hi-Temp Silicon Grease, compliments of the local plumber, to the shaft, and that made a HUGE difference. So much so I had forgot all about it until reading your post.

I do remember reading about an alloy replacement for that nylon thingy a long time back, but since neither of ours are actually broken, I dismissed it.

 

Greeting from one of the other Perths- also a bit of paradise!

 

I agree with this. Same thing was happening to me until I found out my handbrake wouldn't even hold the car on a hill. Had the cable adjusted and I haven't been stuck in park since. Have you recently checked if your handbrake will hold your car?

-Chase

 

Cheers to everyone who replied, You all gave me much needed insight into the problem. I particularly liked the nylon sliding block one, that's exactly the feedback from the lever I get - the sensation of something catching slightly. As to the handbrake issue, I'll certainly give it a test. Is the consensus you leave the handbrake on till D is selected? Does this further prevent the car moving slightly (therefore putting pressure on the pawl)? I will check the rotors and pads and look at the handbrake adjustment to eliminate this as a cause.

Thanks everyone, now go to bed...

 

Hello again Barbara,

+1 on advice from Grant and Chase, because unless handbrake holds firm (test on a steep hill) it makes the following impossible to effect reliably.

Stop by using the footbrake, while still in Drive. First apply the handbrake - firmly if necessary. Then, remove foot off brake pedal to test handbrake is holding. Reapply footbrake; then slide gear selector from Drive to Neutral. Only then, slide gear selector into Park. Release footbrake. Do not release handbrake.

Assume you return to vehicle and restart the engine. With handbrake still engaged and holding car, first engage footbrake; then move the gear selector from Park into either Drive or Reverse as appropriate. This should be possible without any catch on the pawl since it has at no time been under any pressure - although I do like Grant's use of silicone for an intact nylon block (how about silicone spray?). Only once in gear, do we finally release foobrake to accelerator; then release handbrake as we accelerate away. Reads complicated, but practice will make it second nature.

Brings back memories of my Drivers License test just on 50 years ago - back when it was conducted by Police. Big burly sargeant got me to park nose steeply downhill just near Police Station. With car stopped he got out and put an empty matchbox an inch or two forward of my front wheel. Then, he sat back in and told me if I could restart the car, reverse uphill, then drive away without crushing the matchbox, he would terminate the test with a pass. I did and he did. No more questions. A few minutes. All done. I'm sure each of my kids thought I was an old fart for insisting they could do the same ... pity it seems a lost skill.

Anyway, I hope this helps you Barbara, and you don't feel lectured at. You sound too much an enthusiast for us to see either you or your chariot being lost from the team. Any pics? I had rels down CowTown way in WA, so the sight of a Jag or three against a nice pastoral scene would be appreciated.

Best wishes,
Ken

 

Good morning all - so, have done nearly a thousand kilometres since the last little hiccup, and so far so good.


We have been doing the f-n-h-p thing [footbrake-neutral-handbrake-park, there's a great acronym there somewhere - any ideas?] scrupulously, and tested the handbrake [parked on an incline, put it in neutral, put on handbrake - solid as a rock].


We have also been putting it into R or D before we release the handbrake and it seems as if this little thing has been helpful. I am still going to take the console off today and grease the nylon sliding block as I feel this could be the first and easiest place to start. If I have taken the parking pawl out of the equation, it seems the best place to start and hopefully finish.


Oh, and having the headlight shells polished has made a HUGE difference to the night driving experience. I do most of my kms in the country [driving between Perth and home, a 400km round trip and being able to see the kangaroo before it bounces into the road is pretty good!
Have a great day guys..

 

Great news Barbara,

Your acronymic stop/start/stop will quickly become autonomic!

Like you, I still favour Grant's silicone therapy ...

Best wishes,
Ken

 

There you go - speak too soon and the motoring gods nudge each other, point and say "watch me mess with her head!" Just got home from a drive, and putting it into D on my lawn [time for her weekly wash] and the lever felt a little how shall I put it - crunchy as it slid up. Sure enough, tried to slide it down to R or N, and no go. Feels a bit different to before the new pawl went in, more locked solid type of thing [as if a nylon slider block was cocked sideways?] than a stretch the cables trying to roll over the lug type feel.


Ok, enough. I'll take the console off and lube the nylon slider. Sigh...

 

More info for what its worth.

Being the LAZIEST Jag driver I know, I forget the last time I actually used the Park brake on any of the Jags.

I am soooooo used to the inboard fiasco that has a habit of either jamming ON, or popping a pad, so each renders that brake useless.

Went to visit son at his new abode today, and the road is a rather steep gradient. Pulled up, nose down, into Park, engine off, exit car for BBQ and Necta. Back to the beast to go home, started the mighty V6, simply pulled the lever to D and drove off, and it was not until I was actually moving that I thought of Barbara (sorry Barbara) and her MALE car, that I realised mine simply came out of P without fuss.

 

It's all in the silly con?

 

There's a name for people like you Grant, and it's "LUCKY *******". Good on you, the motoring gods must have you on their good-boy list!


Went out today and wrangled with Sir Mick Jaguar [Grant said it a was a boy], and found out a couple of things. One, the console is surprisingly easy to remove. Two, the white nylon slider block feels perfect, not the slightest bit of wear or movement. Lubricate it anyway. Three, and one I don't recall being mentioned anywhere - the small black solenoid I found located on the opposite side of the slider block and towards the rear of the lever [wish I'd taken a photo] is connected to the footbrake. When you depress the footbrake the little black 'tongue' retracts into the solenoid, allowing the plate connected to the gear lever to slide over the solenoid and allowing the lever to move into your gear. It seemed to be working fine [auto electrics are black magic, don't ask me to go there with your satanic multimeters], as in retracting and popping back out when you take your foot off the brake.


So. Leave the slider alone except for some lubrication. Lubricate the devil out of the steel plate that slides over said 'tongue' - it was as dry as a dead..well, you get the picture. It was dry everywhere, where it slid over the 'tongue', and where it connected to the lever.. You think the lug on the original parking pawl [see attachment on original post] was too vicious? The lug the lever has to lump over to get out of P on this steel plated is worse. Wish I'd taken a picture. Slight bit of over-engineering methinks.


Found this on another thread, thanks to Sconnley : """S-Type stuck in park?
I found a semi-perminate fix to a common problem with the S-Type not being able to shift out of "Park". Mine started slowly and it seemed impossible to find a pattern to why it happened. I took my center console off that surrounds the gear shifter. After removing it, I found the small release switch/solenoid located just under and behind the shifter mechanism.

If you look closely with a flashlight, as you pull on the shifter as though you were going to put it into reverse, you will find a small "solenoid-looking" piece with a tiny black metal piece [the one on my 2000 s type looks like it is made of black plastic?] sticking out the side of it. This tiny metal piece is what moves in to let you shift and sticks out to stop the gear shifter from moving.

Once you find it, feel with your finger under the solenoid... you will feel a spring-loaded round button under there that pushes upward and slides the tiny metal piece out of the way. Once you feel the button move slightly upward.. hold it there and put your foot on the brake then try moving the shifter. It should release the tiny metal piece from blocking the shifter from moving.

Once you know you've got the correct part, if you wish, you can remove the entire solenoid or release mechanism by locating the small screws that hold the solenoid in place. I believe there where 3 screws to remove the small unit. It will become loose and you can move it to the side out of the way.

Once this shifter release is removed you must be aware that the shifter will move in and out of gear without putting your foot on the brake. Again, ONCE YOU REMOVE THIS RELEASE MECHANISM THE SHIFTER WILL MOVE IN AND OUT OF GEAR WITH OR WITHOUT YOUR FOOT ON THE BRAKE.

I should have taken pic's but put the console on before posting and don't want to remove it again. I've been driving it for 2 months now and haven't had to think about it getting locked in park since. Someday when I want to spend some money i will fix it the right way but until then.... Hope this helps. sconnley

For the S-typers out there stuck in the flat driveway and don't have time for my semi-perminate fix here's what worked for a while for me. try starting the car let it run for a second or two and try to shift to a gear. If it doesn't want to shift turn the key to the off position, Take the key out and start it again. Repeat the process over and over turning the car off and on until it allows you to shift. This may help get you to point B for a while but soon you will be stuck for good until fixed. """

I will certainly remove the console again if need be and take action. What kind of action I don't know, but I will at least take pictures. I know all of what I am doing, describing and trying to achieve will be old old news to some forum members, but please remember - everything is easy if you know how to do it, and think kind thoughts about my blundering around in the darkness of not knowing how to do it!

And now it's tequila o'clock. That is all.

 

Funny, the people I bought the car from live in Cow Town! I've been thinking (I know I know, my husbands hates it when I say that!) - what if the people who have taken the solenoid out of the equation and are still having the problem need to replace the pawl. And what if now I've taken the pawl out of my equation the solenoid is the problem? Hmmmm....






UOTE=cat_as_trophy;1041963]Hello again Barbara,

+1 on advice from Grant and Chase, because unless handbrake holds firm (test on a steep hill) it makes the following impossible to effect reliably.

Stop by using the footbrake, while still in Drive. First apply the handbrake - firmly if necessary. Then, remove foot off brake pedal to test handbrake is holding. Reapply footbrake; then slide gear selector from Drive to Neutral. Only then, slide gear selector into Park. Release footbrake. Do not release handbrake.

Assume you return to vehicle and restart the engine. With handbrake still engaged and holding car, first engage footbrake; then move the gear selector from Park into either Drive or Reverse as appropriate. This should be possible without any catch on the pawl since it has at no time been under any pressure - although I do like Grant's use of silicone for an intact nylon block (how about silicone spray?). Only once in gear, do we finally release foobrake to accelerator; then release handbrake as we accelerate away. Reads complicated, but practice will make it second nature.

Brings back memories of my Drivers License test just on 50 years ago - back when it was conducted by Police. Big burly sargeant got me to park nose steeply downhill just near Police Station. With car stopped he got out and put an empty matchbox an inch or two forward of my front wheel. Then, he sat back in and told me if I could restart the car, reverse uphill, then drive away without crushing the matchbox, he would terminate the test with a pass. I did and he did. No more questions. A few minutes. All done. I'm sure each of my kids thought I was an old fart for insisting they could do the same ... pity it seems a lost skill.

Anyway, I hope this helps you Barbara, and you don't feel lectured at. You sound too much an enthusiast for us to see either you or your chariot being lost from the team. Any pics? I had rels down CowTown way in WA, so the sight of a Jag or three against a nice pastoral scene would be appreciated.

Best wishes,
Ken[/QUOTE]

 

Good morning all - we here in the southwest are just about to go underwater but before we do I thought I'd update this thread.


The stuck-in-park thing was intermittent, so I was neutral and handbrake to get around the problem. No hills, all good.


Yesterday when I arrived at home I put it into P just to see what would happen. Stuck in P so left it alone.


Today I pulled the console off again to see what the solenoid was doing, and it wasn't doing anything useful - the 'tongue' wasn't retracting at all. No clicking sound when the foot brake is applied, the j gate is still lit up, and I have brake lights so I'm assuming all electrical messages are getting through to where they need to. As I said, I'm no auto electrician and have no desire to go there.


I'm going to take the solenoid out of the equation physically, so it'll go into P at least - I'm aware it will do this without the foot brake on but I have been driving autos for years now and it is an automatic thing to put my foot on the brake in any car so all good. No-one else will be driving it.


I'm going to see my auto trans guy next week, he has an auto electrician on staff so we'll see what they say.


A little good news [if it's true] is that one of the Jag dealers in Perth tells me the solenoid/switch part number JLM21993 [in the SNG parts catalogue] applies to my VIN [L66386] even though the catalogue says it only applies "To VIN M45254". Am I understanding right that my VIN is outside that range?


The Jag dealer also gave the previous part number for this solenoid - XR811917. Might help someone else trying to track this part down. He quoted me $526 +GST ex UK, pricey huh?


At least I can use the car, at the moment she is a beautiful piece of shed art...


I'll be back in a week or so with hopefully more info after I've spoken to my autotrans guy and his magic satanic multimeter..

 

I think (have a dim memory, sorry) there may be 2 switches on the foot brake so one of yours may have failed / need adjusting. JTIS / Electrical Guide should show if I'm remembering right or not.