Key stuck in ignition switch

A couple of days ago I left home with my family for a 9-day trip in our
1999 Discovery Series II (68,000 miles). When we stopped for supper
the key would not come out of the ignition switch. I tried moving the
shifter in and out of PARK but that didn't work.

Since then I've traced the problem to the module or switch that
indicates to the car the position the shifter is in. When the car is
cold the red lights on the shifter bezel light to indicate the shifter
position, and the LCD indicator on the dash next to the odometer shows
P,R,N,D,3,2,1. In this condition the key can be turned and comes out.

After driving the car and getting it warmed up the red lights and the
PRND321 indicators disappear. In that condition the key cannot be
turned and removed even though the shifter is in the P position. The
other indication that it is all tied together is that the steering
wheel lock works fine when the car is cold but doesn't engage when it
is hot.

This indicates to me that there is an electrical switch module that is
causing the problem. When the car is cool the switch makes contact to
indicate the shifter position. When the car is hot the switch
components expand and fail to make contact.

Because I will be on the road the next 7 days I can't look up the
repair in my shop manual. Can someone please tell me the following?

- Is the diagnosis correct?
- What is the part called that needs to be replaced?
- Can the problem be corrected by cleaning the switch component(s)?
- Is the part replaced from the above or from below the car?

Thanks for your help.

MLN

On or around 26 Jun 2005 05:50:39 -0700, "MLN" > enlightened
us thusly:

>A couple of days ago I left home with my family for a 9-day trip in our
>1999 Discovery Series II (68,000 miles). When we stopped for supper
>the key would not come out of the ignition switch. I tried moving the
>shifter in and out of PARK but that didn't work.
>
>Since then I've traced the problem to the module or switch that
>indicates to the car the position the shifter is in. When the car is
>cold the red lights on the shifter bezel light to indicate the shifter
>position, and the LCD indicator on the dash next to the odometer shows
>P,R,N,D,3,2,1. In this condition the key can be turned and comes out.
>
>After driving the car and getting it warmed up the red lights and the
>PRND321 indicators disappear. In that condition the key cannot be
>turned and removed even though the shifter is in the P position. The
>other indication that it is all tied together is that the steering
>wheel lock works fine when the car is cold but doesn't engage when it
>is hot.

Not familiar with it, but there's a lot of talk about alarm spiders. Has
the Disco II got such an animal?

--
Austin Shackles. www.ddol-las.fsnet.co.uk my opinions are just that
"Quos deus vult perdere, prius dementat" Euripedes, quoted in
Boswell's "Johnson".

On 26 Jun 2005 05:50:39 -0700, MLN wrote:

> - Is the diagnosis correct?

Donno, could be. There is a "switch" that tells the BCU (which talks
to the instrument panel to show the display there and controls the
selector display) and the EAT and the ECU as well.

> - What is the part called that needs to be replaced?

Selector Position Switch... has 4 coded ouputs along with Park,
Neutral and Reverse.

> - Can the problem be corrected by cleaning the switch component(s)?
> - Is the part replaced from the above or from below the car?

Probably below, it is located on the shaft that takes the cable from
the selctor lever into the gearbox. There is an exposed multiplug,
maybe that has got filled up with gunk or corrosion?

No experience, just looking in the workshop manual...

--
Cheers
Dave. pam is missing e-mail

At the risk of jinxing my good fortune I can report that it was the
selector position switch that caused the problem. Once I got home to
my tools and was able to look it up in my shop manual I found that the
selector position switch (also called an XYZ switch) could be adjusted
on the transmission selector shaft a few degrees by loosening the two
bolts that hold it in position and rotating it on the shaft to a
position where the indicator lights and LCD work properly. I then
tightened the hold-down bolts and tried it out on the road. It's a lot
like how we used to adjust ignition timing by loosening the distributor
hold down bolt, rotating the distributor guided by a timing light, then
retightening. This took some trial and error because I didn't have the
Land Rover alignment tool made for the job, but following my second
attempt it has worked perfectly for 4 days now.

The hold-downs take a 10mm socket, and I found that a smaller, 1/4 inch
drive ratchet was easier to use in the tight, cramped space. To remove
the switch completely you also need a 13mm socket or wrench to remove
the selector lever before sliding the XYZ switch off of the shaft.
Once that is done I recommend unclipping the multiplug from its clip
where it's mounted to the side of the transmission before trying to
unplug it. I have pretty small hands but the space is just too tight
to work in otherwise. Lood for and press down on a little plastic
lever on the side of the plug and it will slip right off of the
mounting clip.

Best of all is that I avoided buying a $200+ part and paying my
friendly, local Land Rover dealer over $300 in labor to fix a problem
that I was able to correct in under an hour, even though I had to learn
as I went.

Good luck to you if you have this problem.

Regards,

MLN

That usually means you have a broken engine or tranny mount which allows
the engine to shift, which tosses off the linkage adjustment.

Mike
86/00 CJ7 Laredo, 33x9.5 BFG Muds, 'glass nose to tail in '00
88 Cherokee 235 BFG AT's

MLN wrote:
>
> At the risk of jinxing my good fortune I can report that it was the
> selector position switch that caused the problem. Once I got home to
> my tools and was able to look it up in my shop manual I found that the
> selector position switch (also called an XYZ switch) could be adjusted
> on the transmission selector shaft a few degrees by loosening the two
> bolts that hold it in position and rotating it on the shaft to a
> position where the indicator lights and LCD work properly. I then
> tightened the hold-down bolts and tried it out on the road. It's a lot
> like how we used to adjust ignition timing by loosening the distributor
> hold down bolt, rotating the distributor guided by a timing light, then
> retightening. This took some trial and error because I didn't have the
> Land Rover alignment tool made for the job, but following my second
> attempt it has worked perfectly for 4 days now.
>
> The hold-downs take a 10mm socket, and I found that a smaller, 1/4 inch
> drive ratchet was easier to use in the tight, cramped space. To remove
> the switch completely you also need a 13mm socket or wrench to remove
> the selector lever before sliding the XYZ switch off of the shaft.
> Once that is done I recommend unclipping the multiplug from its clip
> where it's mounted to the side of the transmission before trying to
> unplug it. I have pretty small hands but the space is just too tight
> to work in otherwise. Lood for and press down on a little plastic
> lever on the side of the plug and it will slip right off of the
> mounting clip.
>
> Best of all is that I avoided buying a $200+ part and paying my
> friendly, local Land Rover dealer over $300 in labor to fix a problem
> that I was able to correct in under an hour, even though I had to learn
> as I went.
>
> Good luck to you if you have this problem.
>
> Regards,
>
> MLN

so Mike Romain was, like...
> which tosses off the linkage adjustment.
>
From your vehicles I assume you are from the US. If so, you may like to
know that this phrase will have all UK readers s******ing into their pints
of traditional ale.

:-)

--
Rich
==============================
Disco 300 Tdi auto
S2a 88" SW
Tiggrr (V8 trialler)

In article >, Richard Brookman
> writes
>UK readers s******ing into their pints
>of traditional ale.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

What other type is there?

But I did smile a bit.


Regards,

Simonm.

--
simonm|at|muircom|dot|demon|.|c|oh|dot|u|kay
SIMON MUIR, UK INDEPENDENCE PARTY, BRISTOL www.ukip.org
EUROPEANS AGAINST THE EU www.members.aol.com/eurofaq
GT250A'76 R80/RT'86 110CSW TD'88 www.kc3ltd.co.uk/profile/eurofollie/

On Sun, 10 Jul 2005 19:13:17 +0100, "Richard Brookman"
> wrote:

>From your vehicles I assume you are from the US. If so, you may like to
>know that this phrase will have all UK readers s******ing into their pints
>of traditional ale.

I teach college. The best is when we get a *new* Austrailian student.
IT goes like this: "Damn, made a mistake, anyone got a rubber", which
will usually break up the entire class for five minutes.

Peter D. Hipson > wrote:
> "Richard Brookman" > wrote:
>
>> From your vehicles I assume you are from the US. If so, you may like to
>> know that this phrase will have all UK readers s******ing into their pints
>> of traditional ale.
>
> I teach college. The best is when we get a *new* Austrailian student.
> IT goes like this: "Damn, made a mistake, anyone got a rubber", which
> will usually break up the entire class for five minutes

Or Durex.
Antipodean for transparent sticky tape.

Always goes down well in the UK.

nigelH

Richard Brookman wrote:
>
> so Mike Romain was, like...
> > which tosses off the linkage adjustment.
> >
> From your vehicles I assume you are from the US. If so, you may like to
> know that this phrase will have all UK readers s******ing into their pints
> of traditional ale.
>
> :-)
>
> --
> Rich
> ==============================

I am Canadian eh.

I guess we all can play with word meanings now that we post world
wide....

Mike
86/00 CJ7 Laredo, 33x9.5 BFG Muds, 'glass nose to tail in '00
88 Cherokee 235 BFG AT's