Main instruments and gear lever interlock

[davidr]

I got the chance to go out in the workshop this afternoon when I got back from Kemble and dedided to have a look at my gearbox linear switch. My thinking was that this must be chief suspect both because of the codes I was getting and also because none of the lights were illuminating on the gear selector.
Taking the switch off is a matter of removing the centre console to gain access. The dual linear switch wouldn't come off directly so I decided to go a step further and took the whole gear selector mechanism out, which isn't as drastic as it sounds as its only a matter of disconnecting a couple of plugs and removing four nuts as the shift cable was already removed to free the switch.
Getting the dual linear switch off is then 4 screws.
I decided to take the switch apart and look at the contacts. They were a bit dirty so I cleaned them and put it all back together.
I haven't yet had a chance to test drive it but I did move it around the yard at home and it behaved perfectly with all the gear position lights coming on properly.
Previously the car would lurch into reverse, throw a code and go into restricted performance mode.
So far so good but I've yet to test drive it properly.
Fingers crossed!

[mike020150]

Excellent news! The linear switch and/or its alignment is probably the major culprit for many electronic X100 gearbox issues. Let's hope 2020 will be a time for more driving than time spent fixing your car. After all, they do drive well when they are on song. Mike.

[davidr]

Successful test drive today with no issues. Whatever I did appears to have worked. The car was fine and didn't throw any codes. I tried it in Sport and Normal modes and went across the J gate to use the manual gears and all was well.
Whether it was cleaning the contacts or the fact that I aligned the switch on reassembly we'll never know!
What I'd not noticed is that the reversing sensors had stopped working but now they came back to life.
Here are a few pics

After taking off the centre console (5 minute job if done correctly - see YouTube video guides) the gear selector is exposed. The linear switch is the black box on the right

The shifter cable is attached by a nylon nut to the lever and 2 locknuts hold it to the bracket

The shifter mechanism can be removed by undoing the electrical connectors and then there are 4 nuts holding it down. I made a profit on this job! There was a 2p piece under the gear-lever!

The switch is held on by 4 screws.

Here's the shifter mechanism with the switch removed

The switch is held together by 3 screws

Once opened up it looks like this

When the PCB is taken out you can see the contacts which were a little dirty

Soon cleaned up with some contact cleaner and a cotton wool bud

The contacts are each marked for the different shifter positions

This is for the other side of the J gate. Interesting that it says X300 on it

The mounts for the linear switch are slotted to allow for movement so the switch can be lined up

After reassembly the switch must be lined up by putting the selector to N and then adjusting the switch until the indicator light comes on. After tightening the 4 screws then I moved the lever through the various positions to make sure that the indicator lights all came on as appropriate which they did!

[Zennan101]

Very clear pics that brought your excellent explanation to life.
Hope you enjoyed the well deserved tea and mince pie!

[davidr]

Very clear pics that brought your excellent explanation to life.
Hope you enjoyed the well deserved tea and mince pie!

Thanks for your appreciation. Hopefully this post will help members in the future.
As for the cup of tea and mince pie, all I can say is that 'er indoors looks after me very well. I'm a lucky boy!

[Brakebuster]

good work

glad its sorted buddy

BB