I have a reverse light/overdrive issue and have checked the inline fuse.
I have put the car on the hoist, but all the switches and wiring are out of sight on the top of the gearbox
What’s the best access? drop the rear mount to get a couple of inches, or what’s involved to get there from the top?
How does the wiring loom get from the fuse to the gearbox? where are the connectors?
If it is on top of the gearbox, Russell - access should be by removing gear quadrant…
Since the fuse was OK(?) something else is amiss - and I cannot see that access to the involved parts should require moving the engine…
Frank
xj6 85 Sov Europe (UK/NZ)
it’s a manual, so no quadrant
Dropping the rear trans mount might give you enough access but I’ve never tried because it’d be pretty fiddly to work like that especially if the gearbox switches for overdrive or reverse are involved. The best way to do it is from the top which means removing the console because the removable metal gearbox cover goes all the way forward, under the radio.
It really isn’t too bad to remove the console. You’d need to remove the left and right trays and the center oddments tray and then the radio and HVAC components… And of course the ski slope. With that stuff out of the way you’ll see the cover which is held on by many straight headed screws with oval washers and also the shifter boot which is screwed to the cover. It’s tempting to try to get the cover off without pulling the console but IIRC there is a tab on the metal cover that the console screws to that will trap the cover.
Once you get all that out the console is held by a couple acorn nuts at the front and some screws under the ashtray plinth at the rear… You might also have to take out the center console interior to access some stuff for the power windows.
BTW I have a '72 XJ6 with MOD so speaking from experience.
Here’s a pic of the top cover. You can see why dealing with the switches blind could be an issue - terminals are screwed not Lucar connectors. One switch allows power to the OD only when the box is in 4th and one switch operates reverse lights.
thanks for that info.
What is the route of the wiring in the car from the in-line fuse to the gearbox?
Where is the on-line switch located?
The fuse? its to the right of the steering column under the trim near the choke lever
IIRC there is a grommet that the wires pass through into the top of the trans tunnel from the dash. Also the transmission harness is a separate unit so there should be bullets and sleeves connecting it to the harness under the car that you might be able to get at from the bottom.
You didn’t mention what the exact issue was with the O/D and reverse lights but don’t forget the O/D switch in the shift lever as a possible culprit. It has some tiny connections shoved in a small space that moves around alot.
