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

 

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

 

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 ****. If you remove (gently pry off) the ****'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.