Hey guys my '05 S-Type is stuck in Park. I should give some history on the car: got about 106K km on it, 2nd owner and it came with a bad gearbox (some fluid was leaking inside).

I had just taken the car from a garage (fixed the part that leaked into the gearbox, sorry I'm not sure what it's called in English) and parked at the grocery store. Note, it was the first humid day since I (recently) bought the car. (Car went straight to the shop on ownership)

I've read around on the forum, it seems that maybe there are 2 lug nuts that may need to be tightened? Possibly the car is not sure of which gear it's in? Is the humidity involved? Can I disconnect the battery for 10 minutes and hope it resolves the issue (car start's up with gearbox fault, before it always came one mid-drive).

Currently my options are limited and I do not want to spend $300 - $500 when I am about to dump $1000+ into a (used) transmission that may or may not have it's own problems. The mechanics are ruthless in my country and even the junkyards price fix (usually at half the price of a new part). I do not know if I can even tow the car like this as it won't shift out of Park. Is there anything I can do to get the car drivable without towing it to a mechanic?

 

Sorry to hear of your troubles. A quick question or two: Does the indicator quadrant on the shift console indicate that the car is in park, or "P"? if the "P" is illuminated, is the light flashing?

Your location would also be helpful as there may be a forum member nearby who is willing to help...

 

Look on the ground and you find a 8mm bolt that fell out of the shifter cable bracket. There are 2 and if one falls out you wont go anywhere. Center of the car just about under the shifter. Put i back in and tighten both if thats it

 

Thanks, I actually found a pic of what I needed to look for. I didn't check for a bolt the last time I was trying to get under there. I tried to jack my car, but stopped as I caused some light damage. Car's also at a parking lot and parked at a slight decline. I'm no stranger to changing tires, but I didn't have confidence in my jack's ability to lift the car enough for me to check under.

Plus, I lacked a good small wrench. I did have one of those multi part connecting ones (not sure of the name) but I doubted it would fit anyway.

I'm gonna try to get a guy go with me with a good jack and point out exactly where I need to be looking. Sadly I'll probably be paying, but at this point I have no choice as I don't want my car to be towed.

p.s. The jack I used was one of the "default" jacks. Would it provide enough room for me to get under there? Probably not safe with the decline, right? Best jack points?

 

I'm in Kuwait. As for the light, I forgot honestly. The car's about 20 minutes away and I didn't check on it today.

 

"Default" jack? Do you mean the factory-supplied jack in the trunk? If so, absolutely do NOT get under the car if supported only with that jack. It's good for changing a flat, but nothing more. You will need some sturdy jack stands to be able to safely work under the car.



https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/s...nts-how-12021/


Might want to back up a tiny bit and please verify exactly what is going on. Your car has the 6 speed transmission, right? At the bottom of the shift lever J gate, you will see a 5 to the left of the D (D=6).

If by some odd chance you actually have a 5 speed transmission, you will have a 4 to the left of the D (D=5). The reason I ask is the early models have the 5 speed and it is very prone to jamming in P if parked on an incline without the parking brake.

The later models with the 6 speed have a different transmission that is not prone to that. However, they are infamous for the two bolts working loose that secure the shift cable to the transmission. So please confirm which transmission in case you have some weird export model with the 5 speed, or some unscrupulous dealer retitled an early model as a 2005.

More details on the early model, on the slim chance that is what you really have:

https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/s...ncline-183486/

Also, please tell us exactly what the shifter is doing. Is it physically locked in D, and it feels like it hits a hard stop before barely moving?

Another scenario is the lever moves about halfway to R, and feels more springy. That is a different fault.

Or does the lever move freely but the P always stays illuminated, no matter where the lever is? The feedback for the P, R, N, and D lights come from the transmission, so if the cable has worked loose, that is what you'd see. No point in crawling under the car to check the cable mount bolts unless that is what you're seeing.

 

An '05 has the 6-speed 6HP26.

May well be those bolts.

 

Great, now I read this after I get under a car supported only by a 2 ton hydraulic jack! Guess I was right to be anxious!
I think I have a 5 speed, I barely drove the car so I'm not sure. I'll check tonight if I go again. Car's stuck in P not D. I'll have to go back and re-read this thread to try to figure out what's wrong. Can I fix it if the cable worked itself loose? I'm almost certain it's not the 2 bolts unless they need to be VERY tight. At this point I have to put significant force to tighten them further.

 

Ok, so I got stood up by the mechanic that promised to help. Sucks cuz he's the only one that knew about the 2 bolts off the top of his head. Everyone else wants me to tow the car, and then pay them to fix the problem, which I'm not gonna do as I have to replace the transmission anyway and I'm between jobs as is.

Anyway, I got myself a 2-ton hydraulic jack ($50) and a 8mm wrench ($3.30) and decided I'd have to do this myself (which is what I wanted to do anyway). I got the car jacked up from the proper place underneath the car and deeeeep inside, right past the cylindrical thing. Only metal part I could find, had to be what was in the diagram I reckon, and didn't bend anything or eat into it, thankfully.

I had a slight fear of the car crushing me, but I got over it after a few times underneath the beast. For safety I found rather large paving stone and put it in front of the rear tires, another stone I had on hand in front of the passenger side tire, and used the non-hydraulic set up next to the hydro, but then decided to move it to the other side. Couldn't get it tightened too much since the rod was long and I wasn't sure how to work it, but it was giving me mental support.

One of the 8mm bolts was kinda a tiny bit loose. I tightened it. The other one was fine. Park still stuck. Loosened one a bit, still stuck. Tightened them both up and called it a day.

It was way too hot and bright to even bother checking if the P was lit or not. I burned my palm a bit on the ground. You can google my location's weather and see how hot it was at noon today if you'd like.

If anyone is free in 12 - 16 hours and willing to Skype me through some more troubleshooting, I can maybe top up your starbucks card or gift you a cheap game on Steam. Or order you pizza if it will accept my credit card. I speak clear native Midwestern American English, so that won't be an issue.

If that's not an option, I'll take suggestions as to how to troubleshoot but I don't have access to a multimeter. Can I take apart the J-Gate? I'm willing to try, as long as I can put it back together with no hassle. I just need a list of tools and a guide to take off the dash I guess, which I can probably find with a bit of searching.

 

These ZF autoboxes are pretty robust.

- Humidity has nothing to do with your issue.

-- If you just had transmission replaced, why don't you talk to them?

- Are you applying foot brake when trying to shift out of park? I know, silly question, but......

 

I didnt replace the tranny yet. And yes I am breaking before shifting.

 

This thread may be of some help, in particular the video link showing how to unlock the shifter from P:


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


Please note the video is only applicable if the shift lever only moves slightly before hitting a hard stop.

 

Thanks, but my model is different. It's actually the first video I came across the night my car got stuck! Re-watching it did, however, give me an idea to take out the trim that goes around the radio/environment controls. After I did this I finally noticed that my gearshift override (which I was trying to reach for a while) somehow sprouted wings that I could push down on with a screwdriver and override my Park gear! Not sure why I didn't notice it before.

 

I solved my issue, is there a way to mark this thread solved? For anyone in the future, 2005's (and probably 2004's?) have their override on the LEFT side of the J-Gate. I could not see it properly until I removed the trim around the radio and environment controls. (pulls right out starting from the top but I broke a connector pin towards the end, so maybe research how to remove it properly)

After that, use a flat screwdriver and push down on the "wing" that's sticking out of a round thing, the ONLY thing that should be visible on the left side of the J-Gate and a few maybe an inch or two inches inside. You should be able to clearly see it, maybe use a finger to move a wire aside if necessary. This will let you get out of Park.

 

Hmm this is definitely a new one. Congrats on the fix! Thank you for following up.

A couple of pictures of the thingies and doohickey would help too. Next time.

 

Yeah thats how to release out of park but doesnt solve the issue on why the park interlock does not release as it should. Like a normally failed brake switch

 

Yep. Back to the flashing "P" indicator in the selector quadrant that I asked him about in post #2... I believe that the interlock should "click" and the "P" should go from flashing to constantly illuminated if the brake switch circuit is working correctly, no?

 

That's exactly what my properly operating 2003 V8 does.

 

I already put the interior back together but I did take a video before I did. I made the video for my brother and wasn't intending it to be used as a tutorial but if it can help someone out, here it is: . I kinda use the profane version of the word "poop" a lot, FYI, so maybe turn down the volume if young kids are around.

 

How should I diagnose the issue with my car? I have a guy in the US coming back later this week so if it's a cheap part I'd rather order it from there and have him bring it back (if that's the case)

Oh, and just in case, are there any parts I should consider ordering that are prone to needing replacement? For example the driver side window apparently has a motor issue and I may be ordering a part. Obviously the transmission I need to get where I'm at, but I may order some break pads as the breaks are rather weak. How much is the DCCV? ZF transmission O-rings? Any good place to order parts that's close to Las Vegas so I can get next day delivery? The reason I ask is because I wasn't kidding when I said the mechanics here are notorious cut-throat thieves by-and-large. I had an (O-ring) on a BMW X5 tear/break that caused the car to hemorrhage oil, I mean day after an oil change and it's low. Guy told me it would cost $1800 to fix, and then I complained to his boss and it turned out it was a $18 O-ring or whatever the part was. Should I tell another story? A guy took me to the one place (besides the dealership) that you can get genuine BMW parts to "prove" to me that a cabin filter cost $132.