2002 Galant auto won't start in park but ok in neutral

Kay

Hesitantly Boosting
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Brissie
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Kay
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2002 VR4
Hi all, just wanting to know if there is a simple fix I can look at as car suddenly won't start in Park, but does start in neutral. Also not sure if some setting MAY have been inadvertently altered when some work was done recently by a well rated workshop in Brisbane when timing belt was redone. Perhaps a simple cable adjustment? Some tips or someone who has had a similar problem and resolved would be useful - TIA
 

Wakaba

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US
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Abe
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96 Legnum VR4
What work was done recently, might help narrow down what location in the car to start with.
 

Kay

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Brissie
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Kay
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2002 VR4
Hi there - many thanks for your reply. Took car in mainly for new timing belt, due to a crank seal leak. Last belt change was only around 70 k ago, but crank seal started leaking badly. I suspect it was caused by the PCV valve being a bit old and maybe pressurising crank case and moved seal? I fitted a new PCV but decided to bring forward belt change and sent car to AK Racing to change crank seal specifically, but suppled new original kit from TME ie cam seals, new rocker cover gaskets, plugs and seals, all other belts , water pump, idler pulleys for cams and alternator. Would linkage be in the way of perhaps water pump change? Just seems co-incidental that it stopped working after coming back from workshop. Not a complaint, I know things happen when lots of work done to access these cars, so things can change. Advice appreciated. Is there a switch to start car in park? and where would it be if not an adjustment prob - many thanks
 

kc427

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HK
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KC
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VR4
Hi there - many thanks for your reply. Took car in mainly for new timing belt, due to a crank seal leak. Last belt change was only around 70 k ago, but crank seal started leaking badly. I suspect it was caused by the PCV valve being a bit old and maybe pressurising crank case and moved seal? I fitted a new PCV but decided to bring forward belt change and sent car to AK Racing to change crank seal specifically, but suppled new original kit from TME ie cam seals, new rocker cover gaskets, plugs and seals, all other belts , water pump, idler pulleys for cams and alternator. Would linkage be in the way of perhaps water pump change? Just seems co-incidental that it stopped working after coming back from workshop. Not a complaint, I know things happen when lots of work done to access these cars, so things can change. Advice appreciated. Is there a switch to start car in park? and where would it be if not an adjustment prob - many thanks
There is a switch somewhere near the shifter around the "P" position, you can check the switch/connector first.
 

6A13TT TYPE S

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Adam
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1999 Legnum VR4 Type S
Sounds like inhibitor switch has been messed with. Why anyone would do that for anything other than an transmission replacement or engine out job I dont know.
 

Wakaba

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Abe
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96 Legnum VR4
Sounds like inhibitor switch has been messed with. Why anyone would do that for anything other than an transmission replacement or engine out job I dont know.

Thats what I’m feeling too. Everything was done on the front of the motor, nowhere near the trans switches. Nothing interior, nothing ECU.

Strange
 

kc427

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HK
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KC
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VR4
Imagine, the car can't start properly, then you probably back to garage, and then being told some other parts broken, and you pay again for the fix. Anyway, I am not saying any workshop is doing bad things. But to be honest, in my country, I have heard that some bad workshops would do any kind of dirty things to keep the car owner back to the garage for fixing different parts. Imagine, if one of the vaccum hose being broken by a needle, or a small cut on the hose, etc..... you would know what happen to the car.
 

Wakaba

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Abe
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96 Legnum VR4
I’m a little confused on the timeline.

They had your car and did extensive work on the front of the motor. Presumably it had to be in neutral to start in order for them to pull out of the work bay, did they not tell you about an issue? Did you have to start in neutral when you picked the car up from the workshop? Or is the workshop a red herring and this issue began after you had taken the car home from the woekshop?
 

Kay

Hesitantly Boosting
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Location
Brissie
First Name
Kay
Drive
2002 VR4
Hi there - tx for your response. You raise a valid point in that the issue began intermittently in the days following the car coming back from workshop. Sometimes it would start in park, mostly only in neutral. My concern is ONLY to solve root cause, not apportion blame to workshop - only to inform anyone here that the car had JUST retuned from work, and had NEVER had this problem before. So info ONLY provided as background to issue. All I want to do is pinpoint cause so it can be fixed. It appears that it is possibly the neutral safety switch, according to workshop. I just wanted to know if the cables to auto might have been re-adjusted for work and they said NO. So my question now is this a common failure item, as workshop said it is a common failure. I don't know where to get one new, or 2nd hand and swop it out. I know the autos are less common as most here prob have manuals. So this is my new focus
 

BCX

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SA
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Bill
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2000 Galant Type-V
1997 MK Triton GLS [6G74 conversion]
2019 i30 N-Line
Any magna 5spd (and possibly 4spd) switch would potentially work.

F5M51 and W5M51 share most stuff.
 

Kay

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Brissie
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Kay
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2002 VR4
Thanks for that tip - are they sold on Amayama? Will first see if it is perhaps a setting issue - saw a youtube video showing how to set it, in case the setting has drifted
 
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