Hello all,

Wife got the bug after driving my 90 and ‘79 RRC. She picked up a beautiful ‘03 D2 with under 80,000mi on the clock and loves it. But today she went to run off to work, and couldn’t shift out of park.
I know, we have by now read hundreds of these posts...but none of them fit what we are experiencing.

1) Brake lights work
2) Fuse 21 is fine
3) I can hear and see this shifter solenoid working.
4) No M or S lights on the dash indicating any issue with XYZ.
5) Check engine did come on about a week ago, but P0441 code does not seem to be relevant.
6) Three amigos are live (diagnosed by shop as shuttle valve).

We came back from a 2 wk trip and she started up right away at the airport, drove home last night, no prob. Stuck this morning.

Suggestions welcomed with thanks.

Cheers,
Brice

 

Does the button on the shifter push in smoothly? Have you removed the shifter **** (yank up really hard it will pop off) and inspected the end of it? I've seen a few in my day break right at the tip which caused the shifter not to move when the button was pressed.

 

Thanks for the response. I had not done this. I saw a few posts talking about the button, but they seemed to focus on D1 (which I infer have a side button). To be clear, you are saying this will pop off and that forward facing button might not be actuating whatever mechanism lies behind it?
(FYI I envy your Kalahari)

 

Yes exactly I’ve seen a few where the bottom broke off & caused not to shift. It’s just a plastic rod.

 

second the above. Or the handle has worked its way up a bit and rod stroke not reaching lock. In the D1, it's the little 'e' ring under the shifter cover that pops off and renders the side button useless....

Think there is a locking solenoid too. Might pop the cover off and check function. Be carefull of wiring at rear of cover going to 'sport' button...

 

OK, my wife pulled the handle (I'm traveling and she is keen to get back on the road). Photos attached. Button mechanism works.
It seems to me the removal of this piece effectively removes the "latch in the lever" that engages with the detents in the base (the ridges on the black arc). Shouldnt it now be possible to move the lever freely among gears...or does that pointy bit at the bottom of the handle/****, when button depressed and it is raised (it works fine) pull up some other unseen latch in there that holds the lever in place?

Further updated status:
1) ALL fuses checked & good
2) Gas cap door won't open (this is a new development)

 

Was able to drive the truck yesterday. When I got in and fiddled with things, I was able to pull harder than should be necessary (pretty damned hard) to get the vehicle out of park and it came out. The truck was parked facing downhill, and I wonder if this contributed to the reluctance of the transmission to leave park. Going to test this out.
I also thought, given this shifting difficulty, perhaps the transmission had a fluid issue (never changed, dry, etc.). Drained the fluid and replaced. What came out looked fresh/clean so I think she is good. Going to change the transmission filter (no record of it ever being done) and fluid once more mid-week.

 

Shifting out of park down to drive and back up was a bit stiff on my truck, I popped the cover on the shifter, put the truck into 1st, sprayed the cable with some white lightning grease, and did a few cycles. No longer stiff.

 

Be sure to follow the correct sequence when filling the transmission. Fill the transmission with the engine off until fluid trickles out of the fill plug hole. Start the truck and shift through all the gears a time or two. With the truck still running, add fluid until fluid again begins to trickle out the fill plug hole, then reinstall the fill plug. DO NOT shut off the engine until the fill plug is reinstalled.

 

Yup, thanks @mln01 . I followed the directions that seemed quite good here: www.discovery2.co.uk / Automatic Gearbox Oil and Filter Change
They don't make as much of a distinction about keeping the engine running as you did in your post, but it makes sense that while running it is pulling from the pan through the tube that connects to the bottom of the filter.