98 Discovery Shifter/Key stuck alternately

[pinkytoe69]

Hi Guys

First time poster.

When I picked up this truck it had no battery, and the key would go in and out just fine, and would shift when the key was turned to position 2.

Upon installing a battery, the key would be locked in the ignition until the battery was unhooked.

I tried tightening the nut in the shifter, as well as sliding it hard into park. Neither of these did anything to get the key out.

While using some pliers to move the shifter cable rod with the clip on it up and down (with battery hooked up), I found that:

1. if I pulled it up past a certain point, I could shift (without pressing the button), but not get the key out.

2. if I pushed it down past a certain point, I could get the key out, but the shifter button could not push the shifter rod/clip up. Thus I could get the key out, but no longer shift.


Also, somwhere in the process of troubleshooting this issue, I seem to have lost the capability of the shifter button. I have to use pliers to manipulate the cable rod, as is too stiff/stuck to be raised by the button.



Any help getting this back to normal is very appreciated.

thanks


P.S. Brake switch is not the problem. Pedal action locks/unlocks properly. Im pretty sure this has something to do with the cable in the shifter, but dont know what...

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[pinkytoe69]

Ill add that after reading this document...

http://landroverforums.com/forum/attachments/discovery-ii-18/6840d1322796133-engine-swap-d2-shift-interlock-pdf

...Im almost positive my interlocks are working properly.


It seems like the shifter button mechanism (button, shift cable) isnt working properly.

The button cannot move the cable up as it is too "tight" (the cable that is...when I move the clip part out of the way the button moves freely).

How easily should the cable/rod be able to move up and down? Is there some sort of conditional lock on it?

 

[honda50r]

Did you recently get a new transmission?

Just pull the solenoid in the back of the steering wheel. It's a big purple connector, you lose nothing. After my new tranny the xyz wasn't adjusted quite right, so I just pulled that rather than trying to adjust it.

 

[pinkytoe69]

Is that to get the key permanently un-stuck?

 

[pinkytoe69]

I found some diagrams in the RAVE which will (hopefully) clarify my explanation.

If I am in park and that rod circled in blue is pushed down (i.e. button not-pressed state), I can turn the key all the way clockwise and it comes right out.

If I am in park and I turn the key to position two, I push the brake down, and the shiftlock solenoid unlocks. At that point, if I pull the rod up (i.e. button pressed state), I can freely shift.

My issue is, the rod cannot go up and down without alot of force applied. Definitely more than that little plastic button mechanism can apply.

 

[jims95]

I had this problem years ago on my 1995 Range Rover Classic SWB (air bag dash like a Discovery). I could not get the key out of the ignition switch, and I could not get the Electronic Air Suspension to lower to the "access" position.

I was in Scottsdale, Arizona for a wedding when this happened. The Land Rover dealership disconnected the 2 pin connector on the solenoid so I could get out the key. They thought the problem might be in the transmission console and told me that it would need to be trouble shooted (bring lots of money - $500.00 plus).

When I got back home, I checked the wiring in the console against the wiring diagram, but nothing wrong was found. I then talked with Eddie Bostock, of West Coast Rovers, and he told me that directly behind the glove box there are green and yellow relays (I forget which color relay controls the ignition switch interlock). One of the relays gets a signal from the transmission lever being in the "park" position, so the solenoid on the ignition switch interlock will release the key, whether it is a Range Rover or a Discovery. You just empty the glove box and flip the levers to drop the glove box down to get at the relays. He told me to swap out one green relay with another and try to remove the key, then do the same with the yellow relays till the key comes out. Then go purchase a new relay of the same color to replace the defective one. A new relay was about $25.00 at the dealership, and less at other suppliers.

Hope this helps.

 

[uglysteve]

Sounds like you may need to adjust your shifter cable. Also the shifter knob will pull off. For testing you can remove it and see if it works. With no knob, it should shift with out the button being pressed. The knob is hard to pull off. I think it has to be in N or D to do it. I just had mine off while installing CDL in my 03 Disco. Also check your brake light switch, that will prevent shifting if bad. I am assuming a 98 is a D2, If not my information may not be accurate.
Steve

 

[pinkytoe69]

Thanks for the replies.

I fixed this problem and it was completely mechanical...no electronic faults.

The outer shifter rod itself had been bent which caused the inner rod (the one that is moved up when pressing the button) to bind. Once I straightened/widened the outer rod, the inner one moved freely as it should.

I detailed the fix with some pics here