stuck shift lever

i have a 1992 Ford Aerostar 4.0 and i can`t get it out of park!! i can put it into reverse by crawling under the van and pulling on the linkage but not into drive... i have been told it may have a lock-out switch on the brake pedal that locks it into park if your tail lights malfunction. i checked my tail lights and they are working just fine.... =A0=A0there are two switches on the brake pedal one with wires and one with a rubber hose.. i assume the switch with the rubber hose is the lock-out switch... can i disable this switch so i can shift into drive to move the van??...... or is the shift cable the culprit or possibly a internal transmission problem??......... PLEASE HELP!! i need to move this van ASAP

Reply to
Sha Zam
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Where to start???? The vacuum switch on the brake is for the cruise control.... it dumps the vacuum from the actuator under the hood. Having a shift interlock that works in conjunction with the taillights wouldn't serve much of a purpose... The interlock works in conjunction with the brake lights and it is these that you need to check to see if they are working.

Forcing the shifter into reverse will only break parts unecessarily. Since the default position for the shift interlock is "LOCKED", there isn't much you can disable without digging into the steering column.... something I would suggest you avoid until after you get a service manual and pre-read any sections you need.

i have a 1992 Ford Aerostar 4.0 and i can`t get it out of park!! i can put it into reverse by crawling under the van and pulling on the linkage but not into drive... i have been told it may have a lock-out switch on the brake pedal that locks it into park if your tail lights malfunction. i checked my tail lights and they are working just fine.... there are two switches on the brake pedal one with wires and one with a rubber hose.. i assume the switch with the rubber hose is the lock-out switch... can i disable this switch so i can shift into drive to move the van??...... or is the shift cable the culprit or possibly a internal transmission problem??......... PLEASE HELP!! i need to move this van ASAP

Reply to
Jim Warman

If the shift interlock isn't working right I believe you can work around it. Rather then starting the car and then fiddling with trying to move the shifter, the first thing you do is put your foot on the brake (to make sure the car doesn't roll) and just turn the key to the first "click" which is the unlock position. Then you should be able to shift it out of park and INTO neutral BEFORE you turn the key any further. Once it's in neutral you can start it and once it's started you should be able to shift it into any of the positions.

Reply to
Ashton Crusher

Check your fuses. I ran into this on my 2001 Explorer sport several years ago. Factory trailer lightplug was causing it for some reason. Something told me to check the cabin fuses and there it was. Sorry, but I can't remember which fuse it was. Just pull them one by one and take a look.

-ron

i have a 1992 Ford Aerostar 4.0 and i can`t get it out of park!! i can put it into reverse by crawling under the van and pulling on the linkage but not into drive... i have been told it may have a lock-out switch on the brake pedal that locks it into park if your tail lights malfunction. i checked my tail lights and they are working just fine.... there are two switches on the brake pedal one with wires and one with a rubber hose.. i assume the switch with the rubber hose is the lock-out switch... can i disable this switch so i can shift into drive to move the van??...... or is the shift cable the culprit or possibly a internal transmission problem??......... PLEASE HELP!! i need to move this van ASAP

Reply to
Ron

Thank you for your help : ) after investigating i found the shift-cable was badly frayed and binding the shift lever.. after removing the cable the transmission linkage shifted smoothly and the column shift lever worked just fine... (now my question is) when installing the new cable do i place the shift lever and the transmission linkage into park and simply install the new cable?... once again this is a 1992 ford 4.0 aerostar.... Thank you

Reply to
Sha Zam

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