My 1980 242GT OD was working perfectly... Now I can't get the OD to disengage the OD light stays on all the time.. Moving the OD button does nothing.. Doing some research tonight in the FAQ section.. Before diving in wiring and such I could use a starting point...Thanks in advance..

I would suspect the switch under the cap in the shifter stick first. If it's a slide switch. Might just be dirty or old lube.
No clicky, no shifty.
Phil

How do I pull the top off of the gear knob???

Sharp edged tool inserted into small gap between top cap and body of the shift knob and pry. The cap snaps into place. -- Dave

Thanks all ...Pulled the top off the gear shift knob cleaned up the switch...Lost one little screw ...Found little screw..Reinstalled switch and bingo OD works perfectly...Nice... Thanks again..

Ok Just checked 4th gear and engaging and disengaging the OD... No clicking sound and OD indicator light dimes...

Your switch could be toast or when you re-installed, one of the switch contacts is loose.

It's also possible that after you worked on the switch, you aggravated a part of the wiring and exposed another fault.

My advice is to remove the switch, use an ON/Off toggle type switch to test and see what you get.

No clicking means you haven't got adequate power to the relay and that seems to confirm to me why your OD light is dim.

The wiring of the OD circuit isn't difficult, and sometimes it's best to replace it as the old phosphorous coated wires tend to break down, and with the constant movement of the shifter, the wires at the shifter base tend to break down.

I love the OD's, but sometimes they are a pain.

To piggy-back off of this thread, I'm having issues with my OD too.

For me, even with my replaced and fixed solenoid, my OD doesn't kick on.

Sometimes it takes a while for it to kick on (and when it does, it works fine). I thought maybe it was because the o-rings on my original solenoid were worn (they were), so I replaced the solenoid with my extra one with new o-rings. The first time I tried it it worked fine.

But the next few times I used the OD, it didn't work. The light would go on, and if i took my foot off the gas the RPM's would drop, but it wouldn't engage.


Could it be a poor electrical connection? Maybe the wires are switched. Should I clean the wires at the button inside the car? (I need to do something with the gear-shift cap, it vibrates at high speeds and bugs the day-lights out of me).

That doesn't sound logical, but I have no idea.

It's an m46, b230. I replaced the wires when I did the tranny swap. The 4th gear switch is fine.

If the light comes on at normal brightness, there is 12V at the OD relay output. How about running a long test lead from the solenoid terminal to your meter to see if there is 12V at it, too?

If you have a known good solenoid and it is getting a full 12V when it should, then OD failure to engage is starting to look like a hydraulic - not electrical - issue.

Again, worn seals may be the cause, if not on the solenoid then elsewhere, like pistons. I'm not mentioning the usual "low fluid" warning, since your skill level means you've checked that! OK, I just mentioned it.

Don't know if he still has any, but Duane Hoberg ("OD Guru") used to offer a kit containing upgraded pistons and seals. I still have mine in his shipping package, awaiting the day when I can no longer nurse the 83's OD along.

Good luck with it...
--
Bob: son's 81-GL, dtr's '94-940, my 83-DL, 89-745(V8) and 98-S90. Also 77-MGB and some old motorcycles.