Shift LocK

[ensteele]

Does any one know why the shift lock may have been left off of a car? I have two that do not have the shift lock button. It has the place where it should be, but has a plug in there instead. One of these cars is a 93 and the other is my 95. This just seems strange to me and wondered if anyone else has this, and why. Thanks

[Landshark]

Earl,

later cars did not have the shift lock button (why - i REALLY don't know)- you have to pop the plug off, and access it with a screwdriver.

i'd advise anyone to check these - mine got 'locked' at a restaurant one time, and the bolt to 'unlock' the shifter got stripped, using the piece-o-crap Subaru screwdriver that came in the toolkit. ((someone here suggested checking the horn fuse //blown// and that fixed the shift lock problem))

i had to get a Sears stripped bolt remover to get it out, and i replaced it with a new bolt, and made sure not to apply 300 ft-lbs of torque to it.

in summary, check your shiftlock bolt to see if you are able to get it out to keep from possibly getting stranded somewhere.......and if it does ever lock the shifter on you, check the horn fuse first.

Mine doesn't have the button, either. I'd like to think that it's only the new models that are void of the button, but I'm pretty sure Earl has a '94 LSi in there too. He said the '93 and the '95 don't have the button...

Mine's a '94 LE, so maybe the low end models had no button?

[ensteele]

All of mine are the top end models. LS-l or LS-i so, I don't think that had anything to do with it. So far I see them mixed in with the other years.

93, 94, and 95 without the button. Interesting.

Oh, so now it's the '94 too eh? I see how it is.

The shift lock button went the way of the "auto up" button on later SVX's.....they just don't have them. Kind of like the way the 92's don't have a central door lock. I've also noticed that on my 95 if you try to open your locked door from inside, it will automatically unlock, but on the 92 you have to manually unlock it before it will open.

Another difference I've noticed: on the sunroof models you have two map lights and one room light, but on the non sunroof models there are two room lights: one near the map lights and another over the rear seats!


Dave

[Landshark]

Originally posted by ensteele
All of mine are the top end models. LS-l or LS-i so, I don't think that had anything to do with it. So far I see them mixed in with the other years.

93, 94, and 95 without the button. Interesting.

maybe 96/97? i know my 97 LSi doesn't have it, but wish it did (especially when i was stuck in that parking lot! )


any final word on this? Mike?

[ensteele]

Originally posted by deruvian
Oh, so now it's the '94 too eh? I see how it is.

Not one of my 94s, but yours. I can talk slower!

Originally posted by ensteele


Not one of my 94s, but yours. I can talk slower!

doh!

[SVXdc]

EDIT: Never mind. I had no idea that earlier models had a real button there instead of just a cover plate. In fact, I just looked at the diagram for the 96 at SubaruParts.com and it still shows the actual override button instead of the cover plate (parts 35127A, 35134A, and 35122B).

Attached picture is from my '96, with the cap already removed and the screw most of the way out. I'd be interested to see one of the older ones with the button.

[Landshark]

wonder if the button can be retro-fitted to an SVX that doesn't have one......without too much trouble?

Originally posted by Landshark
wonder if the button can be retro-fitted to an SVX that doesn't have one......without too much trouble?

I doubt it. Although, with enough time and money you could do just about anything you wanted. But why would you want to go through all that work for a switch that is almost never used?? As long as you have a thin screwdriver around you'll be able to activate the non-switch type lock control.


Dave

[poweredx2]

I have both map and room lights but no sunroof.Also I just went into my center console and unhooked my shiftlock.

[Landshark]

Originally posted by red95svx
I doubt it. Although, with enough time and money you could do just about anything you wanted. But why would you want to go through all that work for a switch that is almost never used?? As long as you have a thin screwdriver around you'll be able to activate the non-switch type lock control.


Dave

what i meant was...."if it was REALLY easy", like buying the $5 button and sticking it on there and connecting it without much fuss. i have never really taken a good look at the internals of an SVX equipped with the switch lock button, so i had no idea. i obviously am not going to do research, development, and fabrication - but extra buttons and gadgets are cool.

[SVXdc]

Originally posted by Landshark
what i meant was...."if it was REALLY easy", like buying the $5 button and sticking it on there and connecting it without much fuss.

Actually, comparing the exploded diagram to what I saw when I disassembled mine, I think the extra parts from the '92 could easily be installed in the newer models. The rest of the mechanism in my '96 looks the same. I'll bet that Subaru did as little work as necessary to remove the button and put the cap there instead.

But new parts will cost a bit more than $5...

• $7.87 35127A Button-shift lock
• $0.67 35134A <No. 1> Spring-button grip (same as the one used in the thumb button, <No. 2>)
• $4.31 35122B Plate-button
• $0.05 045004160 Screw

..but extra buttons and gadgets are cool.

Normally I might agree with you, but in this case I don't want to make it any easier for somebody else to shift into neutral without the key.

As for why Subaru removed the button, I think another thread mentioned unattended kids in a parked SVX rolling it down a hill.