Shift Interlock Not Working

[quadna71]

i just picked up an '87 laredo with the auto in it. it won't readily come out of park. the only way to get it out of park is to pull the shift handle off and rap the top of that nylon shaft pretty hard to press it down. once it's depressed, i can pull it into reverse, or any other gear i choose. i put the handle back on and the button release of the handle works fine to move it through all the gears. i pulled the surrounding cover from around the handle and looked around in there - it doesn't seem that the shift interlock is releasing when i apply the brakes. is there anyway to check this interlock out? i found it under my dash...but it was pretty hot to the touch after driving the jeep for about 20 minutes.
thanks for any info you can give me.
chris

p.s. all that being said, can i just remove the whole recall shebang and call it a day?
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2003 TJ Sport

[ThePhantum]

Welp, there's two interlocks: the ignition interlock and the shift interlock.

Ignition Interlock
There's a cable that connects the ignition switch to the floor lever. It locks the shifter in park when the key is in the lock or acc. positions. The cable could be out of adjustment, binding, etc., which would cause the same problem. The cable can be adjusted or replaced...but the ignition interlock is not serviceable...it requires replacing the column.


Shift Interlock
The shift interlock is based around the shift interlock solenoid, which is normally grounded. When the ignition is on and the brake pedal is applied, the stop lamp switch removes the ground on the interlock (applies voltage) allowing you to shift. The fuse that feeds this circuit also feeds the brake lights (well duh), so if the brake lights aren't working (fuse), neither will the interlock (sorry, had to point out the most obvious thing first).

Now, according to the 97 FSM, the HVAC circuit (blower motor and relay) splices off to power the interlock (don't ask me, I didn't design it) by a DB/WT wire. So (provided they didn't change the circuit and/or wire color during the production run) if ya find that wire on the interlock, put a voltmeter on it and see it flip between 12v and 0v when you press and release the brakes...the offender is the solenoid.

From a wiring perspective, I think you could remove it and be OK. According to all the diagrams, it's wired in parallel to the other circuits that take an input from the brake light switch, so you should be able to remove it and not affect anything that would cause the computer to flip out and start throwing codes.

HTH

Steve
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97 XJ Sport with a bunch of stuff

[quadna71]

thanks man - i just pulled the cannon plug on the solenoid and called it a day. 'preciate the help!
chris
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2003 TJ Sport