I thought I would run this question by everyone before I started buying more parts...

I have a 97 DI 140k (replaced brake light switch 6 months ago)...

I pulled into my kids hockey rink on Sunday. When I tried to leave, could not get car out of park. I checked the brake light switch and it was pretty seized up. Barely moved, etc. I messed with it for a bit and could not get it to work. I got a ride home, ordered a replacement JC Whitney one and got it yesterday.

The new switch is installed...

Now, the car will move in and out of park without foot on pedal. Brake lights stay on all the time. I assume the new switch is bad...

BUT... I noticed that my left brake light is out. I replaced the bulb and it is still out - I need to check my bulb replacement and make sure I got the right one and twisted it in correctly. The right brake light looks too bright - like it is shorted or something.

So... The question... If I am having a bad bulb or two in the rear, can that mess with the switch so bad that the shifter solenoid will be affected?

Or should I get a new switch and start there.

The right rear brake light is a weekend project, not a before work project so I will get on it on Saturday.

Thanks a lot! In advance as always!!

 

See attached from RAVE. There is a device, called the "Z206 stop lamp switch suppressor" that cuts radio noise when you step on/off brake pedal. It is most likely a simple capacitor. If is shorted, brake lights would be on all the time (one could be burned out). Also, if brake light fuse F1 inder dash is not the normal 15 amp, but someone replaced it with higher amp rated fuse, then you could have crud on light sockets or trailer socket (connector under right hand rear hatch door pillar behind the plastic access panel). The crud could be drawing more amps and cooking your switch.

 

Thanks for that reply. I will check it out.
The thing that makes me look at the switch as "new but faulty" is that when the switch is plugged in you can shift out of park without engaging the switch. I cant imagine that the park shift solenoid is reliant on a capacitor that lowers radio noise.

What do you think?

 

Capacitors, when they fail, frequently short. So it becomes a jumper bypassing the switch. However, if you unplug switch and problem changes, then capacitor is not the problem.

 

Your switch may not have self adjusted.
I would check the installation.
It may be off the peg and slipped off the peg or adjuster and the middle button on the switch is not working.

I think it uses a signal for the ABS too.
As when our switch went bad, the ABS noticed and had to reset the ABS computer
with a paper clip on the OBDII connector.
Now, that is a bear to do.

 

Yes, it sounds like the switch is out of adjustment. There's a trick for fooling the brake light switch that lets you shift out of park. Search for "Can't shift out of park" type threads.