Hi All,
My J Gate shifter solenoid is only releasing from Park intermittently on my 2003 XKR .
When I try to move the shifter out of park and can't, I hear a light clicking from the steering column and can feel it through the steering wheel as well.
When the shifter works properly, I hear and feel nothing.
I recently installed a new J Gate illuminated plate assembly.
New brake switch.
New shifter release solenoid
New Linear switch and new "S" Sport mode push button switch.
I'm releasing the shifter with a stick manually through the access hole, but this is getting to be a pain.
Any ideas would be much appreciated
ET

 

There should be a light clicking sound from the brake switch. It is actually 2 switches, so there might be 2 somewhat separate clicks if you depress the pedal very slowly. This can be heard best with the engine off, of course.

Pressing the brake pedal should activate the release solenoid. That solenoid can be felt by putting your fingers on the upper left side of the shift surround. There is also a light thump if you listen for it.

Separately, there are a number of switches for the various positions of the shifter (P, N, D, etc.). These switches are wired in to the TCM, then the TCM sends back a CAN message to the illumination module so it can turn on whatever light. It would be worth checking what light is turned on when the problem occurs. Maybe your (P)ark switch is intermittent and somehow confuses the TCM into not releasing the solenoid.

FWIW, my understanding is that putting the shifter back in place after working on it requires some form of fine adjustment so maybe you are too close to some sort of limit. Obviously depends on how much you had to do to replace this module and the switches you mention.

Last, you can check the status of the wiring to the solenoid. Check that the "power" signal occurs when needed, and that the "ground" offers no significant resistance. Maybe follow those wires a bit and see if someone else hacked in anything ugly like a relay somewhere (would explain that clicking sound).

Of course, the better answer is to obtain a JLR code reader and both look for codes when the problem occurs, and be able to read the TCM's opinion as to the position of the shifter (as per these switches) as "real time" data.

Best of luck, keep us posted.

 

Thanks @fmertz. No noise when depressing the brake, even when engine not running. Only the click that I hear and feel when trying to move the shifter out of park.
When the solenoid actuates, I do hear and feel it. The old actuator that I replaced you could hear from a mile away and feel it clunking when it actuated so this one is much better. Gonna have to fiddle around in there again. I just can't figure why I would hear and feel a soft clicking in the steering column and through the steering wheel when I try to move the shifter out of park and it's stuck. Another Jaguar puzzle.
The whole system would make Rube Goldberg grin...