Gear Shift Stuck in Park

[Lukas2009]

Just to show what happens when pressing the brake pedal:

http://youtu.be/9GjZOXBCvD8

 

[Ornery]

It wasn't that the actuator itself was broken, it was still intact when I took it out. It was just that when I pressed on the brake pedal the actuator would not move thus not allowing me to pull the trigger on the gear selector.

I have never used the screwdriver method, I never had to go that far. I did however have to play with it for 5-10 minutes before it would finally work. My best guess is that you are not pushing a button with the screwdriver but rather manually moving the plastic piece out of the way allowing you to pull the trigger on the gear selector.

In 4th gens there is no cable, its all run by electronics. From what I can gather, when you press on the brakes you activate the brake switch which then sends a signal up to this actuator as well as the rear brake lights. Once the signal is received the actuator moves out moving the plastic piece on the right out of the way allowing you to pull the trigger on the gear selector.

Ah ha! Thanks for clearing that up. Between that explanation and Lukas' video, I GET IT!

 

[singarage]

I've been frustrated with this situation. I've also got an 06 with the same intermittent shifter stuck in park. I've taken the shifter console apart and all the parts move like it should even the actuator. The pin does come down and clears the shifter gate but the shifter is still stuck. When I try to move it, it feels like there is resistance and just won't move. Today it did it again after a week and I was frustrated with it and gave it a little force and it finally moved. I don't want to keep doing this all the time or break anything in the process. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Ornery]

Could the shifter cable be binding? Does it move smoothly once it's free?

 

[Town]

There is a procedure to adjust the transmission shifter cable. That will allow the cable to be detached so you can check for binding and once fixed you can re-attach correctly. The V6 trans is a little more involved (2 procedures) than the V8 because of the external trans range sensor may need adjustment too (the V8 trans has an internal trans range sensor) so only one procedure for the cable.

Ornery may be able to post them, but if not, PM me with your e-mail address.

Good luck.

 

[PEAR0119]

The solenoid seemed to of binded up on mine again this morning, so the replacement doesn't seem to be working. I did however notice that the plastic lever that the solenoid moves was extremely lose and has about a 1/2" of lateral play in it, it it may be binding on something which would cause this same issue. More investigation may be required.

 

[Lukas2009]

It seems to be normal that the plastic lever is extremely lose.
About three years ago I noticed that too and made the following video to show this.
Until now, this works fine for my Explorer.

 

[PEAR0119]

OK, yeah mine is about that loose as well. Maybe this morning was just a fluke, as I was pressing the brake pedal many times fast and may of confused it. The only other thing that I can think it may be if it occurs more often would be the brake switch or the circuit board the solenoid plugs into.

 

[Ornery]

I'm going to start calling you Herr George Lukas with all the great vids!

 

[Lukas2009]

I'm going to start calling you Herr George Lukas with all the great vids!

Thanks, you may do that!
A picture (video) often says more than thousand words!

Regards from Cologne, home of the V6 engines.

 

[BigNutz]

When I bought my 2006 EB V8 with 86,000 miles, after about a week or so, I realized the gear shifter could be moved whether the key was and turned or not. So I pulled it all apart and found that the previous owner had inserted a sheetmetal screw into the plastic componants to hold the little loose black plastic peice out of the way. So I removed it, and within that day realizeed why he did it. So I ordered one of those selanoid switches. Before it came though, I was at a scrap yard and saw an easily accessable one and grabbed it. Had it installed pretty quick. It worked great for a little while, but the problem has intermittantly come back. One of these days I'll install the new one and see if that fixes it.

 

[PEAR0119]

Well after replacing that solenoid about 2 weeks ago the truck got stuck in park today when leaving work, with the same symptoms as before (press on brakepedal but cannot pull trigger on gear shifter). I played around with it for a couple minutes and then finally I heard the solenoid move and was able to pull the trigger.

I am not sure as to what else it might be, it could be the brake switch but it seems to be working perfectly fine (brake lights come on, cruise control disengages etc...) so I am at a loss right now. I could tape the plastic component forward which would allow me to take the truck out of park at any point, but I am not too keen on that one as its not really a proper fix. Sometimes though it seems that while I am pressing on the brake pedal I can hear the solenoid actuate in and out 2-3 times without taking my foot off the pedal, so this leads me to believe that there is an electrical issue somewhere.

Are there any other sensors/relays that I should look into other than the brake switch? Or should that be the first thing to be replaced?

 

[Ornery]

Could be intermittent connection somewhere. I'd first look at connectors in the circuit. Look for corrosion. Spray those connectors with something like "DeoxIT". If that doesn't work, it may be a frayed wire inside the insulation. A tough repair if it's intermittent. I'll drop the wiring diagram in your lap and wish you good luck:

After examining the diagram more closely, I see the brake switch doesn't connect directly to the interlock solenoid. It goes through the "Smart Junction Box". If the relay inside that black box is intermittent, you might as well override the interlock solenoid and forget about it.

 

[PEAR0119]

I was thinking about that black "smart junction box" that the solenoid plugs into as a possible cause. there were a couple wires pulled into that box and seems relatively easy to replace, depending on price. I will look into this a bit more today as Ford wanted around $600 to replace the entire shifter, so if I can replace it for under $100 I am happy.

EDIT: I wonder if this is the "Smart Junction Box" http://www.fordparts.com/Commerce/PartDetail.aspx?n=CqkTIgdqGWRd4hg%2f5CDS4A%3d%3d&id=225671150&m=2&search=true&year=2006&make=Ford&model=Explorer As the solenoid connects to this as well as 2 other wire harnesses.

 

[Ornery]

Oh no, not quite. If my memory serves me correctly, it's under the left side of the dash, costs mega bucks and has to be programmed & yada yada. If that's truly the problem, fahgettaboudit.

 

[Functianalyst]

I have read through this thread and there seems to be varied problems occurring. My 2007 Explorer Sport Trac just started having the same problem this week. I am a few hundred miles short of 80k.

I noticed yesterday morning I had to wait several minutes to get it out of park. I continued to press on the brake but nothing happened. It's quite intermittent since it worked fine the rest of the day, then on one occasion it would not allow me to pull the trigger. I located some inclines steep enough to see if it was the automatic lock mechanism, but it worked fine.

I contacted the dealership I take it to and they said it could be a solenoid problem, that would require lowering the transmission. They want to charge $900.00. Calling Ford Motor Company was no better. I then called a guy I know that has a transmission shop. He thought it could be the brake switch.

 

[shaker1]

Well after replacing that solenoid about 2 weeks ago the truck got stuck in park today when leaving work, with the same symptoms as before (press on brakepedal but cannot pull trigger on gear shifter). I played around with it for a couple minutes and then finally I heard the solenoid move and was able to pull the trigger.

I am not sure as to what else it might be, it could be the brake switch but it seems to be working perfectly fine (brake lights come on, cruise control disengages etc...) so I am at a loss right now. I could tape the plastic component forward which would allow me to take the truck out of park at any point, but I am not too keen on that one as its not really a proper fix. Sometimes though it seems that while I am pressing on the brake pedal I can hear the solenoid actuate in and out 2-3 times without taking my foot off the pedal, so this leads me to believe that there is an electrical issue somewhere.

Are there any other sensors/relays that I should look into other than the brake switch? Or should that be the first thing to be replaced?

Looking at the diagram provided by ornery, Note that the solenoid (upper right quadrant of brake shift interlock circuit) requires three things to operate. It requires 12v from the run start relay in via pin "1". And it requires GRD from the park detect switch in via pin 6. And pin 8 requires a voltage (logic level from smart junction box) through the resistor and to the transistor's base in order to conduct the GRD from the park detect switch. If all three are present the solenoid will operate, unless the solenoid is defective.

The solenoid can be checked with an OHM meter for proper resistance through its windings. Since, you may still have the one you replaced, check them both and compare resistance. And if you provide GRD and 12V it should operate consistently.

Applying GRD to the input (pin 6) of the park detect switch should verify it is conducting. Or check the park detect switch with an ohm meter for continuity.

If you provide GRD directly to the GRD side of the solenoid and it operates, then provide GRD to the output of the park detect switch (input to the transistor's collector) and it does not operate, then the problem is with the signal coming in on pin 8 from the smart junction box.

Replace any defective parts and check wires and connections as appropriate.

Also, it seems very unlikely that the transmission needs to be lowered to replace the solenoid or brake shift interlock in its entirety.

One more thing, when I had a problem with moving the shifter out of park, back in 2007, I discovered that if I held the shifter (either forward or back, I cannot remember) I could press the brake and it would work every time. It was under warranty, so I am not sure what they replaced at that time, but It appeared to have been a mechanical issue, not an electrical issue when that happened to mine. Just something else to consider.

 

[dxgmmpa]

Shifter stuck in Park

This thread was very useful for diagnosing the shifter stuck in Park problem. My unleashed dog in the passenger seat could not wait for me to get out of the driver's seat and open the door on his side. He jumped over the shifter level and into the drive's seat. In the process he over turned a full cup of coffee sitting in the cup holder. He spilled two inches of coffee (w/ cream and sugar) all over the shifter and cup holder well. I wiped it up and did not give it another thought until reading this thread. This problem started after the spill. Need to disassemble the console and check out what the coffee did to the shifter electronics.

Can someone tell me the procedure to remove the console for shifter access without breaking the plastic bezels?

 

[Ornery]

Sticky: 2006 Explorer Console Disassembly Procedure (

1 2 3)​

I'm going to bet that sticky coffee is soaked into the solenoid itself, keeping the plunger from moving in its bore. You could easily clean that up without spending a dime.

 

[dxgmmpa]

Gear shift leveler stuck in Park position

Yep... The solenoid was stuck. There is a small sponge like black washer that keeps the solenoid from slapping against the metal and making too much noise. Its spongy material soaked up the coffee w/ cream and sugar and interfered with the solenoid operation. I took apart the console and removed the solenoid and cleaned the whole bloody mess with Windex. I tested it after before reassembly. It works find.

Thank you for the link to the console removal procedure. It made the job easier.