Ok guys, I know there are a thousand threads already about this. Sorry
I have encountered this stuck in park before, and it was a blown brake light, but this time ....
Ok, to set the scene :
1997 f150 extracab. Replaced tail lights tonight with specd tuning leds, they worked fine, also I hooked the horse trailer up to it, brake lights worked fine. Turned truck off, disconnected trailer. When i went to shift it, stuck in park.
Noticed brake lights not coming on, found blown fuse in dash, replaced it, then third brake light was working, and not leds, still stuck in park
So removed led lkghts an put in normal originak globes, now they seem to be working at half power,.... and still stuck in park

Ideas????

 

Dead battery?

 

It starts fine though

 

Ok, must have missed that part.

It's a relatively simple circuit. Need to verify the brake switch is actually working correctly. There's actually two switches inside, one for lights, on for the shift interlock

 

Ok, thats the one located onthe brake pedal yeah?

 

On a 97, its still a single-pole, single throw switch. If the HMSL is working at full brightness, the switch is okay.

 

Idk, how you are parked, but I know when I park on a hill, it makes it hard to shift out of park, so I put the e-brake on before going into park when parking on a hill. I have not personally looked at my lights to see if it has any effect on them.

 

?????

What possible effect would it have?

 

When parked in park, your truck can still roll a little bit, so on a hill it rolls to the max it can roll (if that makes sense, put your truck in park and push it), so by putting the E-brake on before putting it in park it wont roll to the max in that gear.


EDIT: I'm sorry, I know this makes no sense, so I'll try it with some numbers.

Say your truck can roll about 1" either way in park. When parked on a hill, if your truck rolls the full 1" it is maxed out on that gear, making it harder to put it into any other gear.

If you put the E-brake on then put it in park when parking on a hill, your truck will not roll the full 1", and when ou are ready to go, you put it in gear, and release the E-brake, and it will not be hard at all to shift.

Please note that this is in an automatic transmission not a manual, if it still does not make sense, try it, park on a steeper hill with out the E-brake on, let the truck roll into place, then shift into a different gear. It will be hard. Now when stopping on the hill, put on the breaks, then the E-brake then put it into park. Now when you are ready to go, put the truck into gear and release the E-brake.

 

Ok guys, worked it out, after continually blowing fuses,..
Remember I said I plugged the trailer up, then unplugged it, well that was it, the plug is a seven pin round kind, the little screw at th bottom of the truck connector had fallen out allowing it to twist and short out a wire !!!!
Always something
Thanks for your input guys

 

Red Ford: It was the part about the lights that made no sense..... They have no relation to the other observation.

DLWTHIT Glad you found it!