Won't Shift from park?

[mdstud]

Hey guys I have a '97 F-150 V6 Automatic trannie... The problem is it won't shift from park. I tried moving the steering wheel from side to side and still nothing... I don't hear any grinding or anything when attempting to shift. Any suggestions on what to check? I really don't wanna have to get this towed..........

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[MANDRAKE27]

Do you mean you can't move the gear selector at all?? If that is the case I would suggest two things

A) If you are on an incline.....get some help and rock the truck back and forth while working the shift......might be jammed in park, using the parking brake on grades alleviates this prob.

B) If you're on flat ground and it won't shift....it could be that your brake switch is faulty.....you can't shift out of park in these trucks without your foot on the brake, if that switch isn't working....no shifty for you.

Hope this helps.....tthats all I can think of for now

[brahmus]

do a search i have heard many people talk about this same problem and there is a way to disable it.

[mdstud]

I did search... couldn't find anything any keywords I could search for? Are you talking about a sensor on the actual brake pedal?

[mdstud]

ok found it was serching for the wrong thing... So Im guessing its just the sensor at the top of the brake pedal... if not i guess its the actuator...

[mdstud]

Well guys finally got around to it and fuse 15 there are two of them keeps burning out... I don't have my manual anyone know what fuse that controls or what to check?

[BobtailRiggs]

I encountered this situation today for the first time ever. Only it appears to be intermittant -- or is this the onset of worse problems? By the grace of God (and not AAA roadside assistance at a 90 minute wait for a tow...) I got home. I have to stand HARD on the brake to shift out of park (cursing in tongues might have helped, too). My Chilton book talks about a green wire being the actuator wire but the book doesn't indicate where it is. Can this be disconnected as a temporary fix? If so... how can I get to it? And what is the fix for this?

[Mr_Bentwrench]

heres something to try. turn the key from off to just before the run posistion so that the dash lights dont light up but the steering wheel is unlocked. at this point you should be able to shift without pushing the brake pedal and get it into neutral. then start it and drive off. this is one of the work arounds we use when we have to shift with the battery disconected. works on some vehicles.

[BobtailRiggs]

Well, that trick worked. We went to a Ford dealer and they let us look through their shop manuals concerning the shift lock actuator. It's a solenoid, $53 frog skins if you replace it, and it's in the steering column. We will be confirming the part is actually bad before replacing it, and if what we learned can help you, email me for more details.

Thanks!

[mdstud]

Well kind of funny, Im am just north of Dallas right now, in Allen. We just replaced the sensor on the master cylinder and that stopped the fuse from blowing and allowed it to shift...

[BobtailRiggs]

And how much did replacing the master cylinder sensor run? We looked at the fuses.. They don't appear to be blown. However, when I detailed the interior of the truck, having just bought it last week (note to self -- when the dealship stresses they have not inspected it, get concerned -- it's beyond amazing what you can find under the backseat back when you turn the extended cab seat into a cargo bed......) I did find an empty Buss fuse case in the glove box..

My last truck was a 92 F 250 Custom. I was hoping to move away from replacing everything on the truck piece by piece. Well, hopefully, F-150 parts will be cheaper..

[mdstud]

40-50 for the sensor, I don't have the receipt so can't tell ya exactly... I put it on myself...

[BobtailRiggs]

Little note about shifting to neutral before turnnig on engine... you will have no working brake lights in this scenario. We found a poorly spliced wire under the steering column. We fixed it, worked normally for a few days, now we suspect the brake switch. It just keeps getting better.