1996 Mercury Sable..... ignition/shifter iterlock - no brake lights

I apologize for a question on a Mercury..but seeing how it's basically a Taurus ...

My mother in law gave her 1996 Sable to my son. Two problems ... no brake lights and the shifter will not move out of Park after the engine is started unless you use the procedure stated in the manual which just also happens to say that the real problem is that a fuse is blown. I figured that the rachet/pawl mechanism was worn..She didn't know the brake lights were not operating..car originally in SC .. SC does not have an inspection law..so for two years she just jiggled the ignition switch and played the shifter game.. now ..we live in Texas..and Texas has an inspection ...

After reading the manual..I figured ..neat... I can fix this in no time.. however..in the fuse panel under the dash...all the fuses are good... so I am scratching my head... what gives? Help? ..really.. this is kicking my butt.

Thanks in advance.

Freddie

Reply to
fas495
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Your TauruSable questions are always welcome...

The fuses are fine.

Replace the BOO switch. (That's Ford-ese for Brake-On-Off switch)

It's easy to see on the brake pedal arm, under the dash... a common failure. Get a genuine Ford part for longer service.

Rob

Reply to
trainfan1

I appreciate the fast answer..I'll be off to the Ford dealer in the morning to get one... and I looked... yes.. looks to be a job I can handle.

The short period of time I drove the car....it has the 24 valve 3.0.. (I am used to a Ford Powerstroke F350), it is really a nice driving car... I think it will be an excellent car for my son. Thanks again...

Freddie

Reply to
fas495

Don't let him know it's a hot-rod, though. The Sable cammers are way underrated - they make excellent road cars and will win at traffic light face-offs too, while being easy to fix and cheap to maintain and operate. Should get 29-30 mpg highway without trying too hard. They don't attract much attention from the police, or thieves, they are very safe cars, and cheap to insure too. It's a good choice.

Rob

Reply to
trainfan1

Rob

Just wanted to drop you a reply to say 'thanks' again.. you hit the nail on the head... I picked up a new brakelight switch from the local Ford dealership on Friday... 18 bucks, easy installation..... and got the car inspected on Saturday, and got the tags and title this morning. Cleaned the car, put a little elbow grease (wax/polish) into the paint, and cleaned the interior, and now my son (age 17) has a good car to drive. I wish I had been given a car this nice when I was 17. I told him he needs to really sit back and appreciate what he has. Thanks again.

Freddie

Reply to
fas495

fas495 opined

hmmmmm... whole 'nother issue, here!

But you didn't ask... so....

Reply to
Backyard Mechanic

I had to laugh. Yep....ah nutter issue. Let me say that I think the car needs to be parked just a tad longer ......before I give it over to him.

Freddie

Reply to
fas495

fas495 opined in news: snipped-for-privacy@f14g2000cwb.googlegroups.com:

I raised four boys.. believe me, what they say you did AFTER the fact has nothing to do with their positions at the time

Reply to
Backyard Mechanic

In news:alt.autos.ford, trainfan1 posted on Fri,

07 Jan 2005 00:48:41 -0500:

I have the 98 Sable with the regular 3.0. I'll have it paid for in April and I plan on getting another Sable to complement my first one. I plan on searching for an LS Sable with the 24v engine. I can't wait. :-)

Reply to
Damaeus

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