Stuck In Park, Brake Light Issues

[mikeisgod]

So several days back the expedition decided it didn't want to come out of park. I figured the T30 bolts in the shifting mechanism were loose so I didn't put much thought into it until I had time to mess around with it. Checked the bolts tonight and they're snug as can be (which is odd because before it had issues sometimes with starting in park unless I fussed with the gear selection or moved to neutral). So after a bit of reading I came to brake light issues. My brake lights when I depress the pedal come on for a split second (sometimes I have to pump them for them to come on at all) and then they just go out... Any ideas where to start?

 

[mikeisgod]

1997 auto eddie bauer 5.4L forgot to throw that in there if it matters much

 

[Bedrck47]

suggest you replace the brake switch

 

[mikeisgod]

Brake switch replaced, same issue.

 

[Bedrck47]

Can you read and understand wiring diagrams?
How good are you in troubleshooting electrical circuits?
Do you have a volt/ohm meter?

Check fuse #6 and #13 in the under dash fuse box Check them for voltage in and out.

 

[docraymund]

Replace the shift solenoid. Its under the steering column.

 

[Bedrck47]

Before replacing any more parts You need to start doing voltage checks to find out why you aren't getting the brake lights to stay on when you press the pedal. The brake switch provides power to both the brake lights and the shift solenoid plus other circuits.

 

[mikeisgod]

so I had found a video w/ a fix to a ford taurus that had almost identical looking brake switch and the guy was talking about the design being poor and issue happening after replacing the switch with a new one. he put a washer in above the spring as a spacer and it resolved his issue, so i tried that which was a no go... then i realized the wire had broke and i felt like a *******... had to rig the wire and tried to use the old switch (no go) used the new switch and bingo. No one in town carries the plug that the switch connects to, and the wire was broke flush with the base of the adapter so not an easy way to fix that... but for now it works! Also one thing to note, before when I had cruise control on and would hit the brakes it didn't want to come off of cruise control unless i really pushed the brakes hard... now that's resolved, yay! Thanks everyone.

 

[Bedrck47]

Mike Try rock auto to see if they have the connector Or a junk yard
Glad that fixed the problem.

Glad that you didn't replace the shift solenoid as was suggested