Hello all,

Hoping to get some advice on my 97 xk8. This car was running fine and started each time. I went to fire it up and when I did I noticed I couldn't pull it out of park... the gear lever was stuck/locked in place. I turned the car off, tried turning it on again and no luck... there is a feint "click"... the dash lights up.. but no ignition... and when I remove the key the car beeps for 10 seconds or so. No error codes popping up.

I thought the battery might be toast so I replaced it with a new one (thanks costco) but still no luck.

I have no idea where to start on this car... and no idea what the beeps mean. I used a star bit to remove the gear shift lockout release and the shifter moves again.. but no start.

Any idea what to tackle next or what the beeps might mean?

Thanks all!

 

The J gate is locked and released when you press the brake pedal. You should, with the ignition on, get a click when you put the brake pedal down. If you don't then look for the micro switches in the brake switch down by the brake pedal. There are two micro switches, which are different. They release the j gate, put the rear lights on, and switch cruise control off. The car won't start if it thinks it's in gear, so the cable in your car to gearbox is another issue!

 

Can you start the car in NEUTRAL?

Remove the little STAR from the selector lever housing and push the key into the hole. Move the lever out of PARK and remove the key at about the same time. NOW put the lever in NEUTRAL, START THE ENGINE.

 

Yes! The car started in neutral, thank you! thank you! thank you!

Unfortunately, it stays locked in park when I put it in park... and still beeps. Did I !@#$% it up trying to pull it out of park too forcefully?

I am able to release the gear shift and drive it though... also unfortunately: I heard the e-brake go "ping" when I tried to release it.


At least it's not the starter... this time!

 

Do the Brake Lights work like MikeAlford posted?

 

Looks like maybe your (P)ark switch is defective, so the TCM does not know where the shift lever is. Does (P) light up when in (P)ark?

 

I'd agree that this is the likely problem. The beeps are the warning sound to indictate that the car is not in Park, which is entirely consistent with this.

 

If the shift lever is misadjusted the car will think it's not fully in park and it's going to beep like that. That will also not allow your car to start because it doesn't think it's in park. Try pushing forward on the gear shift lever and see if the beeping stops and if the car will start in park.

 

I have the same problem, accept that my car starts. Every light works, all functions work, But no Park lock-put solenoid or brake lights. I don't have any current at the middle two pins at the park switch. I have 8.6vdc at the outer two pins. I don't think any voltage is getting to the switch for brake lights and solenoid. I am not familiar with the path forward. All fuses and relays are working. HELP!!! New battery and Park Switch.

 

I had this happen to me. I still drove the car while I awaited the microswitch to arrive... Yes you read that right, I could still put the car in gear without a problem.

Here's how: To keep driving the car, I removed the solenoid. Without the solenoid, park lock out was not an issue. Car would start and I could put it in gear just fine. When the time came to remove the key, even in park, I would get the beeping as if the car was still in gear. When the microswitch arrived, I changed it and verified that a new one did indeed solved the problem by not causing the beep when I removed. the key. That problem was solved.

I still have yet to reinstall the solenoid after 3 years of having it removed. I would rather not go through that hassle again in case the microswitch fails pre-maturely.

 

When you normally aren't getting the click at the shift (where your solenoid should be) that may also indicate that you also have no brake lights. This would not be safe! This is the only problems i"m experiencing. My car always starts fine, and all fuses are good. My only problem is no brake lights and no click at the shift. I have a NEW battery and a New brake switch. I read the voltage across the four pins of the switch and don't get anything on the center two pins and when I press the brake. The outer pins have 8.6VDC when pressed. I think I need 12VDC at the inner pins to make the brake lights light up. Where can I test for a source? The plug for the brake switch disappears under the dash. Should I add my own 12VDC to a center pin? Surer could use some help