Help.....
My 2004 3.0 Xtype wont start. Battery and starter good. key fobs lock/unlock doors. Key in, turn to start position and zero happening. Oh, the passenger side dash beeps at me for 20 seconds or so. Same beeping when I try to move shifter out of park, which will not move out of park (as its not running I suppose?).

I checked the battery and connections, all good. head lights and dash lights will come on but wipers, signal lights, radio and heater controls all a no go.

I pushed in the roll over switch in the passenger's kick panel but did not make a difference. Then I got my test light and checked the fuses under the hood but as i suspected only two had power to them with key on.

Its like the ignition switch has failed all together? Zero problems of any kind before this instance.

Any one run into a security interference or some other weirdness before i go but an ignition switch? My SL is useless in snow and my wife has the truck.

 

Does it crank? Any warnings on the dash? Are you able to check codes? If you turn the ignition on you should be able to remove from Park and place into Neutral

 

No cranking, no clicking from solonoid, no blinking lights, no red flashes from console light. just headlights, interior lights and dash lights if i turn on but no dash guage or warning light function.
I checked at the starter for main 12V power and its there at the big post, nothing on the side terminals with key on. I crossed them momentarily with a coated screwdriver and the engine cranks but no start with key left on.
Key on, locked in park. will not come out even rocking the car from inside like a wierdo.
rob

 

rdashton, I want you to try something for me. Before you start the car, roll the key to the RUN position (do not take to the START position). this should allow you to move the gear shifter to the Neutral position if you also depress the brake pedal. Once you have the gear shifter in the NEUTRAL position, attempt to start the car again. If it starts now, you have an issue with your gear shifter. If the car still does not start, depress the brake and then shift the car back to PARK.

At this point, turn the car back off and then pop the hood. Access the fuse box under the hood of the car and swap relays 1 and 10. Attempt to start the normally. If the car starts now, you have a bad relay (the one that is now in relay position #1). For the moment, the relay in the #1 spot is for the wipers and this should allow you to get to the car parts store to buy a new relay without major affects on the car.

If this still does not fix things, let me know and we can take things from there. From what you are describing, your PATS system (aka, security) is working fine, so, this is really only leaving the ignition switch, a bad relay, or interconnecting wiring.

 

I tried both suggestions with no luck. Got me thinking again though so I spent an hour this morning in the schematics and found a 15amp fuse (F32) in the passenger compartment fuse box labeled in the diagram as "Ignition Switch". I never heard of a car having a fused ignition switch.
I got out my reading glasses, a flash light, my snow boots and a test light..... and sure enough it was fried. I replaced the fuse and everything works again.

Thanks for the responses all the same. even though it was not one of your initial suggestions it helped to get my brain working again. Having people to hash things over with is always a benefit.
R

 

Wondering why the fuse blew in the first place? Have seen a few ignition switches go out on the X-Type, but not very often. Hopefully there isn't a wire fault anywhere else.

 

Keep in mind that as fuses age, they will tend to naturally blow. In short, as you pass current through a fuse, it will slowly eat at the fuseable link inside. Initially it is not a problem as there is plenty of metal there to make up for what is lost. But, if the metal thins and then you push something near the limit of the fuse, this will cause it to fail at a current below the rated value.

Install the new fuse and pay attention to things. Odds are, you will be just fine. But, if it happens again in the near future, then odds are you have a bigger issue and a little bit of looking into things will need to be done.

 

I don't know much for the engine is not cranking, but when the engine is not running and you keep pressing the brake pedal, it will used up the pressure in the vacuum booster, the result is no vacuum to assist your brake, you can not press the brake pedal far enough to engage the shifter, you can open the J gate cover then pull on the switch on the left, then shift out of the park.

 

Before my ignition switch went, it popped the fuse a few times in a month. Careful out there.