97 Expedition wont shift out of parkwhen running

[jester69]

My 1997 Ford Expedition will not shift from Park to any gear when the truck is running. You can turn the key to start and then put it into a selected gear and crank the engine and it will move that way, but I dont think that is very good for the tranny. My wife has the truck in Az so I cannot put hands on to determine for myself. I am wondering why, there was nothing wrong with it before and this is something completely new. Any ideas? We were thinking it has to do with the brakes and rotors not triggering the sensor to unlock the shifter but that seems to easy.

[ncinirator]

Prepair to be raped by the dealership on that one.

[pennypicher]

Ya but stepping on the brake sends a signal to let it shift doesn't it? I can't shift mine till I step on the brake.

[jester69]

Stepping on the brake does nothing, that is why we are thinking that its that sensor gone bad...... just trying to get some feeback so we can trouble shoot better and not take it to the dealer for something minor i can do myself

[mebush]

check the wires going to the brake switch right at the pedal--it is coomaon for a wire to breakthere.

[riproaringca]

I realize it's been a while since you posted this message, but I had a similar problem with my '97 Sable GS wagon this past spring.

Turns out that there is a 'ponytail' of wires that go through the firewall from the cabin to the engine compartment. On the Sable it's on the driver's side, on a Grand Marquis it's on the passenger side. Where all of these wires are they can chafe by rubbing against each other and sometimes the insulation covering a wire will split. In my case, there was a wire that had a split the length of a grain of rice. Over time moisture rotted the wire just like a bad tooth. Tiny little hole, but it caused the problems you're describing. And at first it was intermittent.
Through Automotive Forums I first learned about the 'BOO' Switch (Brake On/Off Switch), which is located under the brake pedal in most cases. It usually causes this problem of not being able to shift from 'Park'. I replaced that, but the problem persisted. It was my CAA/AAA Approved mechanic that knew enough about the ponytail of wires to look there, or in the area of the firewall.

I've just bought a '97 Expedition XLT 5.4 Triton w/ 244,000km from my boss. It's in great shape and I'm looking forward to using it as a second vehicle. With the help of this forum I'm sure I'll be able to keep-up with any challenges as the years add up!