13 replies to this topic

[OJM]

My mate has an auto Mini, and is having problems with the wires / bolt that works out whether the gearbox is in neutral.

If the gearbox is in neutral, then the engine will start when the key is turned. However, if the gearbox is in gear, then it won't let you start it.

However, my mate's gearbox doesn't get this right all the time, and 75% of the time won't let him start the car.

Does anyone know how you override this? Possibly by removing the wires / bolt and putting the right ones together. He's not bothered about losing the 'don't start if it's in gear function', as he's got a manual engine and gearbox to drop in soon.

Cheers!

[Dan]

You DO NOT over-ride this system. It is there for a reason. An automatic car that can start in gear is an accident waiting to happen and it could easily kill you. What if you drop a spanner on the solenoid while working in the engine bay? The car will kill you. Bodging this system is absolutely idiotic, don't do it. fix it properly.

[cobblers]

It's not that different to leaving a manual car in 1st gear though?
A manual car in first will jump forward and knock you (It's happened to me!) whereas an automatic would gently push against you a bit.
Unless I'm missing something fundamental?

[Spitz]

You DO NOT over-ride this system. It is there for a reason. An automatic car that can start in gear is an accident waiting to happen and it could easily kill you. What if you drop a spanner on the solenoid while working in the engine bay? The car will kill you. Bodging this system is absolutely idiotic, don't do it. fix it properly.

As I recall ( did this earlier this year to switch to manual ) the wires are right at the shifter unit. You just need to join them together!
Safer just to fiddle with the adjuster however until ready for the manual install.

[OJM]

It's not that different to leaving a manual car in 1st gear though?
A manual car in first will jump forward and knock you (It's happened to me!) whereas an automatic would gently push against you a bit.
Unless I'm missing something fundamental?

My thoughts exactly!

I thought the system was there to protect the gearbox, not to stop it moving in gear...

[Guess-Works.com]

Yes, but a manual will just lurch forward and stall, an auto will start and drive away...

Not clever on the 3rd floor of a multi story !

Fix the system, don't bodge it...

[Dan]

As John says, a manual will never be turning fast enough on the starter to actually catch and run if it's in gear. Because of the torque converter an auto will. It will start, it will run, it will drive over you and it will keep going, or it will push you against the back wall of your garage and crush you or it will find some equally stupid and humiliating way to kill you. Or as John also says, there are other ways for it to cause a problem even if you aren't working on your car. Driving off the top of a car park because you were too tight to buy a new inhibitor switch would not make for a good epitaph.

[OJM]

So, any tips on fixing the issue then?

[M J W J]

A new switch should solve it. First check to see if there is any play in the gear selector. I had this problem with my mini when I first bought it and drove it back (pronptly converted the car to manual). Wiggling the gearshift around got the car to start. Your gear selector may be saying your car is in gear when in reality it is just the gear selector that is not quite in the correct place.

As everybody else says don't dissable it. It is there for a reason

[OJM]

Can't seem to find the switch on MiniSpares - don't know what I'm looking for - would you mind posting a link please?

[cobblers]

When the manual car turned over, it managed to shove me (stumbling backwards out of its way) a good few meters with a lot of force
I was splicing and soldering an engine loom on a 106. I had the solder sat in the scuttle and was pulling lengths down. I pulled the solder down to feed some solder in to the connection for the starter solenoid - It caught on the positive battery terminal and engaged the starter. It could only happen to me! (I'd have disconnected the battery but I needed to buzz wires through and needed power to switch the relays)

From experience of being ran over my by own car, I think I'd rather an automatic gently shove forward than the manual lurching forward with great force. It didn't start (the starter solenoid was the first wire I did!)

Unless mini automatics push forward on idle a lot harder than every other automatic I've used? Most things, even with the choke on only gave a gentle push that you could probably stop by hand?


But yeah, you should fix it properly!

[Steve123]

Can't seem to find the switch on MiniSpares - don't know what I'm looking for - would you mind posting a link please?

Unfortunately, as I was informed by the owner of a specialist shop near where I live, the starter inhibitor switches fitted to these automatics were discontinued in 2000 and apparently are not made by any other companies (which is why niether of us could find it on Mini Spares). He suggested that the only way to get a replacement is to hit the scrap heap. But, after a search on Google, I saw websites that said they had them (the price was around the £30 mark) so it might be worth looking further than just the popular parts sites.

As I have the same problem with mine I was thinking of bypassing it but after reading the posts I probably won't. Just to settle a query of mine - if you do bypass the inhibitor would it then mean an MOT fail?

[Guess-Works.com]

I may have a 2nd hand switch ( well I have a selector unit ) is it a 1275 or 998, as the selector is different 998' don't have a Park while the 1275's do.

Edited by GuessWorks.co.uk, 26 November 2009 - 07:49 AM.

[OJM]

I think my mate has a 998