03 V8 Stuck In Park

[TechGuru]

Hey guys sorry I never replied to this years ago lol
I never actually came up with a resolution. I ended up replacing my rotors and pads at the time cos they were due, once I get it all back together it came good. So I'm not actually sure what the cause was.

However unfortunately now it has come back again and I'm having to use the shift interlock button everytime I drive it now. Brake lights r still working and I don't have traction control so I'm not entirely sure what the problem is.
I've also lost all drive to low range so I don't know if that has anything to do with it :/

I believe that rules out the actual solenoid that releases it.

You have to have your foot on the brake for the transfer case to switch from Hi to Lo. So that means the transfer case uses the same brake pedal signal that the shift interlock uses.

Since changing the pads temp fixed it I am wondering if it is the brake pressure sensor that this stuff uses and not the brake pedal position sensor which the brake lights are tied to.

 

[morziac]

I believe that rules out the actual solenoid that releases it.

You have to have your foot on the brake for the transfer case to switch from Hi to Lo. So that means the transfer case uses the same brake pedal signal that the shift interlock uses.

Since changing the pads temp fixed it I am wondering if it is the brake pressure sensor that this stuff uses and not the brake pedal position sensor which the brake lights are tied to.

Well this is an interesting thought.
Any idea where I can get a brake pressure sensor?

 

[TechGuru]

[strike]http://www.rockauto.com/en/catalog/...e/wheel+hub,brake+fluid+pressure+sensor,13521

At that price I would try to somehow verify that it is bad first. [/strike]

EDIT:

I was just looking at the brake system wiring diagrams, looks like the 4x4 control mod goes off the position sensor not the pressure sensor on non traction control, on traction control the 4x4 control connects to the ABS control mod.

Since you have traction control I would take it to a shop because it causes everything to get very complex and complicated. I see here something about a redundant brake switch...

 

[morziac]

[strike]http://www.rockauto.com/en/catalog/...e/wheel+hub,brake+fluid+pressure+sensor,13521

At that price I would try to somehow verify that it is bad first. [/strike]

EDIT:

I was just looking at the brake system wiring diagrams, looks like the 4x4 control mod goes off the position sensor not the pressure sensor on non traction control, on traction control the 4x4 control connects to the ABS control mod.

Since you have traction control I would take it to a shop because it causes everything to get very complex and complicated. I see here something about a redundant brake switch...

Cheers mate, I had a look at that part just after I asked lol, but wasn't sure if it was the right one. I have a spare explorer out the back that's a v6 model but I presume the sensor in the same so I might grab that one out and try it out.

Mines the non traction control model, so I presume it's the position sensor on mine.
Sorry but the diagram is a little confusing to me haha m
Cheers for the help so far mate

 

[TechGuru]

Oh I need to post the non traction control diagram then. I'll try to do that later.

 

[imp]

Oh I need to post the non traction control diagram then. I'll try to do that later.

Your wiring schematics are not typical Ford-issue, and I think I would also have to study them real carefully. I use the Ford Wiring Diagram books, expensive, but they are laid out a bit more concisely: power sources are always shown at the top, with conductors coming downwards to loads, switches, sensors, whatever, very few zig-zags, or horizontal conductors. They spoiled me! imp

 

[morziac]

Oh I need to post the non traction control diagram then. I'll try to do that later.

That'll be awesome mate cheers

 

[TechGuru]

Your wiring schematics are not typical Ford-issue, and I think I would also have to study them real carefully. I use the Ford Wiring Diagram books, expensive, but they are laid out a bit more concisely: power sources are always shown at the top, with conductors coming downwards to loads, switches, sensors, whatever, very few zig-zags, or horizontal conductors. They spoiled me! imp

Mine come from Mitchell1 OnDemand5.

 

[TechGuru]

That'll be awesome mate cheers

Here is the non-traction control.

 

[TechGuru]

Also here is the Interlock

 

[morziac]

Cheers techguru, now I just need to make sense of it and actually have a good look at it lol.

 

[turblown]

2003 Explorer XLT, 4 door, V6, 4.0L, Flex.

So, this problem has gone from intermittent to pretty much all the time. My wife got tired of the screw driver method, so I decided to fix it for good (see pics below). I ordered a Stop Light Switch ( Ford Motorcraft SW6282 ) online, but it is available at Autozone ( Duralast SW6685 ) and Orielly ( BWD S37030 ). Apparently Ford's original design needed some tweaks as the part is not an exact replacement and requires some wiring work to install. The instructions included and the wire colored to match made this a fairly easy install. I decided to solder and heat shrink the connections per the instructions, but butt splices probably would have been fine. The problem was there before replacing the Stop Light Switch and went away after the install. So far so good!

Entertaining video of a similar installation.

NEW Stop Light Switch & Wiring Pigtail

Old vs NEW Stop Light Switch

Old Stop Light Switch Installed

NEW Stop Light Switch Installed

NEW Stop Light Switch & Wiring Pigtail Installed

 

[morziac]

were ur brake lights working before u changed the switch?
My lights work fine which makes me think the switch is fine

 

[turblown]

were ur brake lights working before u changed the switch?
My lights work fine which makes me think the switch is fine

If I remember correctly, my normal brake lights did NOT come on, but my 3rd brake light did. It was so random when it would work or not work and the part was not expensive, so I decided to give it a shot. Since the OEM has changed the design, it was probably for a good reason. One week later, still working good.