Well I'm almost in the elite club of having removed the transfer case shiftlock solenoid solely through the transmission tunnel aperture. Got all the bolts loosened with 1/4 breaker bar. Now beginning the painful process of inching them out with a ratchet. My question is once I get the damned thing out, can I just leave it out or does that cause dirt ingress issues? The last thing I want to do is have to bolt it back in.

 

You have to bolt the cover back on, seal it with rtv, make sure the rtv seals the hole where the wires come through.

 

Ooooh can't wait....

 

And seal any exposed wires to prevent electrical issues.

 

A worthy upgrade...

https://landroverforums.com/forum/di...olenoid-46062/

 

Actually, I consider it a bandaid. Find what is causing the solenoid to not release and you will have fixed the real problem and not just treated the symptom.

Each problem has a cause. Gutting the solenoid does not address the cause. That said, it is your Rover, do with it as you choose.

 

It's the same reason I want manual seats, less electronic crap to break, so I consider it an upgrade in the sense of KISS. I look at the new rovers and shudder at how much stuff there is to inevitably go wrong.

 

Manual seat and manual windows and locks! oh what a dream it would be. good luck.
Erick

 

Does it work properly currently? Or is it malfunctioning and you are removing it because of a problem?

From your reply i could not tell whether you were doing it as a precaution or if it is screwed up currently.

Does the CDL engage and disengage correctly? Does the short shifter move smoothly>?

 

Yeah the CDL and linkage work great. No rust or corrosion. Well lubed. It's just the solenoid prevents me from getting into low. I'd hate to be on the trail and not be able to get into low, or worse, get out. Also same reason I disabled the immobilization, park lock solenoid, and am going to bypass the key ignition for a simple push button ignition. I don't mind electronics on non-critical stuff like heat seaters.