Car problem - see what you think

[activeman]

Hey,

Just writing in the off chance someone will have had this problem before, and know what to do.

Ive got a Ford AU falcon, and have noticed that recently on certain terrain and angulation, the car will need to be put into Neutral rather than Park to start. No biggie, drives fine otherwise.

So Friday night all good. Come Saturday morning, the car wont crank. No clicking of the solenoid that you get with a flat battery. Plenty of battery life and fuel.

So I believe that I have narrowed it down to either the inhibitor switch not working or that Ive blown a fuse. So any tips on how to fix it if it is the switch?
Or am I just kinda fucked and need a mobile mechanic?

I ride my bike almost everywhere, but occasionally like to take the car. So if its the kind of job that if I will need a full weekend for, well I can wait and do it later. The car's manual is not bad in explaining things, but I dont get it fully and I'd like to hear if someone has done it before.

Cheers
Rob

[darkfibre]

AU 1 or 2 (smartlock or smartshield?) The inhibitor switch works with the Body control module. Does the security light flash on the dash? If its the early smartlock it will flash a test code when you turn the ignition on.

If it is the inhibitor switch its generally a replacement job. If its BCM, try giving the dash a smack directly in front of your left knee while holding the key in crank position.

[kenty]

do the dashboard indications come on?

if so hit your starter motor with a hammer (tap a couple of times) and see if that works, my VU started, ran beautifully i turned it off, went to turn it on, engine turned over a smidge, then that was it nothing else, then i hit the starter a couple of times and all is well

[busa_bloke]

There is a starter inhibit switch on all autos, allowing them to only start in Park or Neutral.
If it is worn it gets dicky.

If you don't want to part with the readies right now, just start it in neutral. If you plan on keeping it save up and fix it before the thing won't start at all.
To replace it get under car with car on ramps and it's a piece of cake.

The AU was NOT the finest achievement in Ford Australia's history.. To be honest a later model is far better, a BF circa '06 is around $10k and they are lovely to drive. I have a BF XT sedan and it's the nicest Aussie built car I've owned by far. Will be getting a FG 6 speed auto next, but in no hurry.

Not saying replace it because of this, but think about updating to a better car for not a lot of money.

[darkfibre]

If you don't want to part with the readies right now, just start it in neutral. If you plan on keeping it save up and fix it before the thing won't start at all.

This is what he says has now happened.

[Monty]

My girlfriends car had same problem slightly older one, but i believe they have a switch on the gear selector to stop the car starting in any other gears, that switch could be a little dodgy

[activeman]

This is what he says has now happened.

Yeah it has unfortunately. And pretty quickly too.
Just thinking is there anything I can try first myself that I haven't thought of e.g. fuses, relays etc.

And this car wouldn't fetch much in the market. Good mechanically but cosmetic and internal disaster.

Thanks for your help

[milesiles]

Never had anything to do with Fords or this switch in particular but most autos have something similar.

Any switch can be bypassed, in various degrees of dodgyness. But it would mean it would start in gear, which would require extra caution.

[Crobbo]

Don't be so hard on them, they don't look too bad for a car built ten years ago. I don't know what everyone has against them.

[Brougham]

The AU's are one of the biggest blights on Australian motoring history ever.

[activeman]

Never had anything to do with Fords or this switch in particular but most autos have something similar.

Any switch can be bypassed, in various degrees of dodgyness. But it would mean it would start in gear, which would require extra caution.

Really? But I can put the car in neutral and physically push it, so I know it is in neutral. Its just that the switch doesn't think so.
For this car, i would accept high degrees of dodgyness

Darkfibre, its an AUII. Kenty, no amount of gentle coercing, cursing or smacking has worked so far.

Please don't let this thread become an AU's are shit thread. I've seen worse designs. This could happen on any automatic car. Just more likely on a Ford.

[out_in_front]

Mine does it occasionally - I just push the stick down the gears and jam it back up into park 'relatively solidly' and it always works again.

[milesiles]

Really? But I can put the car in neutral and physically push it, so I know it is in neutral. Its just that the switch doesn't think so.
For this car, i would accept high degrees of dodgyness

Again, I dont know anything about Fords but a switch is a switch. There are a few kinds but they are either usually open or usually closed. The trouble with yours is it's broken. Even when your car is in park or neutral, you know it's in neutral, it is not registering on the switch.

I'd say this would be normally open in design. You need to trick the switch into thinking it's closed or rip it out. If it's normally open and needs to be closed to work, just bypass it, rip it out or join the wires. But this will let it start in any gear.

Like i said this is a dodgy side of the road repair. This does not replace actually fixing it, which would be just as easy, but a little more expensive. But this will get u home, or through till payday.

Edit** it could also be a proximity switch, there may be some adjustment in it? Or some bellybutton fluff blocking contact being made? My mate drove around for over a year with his warning light on coz the car thought the handbrake was on when it wasn't. I finally got sick of it and pulled his centre console apart. Besides lots of other crap in there, there was also coopers pale ale bottle lid jammed over the sensor.

[benlikesbikes]

I had an AU, same problem and it was the inhibitor switch, I used to find pushing/wiggling the gear selector left or right a bit with the key in cranking position used to give me "just one more start, please" then it would be all good for a few days, and so on, just get a bit freaky with the gear selector, up/down through all gears fast, left and right in park and neutral.

I looked into it and I think the new switch was $100- $200, car on ramps change myself type deal, but then I sold the big white whale so not sure what the new owner has done with it.

[killswitch54923]

Its probably just the inhibitor switch dude, if there is nothing wrong with your starter motor or battery. Have you checked for voltage drop from the starter motor? Or as said hit it with a hammer?

[Hired_goon]

I had an EB falcon that did the same thing. Sometimes worked, sometimes didn't.
Checked all the switches and they were fine.

Turned out to be the immobiliser packing up. Bypassed it and never had the problem again.

[datsikk]

if its just a switch, then find it, take it along to jaycar and see if you can find something similar. doesn't need to be exact, you just need to be able to mount it. You will need to purchase a normally open switch and you can get them for around $8.

Thats if the switch is external to the GB. If the switch is inside the GB and you want to fix it properly you will need a proper ford part.

[darkfibre]

if its just a switch, then find it, take it along to jaycar and see if you can find something similar. doesn't need to be exact, you just need to be able to mount it. You will need to purchase a normally open switch and you can get them for around $8.

Thats if the switch is external to the GB. If the switch is inside the GB and you want to fix it properly you will need a proper ford part.

Its a multi position switch, on-off-on-off-off-off with and extra set of contacts for reverse. You will not find a generic replacement, but you could dodgy something up.

Bypassing would be easier, or possibly buy the correct part.

No reason not to pull the crook one apart first.

[Para045]

Never had anything to do with Fords or this switch in particular but most autos have something similar.

Any switch can be bypassed, in various degrees of dodgyness. But it would mean it would start in gear, which would require extra caution.

Yeah I had a similar problem years back with my 1st car a 78 Toyota Crown, just decided to die one day and the RAC came along and bypassed the switch till I could get it fixed, just had to make sure it wasn't in gear though

Don't be so hard on them, they don't look too bad for a car built ten years ago. I don't know what everyone has against them.

I concur, I always really liked the AU XR's and the later AU II's just didn't like the earliest ones with the grill like a whales mouth and no spoiler