Once or twice the gear lever has stuck in park but always eventually comes free when I “wiggle things”. Today I removed the console to have a look. Afterwards the stick would shift to all positions even with the key out, and with the key in and brake pedal pressed the actuator that “guards” the Park position didn’t move. Brake lights come on as they should by the way.
I found that I could reset things by pressing the “p range switch” sitting to the left of the stick. I discovered it’s existence on a USA forum, but couldn’t find what it is there for.
It looks like there is a metal pin that moves down when the button is pressed on the selector I think that pin should engage with the switch but never actually does. There is no adjustment anywhere that I can see. There a lot of lateral play on the selector, and I think the bushes are worn. Even so the pin doesn’t seem to travel far enough to engage with the microswitch.
Question: Should the pin engage with the microswitch when the selector button is pressed down? Or if not, then what should?
I think the microswitch is working as it should because if I press it then the actuator operates and releases when brakes are applied and released.
Has anybody worked on this area and can tell me how it should work please.
I think the “P range switch” that you are referring to is there to allow the selector to be taken out of park if the vehicle battery is flat. So you are basically overriding the electric release mechanism. I’m not that famillier with the operation of the rest of the system so I can’t offer any advice on what should be doing what. It sounds as though the micro switch isn’t being triggered mechanically somewhere as you say it works OK if you press it manually.
Thanks for the replies. Problem still ongoing. I am also trying mazda menders as suggested.
I found a wiring diagram and here is how I think the electrical side works The “p switch” provides the earth side of the interlock actuator that locks the lever in park. The live side is provided by the brake switch. So with “P switch” pressed and brake pedal together then we get live and ground to the actuator and it retracts allowing the lever to come out of park. If I manually press the “P switch” (microswitch on LH side of lever) with my finger then it all works as it should.
I think it is a mechanical problem with the switch. See picture, the pin that is supposed to press the “P switch”, never does. The “P switch” is too far away from the path of the pin. I can see no adjustment that could change that even with new bushes to remove any slack on the lever. I wonder if the microswitch (P switch) should have an arm for the pin to hit. Does anyone know?
I have attached a close-up of the switch to this item. (I tried and failed to insert it from photobucket)
Looking at your photo, micro switches sometimes have a thin metal lever over the switch that a mechanical component operates against. Could it be that the metal part of your micro switch is missing?
Thanks Robbie, you are right. The switch should look like the top middle one in the picture. Wayne on Mazda-menders posted a Youtube video on the forum to show me the problem. It seems that too much play in the bushes allowed the pin to catch that metal arm on the micro-switch and eventually break it off. The details should be on this link. http://www.mazdamenders.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=59&t=4765&e=0 . I hope that link works.
I did a search with a bright light and found the broken-off metal arm lying in the big hole below. I called in to AutolinkUK at Swanmore and they supplied me with two bushes and a new micro-switch. I’ve just got to fit the bits now. I think fitting the bushes can be a fiddle.
I guess anyone with an Automatic MX5 that finds that they have a large amount of play in the selector should be aware of this possible outcome if the bushes are not replaced in time.
