So. Went out this afternoon to disconnect the solenoid. When it was removed from the field of play and accessible, I idly pushed down the plunger part on the end of the solenoid - it is a mushroom shaped plunger, sprung on it's shaft. You can't see this plunger when it is in situ. It plunged in and out freely, and just for curiosity's sake I turned the key on and put my foot on the brake. "Click". The sweet sweet sound of a working solenoid. Again. "Click". Again. "Click".


Damn. Now what? Do I contact clean then silicon/WD40 the plunger and 'tongue' then trust it will work forever and ever please motoring gods amen?


No, I think I'll leave it out of the process, and wait til I've had my autoelectric/autotrans guys look at it.


That is all.

 

Crude representation of the plunger on the solenoid [top view] = number 1 is the plunger, number 2 is the 'tongue' that retracts to allow the steel plate passage from P to wherever. Sorry it's a little childish, I forgot to take pictures AGAIN. I do tend to get caught up in the process by golly.

 

Just thought I'd let you all know, now that the solenoid is out of the field of play, the only letter on the j gate that lights when selected is P..all was fine before. I'm wondering if this is indicative of an electrical issue elsewhere.

 

Barbara,

am unsure of teh S Types lectrickery in this area.

BUT.

My X300, same J Gate arrangement had issues with the solenoid, and would simply NOT release to allow P to be exited, so I removed it from the car.

Prior to this I did have issues with intermittent lighting of D etc, and that was traced to the usual culprit, as in the "linear switch", that is attached to the RH side of the J Gate metal work, and gets full of gunk, simply by design. I removed it, and cleaned it, good and properly, and all the lights returned.

I have not traced that switch to have anything to do with the P lock solenoid on the X300, or the daughters XJ40, but as I said, I dont know the S Types layout, but seriously doubt it is that different????.

 

'Lectrickery'.....hehehe...thanks for that little tip, I'll have a look. I should have said I left the solenoid connected electrically, just removed it from the chain of command. I know it's only a little thing, not illuminating, but I like things to work as they were designed and should.

 

Hi Barbara,

I'm a firm believer in Occam's Razor, but I also fear we are now dealing with 2 issues ...

1. original "stuck in park" which I believe you may have isolated to intermittent fault affecting the interlock solenoid, rather than a mechanical issue; and
2. the linear switch "gunge in contacts" which Grant has addressed.

As to the interlock solenoid, wiring diagram Fig. 04.1 for your MY shows one further item in the link from brake switch to gearshift interlock solenoid via the J-Gate Assembly - that is the gearshift interlock relay which is located in the rear power distribution fuse box. This relay is one of the two micro-relays at the rear end of the box - the other being for fuel pump.

Two questions; one piece of advice ... Questions are "Why was this relay removed in all subsequent models?" and "Had this relay proven troublesome?" My answers are "I don't know, and I'm not aware of any issues here". Perhaps [JagV8] can throw light on this?

Advice is to use your friendly man with multimeter, to focus on all elements in lower right of wiring diagram Fig 04.1 - starting with power distribution, then working methodically through all wiring connectors, ground points and actual wires, to test everything for electrical integrity. Relays, being electro-mechanical plug-ins deserve special attention. At the risk of lecturing ... I am a fan of "one step at a time" to look for intermittent open circuits ... rather than removing, cleaning and lubing everything in sight in one go. Beware also that these circuits are "gated state logic" thus switching the ground/earth potentials rather than positive power. This means you will find +12V almost everywhere (ie both terminals of solenoid) when the device is "off" and only when one terminal is pulled to ground will the device switch to "on".
Best wishes with both problems Barbara, and please keep us informed,
Ken

 

I don't know, but relays get old and fail in sometimes annoying ways such as working most of the time but not always. A new one is often the fix.

 

Thanks for that good advice,i certainly will talk to the auto lecky tomorrow.

 

I'm sure I've seen one of those before .......





....... now I remember



Graham

 

Cables could do with being rather longer unless this is for "Darwin Award" candidates?

 

Watch out for coyotes and roadrunners!

 

Good afternoon all - a quick update. I went to see the auto trans/electric guy yesterday and after a quick consult decided to leave well enough alone and go with the solenoid unattached option for now. This decision was prompted in part by my husband saying the day before "why are we spending money if it's working? [as in, coming out of park] and when your nearest dearest says things like that, it pays to understand the unsaid part of it. You all know what I mean I'm sure. MY take is that it should be a working part of the vehicle, as it is a design for a reason. But I'm happy to compromise.


My auto guy suggested one other thing he's seen time and time again [not on Jags, unfortunately he doesn't see very many] causing trouble and that is check the earth on the brake harness, the harness with the globes themselves attached. This make sense to me as it is a brake related issue, and for me is a quick, easy and cost effective thing to check and improve myself, if necessary. As it is an intermittent fault, spending $$$ chasing it, and then $$$ on components that may or may not be the issue seemed silly. The solenoid alone is over $500 AUD. So, once again, no definitive fix at this stage. Another forum user has said that he replaced the j-gate, but that's last on my list of fixes. Sigh...


The parking pawl replace has definitely been a huge win, I parked on a steep incline yesterday, nose down, put it into park, got distracted and took my foot off the brake before I put the handbrake on. D'OH!! But it came out of park beautifully. I'll keep you posted..

 

Hi Barbara ... Sorry to hear this issue is still unresolved. I see the logic in hubby's reluctance to spend big money. I have that aversion myself. However, like you, I find it irritating that a fault remains unfixed ... more so when I'm not sure we have yet isolated what the problem is; let alone whether it may be readily fixed. When mechanics start throwing big money parts at the problem before ensuring they have isolated and identified the nature of the problem, is just plain wasteful.

Question #1 from memory ... you fixed the mechanical issues, yes? ie whenever the solenoid operates, it totally disengages the pawl and all is sweet? Grant's pointers, silicon etc all OK?

Question #2 also from memory ... problem is now perceived that solenoid does not always operate to disengage interlock, yes? and this is leading you towards whether brake switch is operating correctly, yes?

Question #3 from above, as quoted ... the "another forum member" you refer to is perhaps [smokey73]? Have you read carefully each post in his thread nearby in the S-Type forum? Your car is earlier but virtually identical to his in the complex electronic layout of the Auto Trans Interlock area.

Like his case study, I am worried that you are searching for a direct connection from brake switch to interlock solenoid, when it does not exist in a form you might expect. If you wish to pursue this; or discuss it via PM rather than on the open forum, say so. I am more than happy to guide you through the full process, step by step, but only on the open forum ... essentially to protect you from any stupid mistake I might make. You would need only simple tools, except for access to your wiring diagrams downloaded onto computer (especially Fig 04.1 - Auto Transmission), some insulated single core wire, crocodile clips and a low cost multimeter. Alternatively, would you prefer to work directly with [smokey 73]? I feel sure he will be highly motivated to offer help. Let me know if you wish to proceed.
Best wishes Barbara,
Ken

 

Hi Ken - yep I have eliminated the mechanical {pawl} and the solenoid {it does retract fully and allow plate to slide past, albeit intermittently} all that remains is the electrics between it and the rest of the harness. As the car is usable at the moment, the urgency has gone and I have other projects in my shed that need attending to {today new swingarm bearings on the front end of my sidecar} I'll look into it more when I get time, but thank you so much for your help. I haven't had any luck downloading the JTIS but that's next on my list..


Barb

 

Hello Barbara; does this sound like a plan?

You are obviously in no hurry so, if and when you wish to proceed, send me a personal message (PM) via User CP on Main Menu bar ... otherwise I may miss an open post. I note you are having problems downloading and installing JTIS so my advice is to head to the Bay for a disk based version ...

• one from Adelaide seller @AU$20 (incl delivery of 2-3 days) <link #1>
• one from a UK seller @ AU$10 (incl delivery of 2-3 weeks) <link #2>;
• another from same UK seller @ AU$10 (incl del as above) <link #3>.

Please Note ***

• some are CD based and some are DVD based;
• check for model/years/variants/wiring etc, because many don't cover all;
• some include interactive for early years and PDF files for later years.

Frankly, with time on your hands, I would hang out for a version such as I got (UK seller no longer trading) - all years; all variants; all PDFs; so it auto-loads and runs on any platform (not just XP for interactive); has year-by-year wiring diags; Jaguar TSBs and so on.
Best wishes Barbara,
Ken

 

Hi again Barbara,

Found more comprehensive CD based Workshop Manuals plus Wiring Diagrams that cover all models, years and engine variants; and is all menu driven PDFs, so will run on any flavour of Win or Mac (although the menu front end will only run on Win). With 5200+ sales, seller has 99.8% positive feedback ... so, good vibes.

Only question for which I would want reassurance is whether all sections are bookmarked ... thus providing a hierarchical index structure to left of screen. Suggest you ask the seller and, if reassured, pay your AU$11.50 and settle back for 2-3 weeks for it to arrive at your mailbox.

Here's the link Jaguar S Type Workshop Service Repair Manuals X200 1999 2008

Regards,
Ken

 

Same as on Gus's site?
http://www.jagrepair.com/images/Auto...M-Workshop.pdf

 

Yes, and no, I guess. Barbara's is a MY2000 and there are huge differences in the pre facelift cars, as you know. Even more so in electrical and electronics, as per the almost annual revisions to the wiring diagrams.
Gus' resources are legendary, and I have benefited as much as most ... Hail the Chief.
But, and I'll readily stand correction ... if option (1) is to get only those resources for one's current model (and Gus' is for 2003-2008) ... then option (2) is to get that which covers all models/years/engine variants and options. Rationale behind the latter is that behind every owner and/or enthusiast there is often a workshop or specialist who will also benefit from knowing this ongoing evolution ... and avoid incorrect parts or procedures.

In the case of the S-Type, I'd love to see every member armed with a universal 1999-2008 bible ... and the day is nigh when it will be hosted not on a Windows or Mac laptop, but on your Android/Apple phone/tablet/phablet.