Some background info:

Last July while not far from my home my M & S lights would flash and the car would go into limp mode. Turn off engine and restart and all was fine but it would do it again later, typically after going from P to R and/or then D and there was no OBDII code or check engine light. I did some research and learned it could be battery, alternator, bad connections or a bad XYZ switch possibly compromised by water.

I was busy with work so I just drove our other car and then had to travel internationally until Christmas so the LR sat in the driveway. 2013 came and I was still traveling for work so it was not until April that I actually made sure the battery was fully charged and started driving again. I even cleaned the battery cable connections and applied dielectric grease and tightened everything really well. I made a point of not using the AC and it was spring so that was ok and I had no issues for the next few weeks. About 10 days ago I started running the AC again, thinking it must have been battery related. We also had some huge rainstorms that I was out and about it.

Now the M & S lights come on regularly and I am getting a P0705 engine error code which translates as Transmission Range Sensor Circuit Malfunction. I reset the light but got the same code the next day. I got it going and made it to my local O'Reilly's Auto Parts and had them do a DC power test with engine off, starting and running under load and it all checked out fine, no issues with battery or alternator and the battery is actually only a year old. I rechecked all connections and all are fine, clean and tight with no corrosion or bad insulation or anything.

So I priced an XYZ switch and couldn't bring myself to pay for a new one so I got a used one on Ebay for $140; clean and with a guarantee. I know, it's a LR but how can a little mechanical half plastic switch cost to much new? I figured if it fixes the problem I'm only out $140 and I can always play around with rebuilding my old one and resealing like I saw at the AULRO website.

So I am under my car this morning and found where it goes but is there a best way to get it removed and replaced? Looks like a 12mm or 13mm nut holding the shift cable bracket in place and 2 10mm bolts actually holding it to the transmission. But it seems so close to the body sheet metal around the tranny as well as some heat shield material and how to best get to the plug/socket and release it. I'm wondering if it would be easier to do that from above by removing the interior trim around the shift lever.

I'd appreciate any kind of advice from others who may have done this repair. I feel like I checked the simple things first and this was the best approach.

 

see attached, don't see anything about removing a heat shield. Pix of innards. You'll want to reroute or extend the AC condensate drain.

update - added attachment again.

 

I believe you need a 10mm socket. Tight fit to the exhaust but doable. The ac drain soaking the plug seems to be a major culprit. You can try sealing the plug and/or extending the drain.

 

Thanks and I did notice on the used one I got from eBay that the black plastic corrugated wire covering was cracking so I pulled it off and cut a new piece from some I had in my shop. I also noticed that the where the wires enter the switch it looks like there is no sealant to I squeezed a bit of RTV cement in to seal it all up. I put the wire covering on and ran some black electrical tape around it.

I do plan to try to extend and reroute the AC drain, it is right above where the plug and where the wires enter the switch. Not sure how to add on to it, I might be able to get at it better if I do remove the interior trim around the shifter and the access plate. Not too bad to do as it gives me a chance to clean up some coffee spills in that area!

 

Another option might be to put some sort of shield over the wires to deflect the flow of water. I have yet to make something up for mine so I don't have anything specific to offer.

 

Well today I replaced my XYZ switch with a used one from eBay and everything for the most part seems fine. Here is a little write up of what worked for me. Thankfully my transmission is very clean so I hardly soiled my hands. I would normally wear gloves but this switch is in a tight spot where gloves would interfere and there is a need for that tactile feeling that you loose with gloves.

I first disconnected the shift cable mount plate from the transmission shift shaft using a 13mm ratcheting box wrench. I decided to also remove a small heat/sound shield that attaches to the body just to make a bit more room, it was held on with 2 10mm nuts. I then removed the 2 10mm bolts that hold the switch to the transmission and carefully slid the switch off. My goal was to avoid moving the wheel within the switch so I could align my replacement as closely as possible with the one I took off.

The tricky part is to get the plug disconnected. It is in a very tight space higher above the switch so I decided to release the shift cable from it's mount to make more room for my hands. It is held in place with a C-clip and once that was removed I slid the cable back to get it detached from it's mount and let it just hang out of the way. I used a long screwdriver to release the entire plug assembly from the metal tab attached to the transmission that holds the plug and harness in place and the cable dropped down making it very easy to pinch the tabs and remove the switch.

I took the old switch and the new one to my workbench where the lighting is better and using a large screwdriver bladed turned the wheel within the replacement switch to attempt to match the one I just took out. Who knows what gear the replacement switch was in when it was removed. I eyeballed it as best I could.

Reversed the removal process to reinstall the switch and other then being a bit uncomfortable squirming under my truck I got it all back in place. I cleaned my work area (I hate when I accidentally run over tools) and started the car up. Went into reverse fine and backed out of the driveway and took a short drive. No M/S lights or OBDII code (I had cleared it prior to starting my repair) and the shifting seems smooth.

Only thing I noticed is that when in Park I see the P on the dash and also in D, 3, 2, and 1 as well as the small red light next to each gear on the shift console. However I am not seeing R when in Reverse or N in Neutral or the corresponding red light on the console. I had no problem backing up and the rear wiper did come on in reverse when I turned on the front wipers. I am guessing that my switch needs a bit of fine tuning where it mounts to the transmission. Not that big of a deal to me as long as it goes into gear and I don't get the M/S lights, etc.

Just a final thought on the switch I took out. The overall shape and configuration is the same but there are very slight differences with the one I put in. The plastic part of the housing is bit different. Mine is a 2003 and the one I got to replace I believe came out of a 2001. Also the corrugated plastic sleeve that shields the wires was cracked and broken, I wonder if this is how water gets into the switch. There does not look like there is much of a seal where the wires enter the switch. On the one I installed I squeezed some RTV cement there to seal it better and also wrapped the entire plastic wire cover with black electrical tape. And from what I can tell, the AC drain drips right above the spot where the wires enter the switch. Seem like this would be the more likely way that water enters the switch over time.

I didn't bother to reroute the AC drains at this time as the small nipples that come into the transmission tunnel would be hard to attach something to. I think one would need to get at the drains where the exit the AC unit in the vehicle to attach some tubing. I'm hopeful that with the wires sealed with RTV I should be able to keep water out.

 

when in dought spray it with several coats of clear lacquer to seal it up.

 

Well, had nothing better to do so I drilled out the rivets on the switch I removed and found a very different switching mechanism inside. Instead of a wheel with cams there is a wedge shaped part with 9 contacts that touches contacts on the other side of the switch.

One of my contacts looked like it had a bit of corrosion on it (I scratched it with a screwdriver), the other corresponding contact looks corroded as well with perhaps some arching or heat build up. I don't think this switch is worth repairing. I saw no signs of moisture at all inside.

This switch looks like the one in the Airtex catalog , here is a screen shot as well as 3 image of my switch's innards.

 

Did you ever do the fine tuning to get everything to sync correctly?

 

That's exactly what mine looked like inside when I had to replace it. The same contact was fouled and it had turned that same color. When I was messing with mine before I replaced it I noticed it would indicate Neutral in between park and reverse on the dash indicator. Once the computer saw this it would throw the code.