NEED HELP, BADLY.... Disco won't shift out of park
 

Hello everyone. Good morning to all.

I have a major problem with my 2003 Disco. It only has 23,000 miles. Recently the checkengine light came on about 3 weeks ago. I'd figure it was the computer telling me to do the regular maintenance. When I bought the vehicle it only had 21,000 miles. I did the oil, oil filter, air filter change myself.

Now for the problem at hand..... Disco was driving normal all day yesterday. I parked it. Later that evening about 2 hours later I was scheduled to go out on a date....... to my dismay the 03 Disco would NOT shift out of PARK. The truck starts up easily with no problem. YES I had my foot on the brake pedal yet the shifter would NOT shift out of the PARK position. I dod notice that the "D" on the dash display went away when I tried very hard to shift it out of "P". It only moved down with the free play that it has but it was in the locked position.

has anyone else experienced this problem? Does anyone have a remedy to this problem?

PLEASE ADVISE.

Thanks all. BE SAFE. Stay warm.

Another FACT:
The ABS, Traction Control and Stability Control lights come on every now and then. I believe there's a brake sensor failure at times. It's happened quite a few times, it really didn't bother me but this problem has compounded. When I start the car now, the lights did NOT light up on the dash board.

RE: NEED HELP, BADLY.... Disco won't shift out of park
 

Have you got the codes read to find out why your check engine light is on? They don't come on as a reminder to do maintenance to my knowledge. You could be doing damage to the truck by driving with the CEL on.

Have someone stand behind the vehicle and verify your brake lights come on when you step on the brake pedal. It sounds to me like the brake light switch is bad which also send the signal to the transmission shifter and allows it to shift out of neutral.

Check those things out and get back to us so we can help you out.

RE: NEED HELP, BADLY.... Disco won't shift out of park
 

OK. I'll check it. Thank you.

RE: NEED HELP, BADLY.... Disco won't shift out of park
 

AK is dead on.
The check engine light means that there is a problem, NOT a maintence reminder.

Do a search on the forum for "the 3 amigos"

RE: NEED HELP, BADLY.... Disco won't shift out of park
 

Hi Guys. Just checked teh brake lights.... none of them work.

So how do I go about fixing this problem? Is this a problem I can fix myself or should I leave it to the mechanic. I'm very familiar with motorcycles but not cars.

Any advice on how to go about the fix?

PLEASE ADVISE.

RE: NEED HELP, BADLY.... Disco won't shift out of park
 

You need a new brake light switch.
You can replace it, it is located on the back of the brake pedal.
http://www.roverparts.com/Parts/XKB000010.cfm
Call your local autoparts stores looking for one.

RE: NEED HELP, BADLY.... Disco won't
 

might have fallen out too... i'd look at it before ordering anything

mine is epoxyed in as it would fall out before

RE: NEED HELP, BADLY.... Disco won't shift out of park
 

Hi.

Thanks for the info.

I'll check my local parts store today.

Is the switch easy to get to?

PLEASE ADVISE.

RE: NEED HELP, BADLY.... Disco won't shift out of park
 

If you need to drive the truck, make a jumper wire, at least 2' long, hook one end to your rear window defroster the other to the connection on your third brake light.
Now, start your engine, turn on the rear defroster that will then power the brake system and you can then shift into drive. Once moving, turn off the rear defroster, remember you will have no brake lights till you replace the brake switch, which is less then a 5 minute job.

RE: NEED HELP, BADLY.... Disco won'
 

The switch is very easy to get to. Remove the cardboard like panel under the driver side of the dash then follow the brake pedal up until you see the switch. You'll see both the brake light switch and the vacuum switch for the cruise control pressing against the brake pedal arm.

RE: NEED HELP, BADLY.... Disco won'
 

http://i40.tinypic.com/ieozk7.jpg

see the "box" at the top that has wires coming from it... that is the brake button on D1, normally under that there would be cruise control vacuum release, but I removed it

RE: NEED HELP, BADLY.... Disco won'
 

A picture really is worth a thousand words. That clarifies what I was trying to say in my rambling.

RE: NEED HELP, BADLY.... Disco won'
 

I had a similar problem with my old Honda a couple of years ago. It was an '87 Prelude, and Honda, in all their infinite wisdom, used a switch that operated by taking pressure off rather than putting it on. I get home one morning, back into my parking space, get out and go inside to get some sleep. Go out in the afternoon and car is dead. There was a nylon bumper on the back of the brake pedal shaft that had fallen to pieces and allowed the brake lights to stay on all day long. Got a new one from the dealer, took literally less than a minute to replace. Funny thing, the dealer had the part in stock, so Honda must still use this type setup to this day.

Hello there.
I recently purchased a 1997 Discovery and I am suddenly having this problem too. Just out of the blue. It won't shift out of park.
However, only my driver's side brake light is out. The others still work.
The picture above only slightly helps me, because I am about as good as a rock when it comes to vehicle repairs.
I've had something come up every week with this Land Rover. Please help me to not have buyer's remorse. Could someone dumb down this fix to a single white female who's dad never taught her about cars?
Thanks so much.

~Kige

DM thats a pretty good trick using the rear defroster

Hey everyone , I recently just had this same problem with my 97 disco however I replaced the brake light switch and it still can't get my disco out of park. Any suggestions?

lock out solenoid could be stuck or have come loose.

At least on D1s there is a common but paralyzing issue right within the shifter knob. If you remove (gently pry off) the knob's cover plate (wood or knurled plastic) there is an e-clip which if broken or loose will not let you shift out of park. If you pull the shaft up with a plier you can shift out of park.Carry pliers to temporarily drive and change the clip asap. I paid about $0.20 at local HW store for a 4mm c-clip, or pay about $8 for the right part at RN. Will attach pics if the clips I mean.