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shift lock system failing Need help!


tommytune

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I have a 1994 Subaru Legacy L AWD wagon 2.2 (w/ cruise control). Everything in the ignition system works normally (ok park, reverse, & neutral selector bulbs don't light, but they've been that way for 6 years)

So everything works normally EXCEPT...

The shift lock system has started to malfunction. Sometimes it works, sometimes I'm stuck & can't get out of park.

Usually after powering up & powering down the system (multiple times, by removing and reinserting the key & re-energizing the system), I finally hear the solenoid "click" and I can get out of park.

Sometimes I've discovered that the "trick" of depressing the parking brake BEFORE I insert the key makes it work.... but not always.

 

I need A SIMPLE INEXPENSIVE SOLUTION... i.e. either remove or bypass the shift lock solenoid (& or relay?) from the system. WE DON'T NEED IT. We're in our early 50's, & both my wife & I are habituated to depressing and holding the brake down the second we get in the car (from all the years of driving stick shifts).

 

Once the solenoid "clicks" the car operates normally, all AWD shifting functions operate (reverse, select 1,2,3 D, etc.)

until the car is turned off (say, going into a store for ten minutes). Coming back out, the system often won't unlock the shifter & I'm back to doing my tap-dance trying to get it unstuck.

 

No one else drives our cars. Having a "pro" track down & replace the bad relay & or solenoid (if I could even find a replacement for a 1994) would cost almost as much as the car is worth ($300- $400). Either way, can't afford it.

 

I'm guessing either the solenoid itself is sticking, or the (relay?) that energizes the solenoid is failing. I don't know if the system has both.

I have to fix this myself, can't afford a pro.

I can follow directions. It's just that car electrics are not something I've had to do much.

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If it's the solenoid you can check it using a multimeter and clean it if it has some old grease. But I would suspect that you can have a problem with the ignition lock or the electrical contact at the brake pedal.

 

Best/easiest way would be to connect a small low-wattage bulb or LED by the solenoid and see if it is lit up while the solenoid doesn't pull or if it's dark and only lights up when it pulls.

 

But a circumvention could be to manually override the shift lock by removing the solenoid and the lock mechanism. Not a perfect solution.

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If it's the solenoid you can check it using a multimeter and clean it if it has some old grease. But I would suspect that you can have a problem with the ignition lock or the electrical contact at the brake pedal.

 

Best/easiest way would be to connect a small low-wattage bulb or LED by the solenoid and see if it is lit up while the solenoid doesn't pull or if it's dark and only lights up when it pulls.

Thanks for the reply. I will do the visual check for old grease when I open the system up.

 

From the few diagrams I've been able to find, it looks like the solenoid is at the gear selector knob, correct? And what it does is release the lock plate, correct? The solenoid remains energized the entire time you're driving the car once you've depressed the brake pedal?

 

How exactly, would I connect the low watt bulb or LED to the solenoid, and I assume I'd use a 12volt bulb?

Would a voltmeter do? It sounds like it would be sounds simpler for me to test it that way.

I'm looking for what kind of voltage at what connections when?

So, a good solenoid would show:

1. no voltage when it's not actuated, and

2. voltage only when it is actuated?

 

If the bulb is lit up or the voltmeter shows voltage when the solenoid doesn't pull what does that mean?

 

I noted in my initial poking around that there appears to be no switch per se, at the brake pedal, but what appears to be a "touch contact" that must actuate the moment the pedal is depressed. Is that the way it works?

 

Considering your suggestions:

How would I test the electrical contact at the brake pedal?

How would I test the ignition lock itself?

There is (apparently) a "controller" in this system located at the key, which I'm assuming is what you're referring to as the ignition lock. Am I correct?

 

In the closest diagram that I could find (which I've attached), it shows two solenoids (I think this assembly is what you're referring to as the "ignition lock"), and the diagram generally doesn't appear to be of my "first generation" AWD Legacy system.

It almost looks to me like the loyale, from the location & position of the key.

I'm going to get out my Haynes & go over disassembly of the steering column & access tot he shifter mechanisms and maybe you can answer my questions as I set up to test.

Thanks.

Tom

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