P38A automatic gearbox remains in Park despite selector lever setting

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easterfornet

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Hello, I have a year 2000 model P38A Range Rover Vogue 4556cc 4 speed automatic which has been laid-up in my outbuilding for several years, during which time the engine has been started regularly. However, at its most recent start-up, when the transmission lever was engaged in ‘drive’ the vehicle would not move. The red ‘P’ indicator light at the transmission tunnel remained lit and the P symbol remained evident on the driver’s display console. No unusual noises from transmission. With the transmission lever set to ‘neutral’ I also attempted to tow the vehicle forward, it was behaving as if still in ‘park’ (wheels locked up).

So, after backing-out the gearbox oil filler plug and with the engine idling, I managed to add about 1 litre of transmission fluid, which didn’t seem like an event changing quantity. Sure enough, the previous symptoms persisted.

I also tried the emergency towing procedure, which involves inserting a fuse in position 11 (with gear selector in park and ignition key removed). After switching the ignition back on the message centre displayed ‘transfer neutral’, but still the wheels remained locked-up (if the car is coaxed forward an inch or so it simply recoils back once the towing tension is relaxed).

I am at a loss as to how to resolve the issue, or at least engage neutral in order to be able to winch the vehicle onto a trailer. Does anyone have any suggestions?
 
easterfornet said:
Hello, I have a year 2000 model P38A Range Rover Vogue 4556cc 4 speed automatic which has been laid-up in my outbuilding for several years, during which time the engine has been started regularly. However, at its most recent start-up, when the transmission lever was engaged in ‘drive’ the vehicle would not move. The red ‘P’ indicator light at the transmission tunnel remained lit and the P symbol remained evident on the driver’s display console. No unusual noises from transmission. With the transmission lever set to ‘neutral’ I also attempted to tow the vehicle forward, it was behaving as if still in ‘park’ (wheels locked up).

So, after backing-out the gearbox oil filler plug and with the engine idling, I managed to add about 1 litre of transmission fluid, which didn’t seem like an event changing quantity. Sure enough, the previous symptoms persisted.

I also tried the emergency towing procedure, which involves inserting a fuse in position 11 (with gear selector in park and ignition key removed). After switching the ignition back on the message centre displayed ‘transfer neutral’, but still the wheels remained locked-up (if the car is coaxed forward an inch or so it simply recoils back once the towing tension is relaxed).

I am at a loss as to how to resolve the issue, or at least engage neutral in order to be able to winch the vehicle onto a trailer. Does anyone have any suggestions?
Click to expand...
Cable from lever to the XYZ switch is seized or broken, this is confirmed by the indicators not changing.
 
Datatek said:
Cable from lever to the XYZ switch is seized or broken, this is confirmed by the indicators not changing.
Click to expand...
I second this, I'm currently having issues with the xyz switch sometimes thinking its in the wrong gear and if i then move it down to the numbered ones it reads correctly for the rest of the day but If i'm not quick enough when it goes to happen it will specifically come up with gearbox fault and basically puts it into limp home plus removes all the gear selector markings on the dash binnacle till fault is cleared so it definitely sounds like its to do with your cable rather than gearbox/switch as it if was either of those it should basically behave has mine does and give a fault code and come up on dash.

Also worse comes to worse if you really need to get it on a trailer i would think you could always remove both front and rear prop, though I believe that would leave you without any handbrake since I think that engages on the prop rather than the rear brakes.
 
Last edited:
As above the cable and switch need to be looked at.
Also even with it in "neutral" if the handbrake is seized on it wont move, so check that too.

J
 
Crawl under the car, the xyz switch is between the gearbox oil pan and the left side cat (when looking up).
If you confirm that the level isn't moving, you can easily remove the cable split pin and manually adjust the xyz lever into whichever gear you want.
 
My thanks to Datatek, Khemitude, Marjon and Montyjohn for promptly leaping to the correct diagnosis. Scrabbling underneath my vehicle for a more careful inspection of the linkage to the transmission has revealed that the threaded portion of the selector cable has completely sheared. It seems quite chunky so I will need to investigate why it has been so stressed by moving the transmission lever. Hopefully it just requires new parts external to the gearbox. Seems I couldn’t see the wood for the trees. Thanks to your input I now have some clarity as to the way forward.
 
easterfornet said:
My thanks to Datatek, Khemitude, Marjon and Montyjohn for promptly leaping to the correct diagnosis. Scrabbling underneath my vehicle for a more careful inspection of the linkage to the transmission has revealed that the threaded portion of the selector cable has completely sheared. It seems quite chunky so I will need to investigate why it has been so stressed by moving the transmission lever. Hopefully it just requires new parts external to the gearbox. Seems I couldn’t see the wood for the trees. Thanks to your input I now have some clarity as to the way forward.
Click to expand...
Your mot welcome, presumably with it being sat for quite a while it was just a case of rust doing its thing that when finally moved it was just weak enough to shear.

Be interesting to hear how you get on as I reckon mine could do with a new cable anyway. Though I reckon likelyhood of getting new for that part might be on the difficult if not extremely pricey side so might be worth contacting one of the various ebay scrappers that specialise on these vehicles to get hold a second hand one.
 
easterfornet said:
My thanks to Datatek, Khemitude, Marjon and Montyjohn for promptly leaping to the correct diagnosis. Scrabbling underneath my vehicle for a more careful inspection of the linkage to the transmission has revealed that the threaded portion of the selector cable has completely sheared. It seems quite chunky so I will need to investigate why it has been so stressed by moving the transmission lever. Hopefully it just requires new parts external to the gearbox. Seems I couldn’t see the wood for the trees. Thanks to your input I now have some clarity as to the way forward.
Click to expand...
Pleased you found the problem. I'm sure the gearbox is OK, just the cable seized.
 
Montyjohn said:
Crawl under the car, the xyz switch is between the gearbox oil pan and the left side cat (when looking up).
If you confirm that the level isn't moving, you can easily remove the cable split pin and manually adjust the xyz lever into whichever gear you want.
Click to expand...
A word of warning. just moving the XYZ switch will not make the car move. The XYZ switch just activates the solenoids for selecting each gear, moving from park to drive is purely mechanical.
 
Datatek said:
A word of warning. just moving the XYZ switch will not make the car move. The XYZ switch just activates the solenoids for selecting each gear, moving from park to drive is purely mechanical.
Click to expand...
Surely by moving the xyz switch to what would be neutral position of cable was attached it will then allow it to roll, I say this based on my mates p38 that is deader than dead but moving the gear selector to the neutral position allows it to move.
 
Khemitude said:
Surely by moving the xyz switch to what would be neutral position of cable was attached it will then allow it to roll, I say this based on my mates p38 that is deader than dead but moving the gear selector to the neutral position allows it to move.
Click to expand...
Just moving the XYZ switch will not disengage Park, that is a mechanical function, the two are interconnected.
 
Further to my post of May 26th I discovered that the gear selector cable trunion had seized onto the gear selecter lever (at the gearbox), and hence was no longer able to rotate freely (as is necessary in order to ensure proper cable alignment throughout the range of lever movement). Repeated operations in a misaligned state had over-stressed the threaded section, resulting in a fatigue crack which eventually failed completely.

Following Khemitude and Ratae’s suggestion to search on Ebay for a replacement selector cable from a breakers (since these parts are no longer available new) I took a chance and acquired a used cable which, though the threaded portion was exhibiting slight curvature, was a satisfactory means of getting the vehicle moving again. As Datatek prophesised, the gearbox itself was fine.

Removal of the centre console in order to effect the replacement is fraught with the possibility of breaking a delicate plastic part, so this is a task which should not be rushed. For the inexperienced a Workshop Manual such as Rave is an essential guide and confidence booster. Hopefully this thread might prove useful to anyone experiencing similar symptoms.
 
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