Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums General Troubleshooting Failed shift interlock solenoid -- $635 ??!!

Thanks Lee, that's the step that stumped me. I couldn't tell if the connector could be opened without destroying it.

Hey Scott -

Wondering if you changed out that solenoid, and did it help? There's a possible explanation for the dealer's high estimate (other than them being shady). Make sure it is the actual solenoid that is fried, not an electric fault somewhere else in the system.

I just finished diagnosing my shift-interlock problem with the factory service manual. I am pretty sure the solenoid itself is OK, and at the end of the decision tree the manual recommended 'REPLACE GEARSHIFT LEVER' - i assume it thinks the fault is somewhere in the wiring that is integral with the gearshift lever. It's possible your dealer came to the same conclusion, and that your solenoid may not be the culprit. You may want to make sure before you spring $80 for a new one.

FWIW

Pangloss thanks, this is a big help. No I haven't tested the solenoid itself yet, but am planning to before spending any more money. Your description of the official service procedure does seem to match my situation. The service writer stated the solenoid can't be replaced separately from the entire shifter -- I'll assume he was misinformed rather than lying. And the writeup explicitly states the solenoid is bad. Again I'll just assume error.

So if we take this as a clue that something else is wrong in the electrical system, it's an especially tasty clue now that a new and worse electrical problem just started two days ago. I'll post it separately, but basically it involves bizarre behavior among the O/D, O/D light, coolant light, wipers, brakes, defroster, and possibly the clock light bulb which just burned out.