Can't Shift out of Park

just changed my brake switch tonight on my lincoln.

it was the brake switch for sure, but had a different symptom.

brake lights would not come on. would not release gear shift. but could use cruise control and if you hit brakes, lights wouldn't come on, but cruise control would disengage.

changed switch everything works like it should.

takes about 5 to 10 mintues to change.

~ curtis

knowledge is power - growing old is mandatory - growing wise is optional

One other possibility to consider: on my 2000 Taurus, I had the same symptoms. It turned out it was the plug that went into the brake switch rather than the switch itself.

The work-around, in case you don't have the Owner's Manual handy, is to put foot on brake pedal, shift to neutral before starting engine, then foot on brake (so it doesn't roll on ya) and shift to either drive or reverse as appropriate.

Drove my van for 2 years doing that. It's also a great anti-theft device and drives jiffy-lube type places and valet parking attendants crazy ... they'll definitely come looking for you if you forget to tell them about it.

Phil

The problem, though I didn't know this until I brought it in, was that the brake lights didn't work until I got the wiring fixed. Mine had gotten tougher and tougher to take out of gear until one evening it couldn't be done. I consulted the Haynes manual and did what you posted. I had to drive it to work that next morning but the morning after that I was sitting down at the Mercury dealership getting it fixed. That's when I found out I had no brake lights.

Cruise control worked fine, as I recall.