How to replace the brake light switch on a 1997 grand marquis

I had this problem with my grand marquis. it is a simple fix.
replace the brake light switch behind the brake pedal.
one way to drive with this problem is to turn key almost to the ON POSITION BUT NOT ALL THE WAY then put the car in neutral and then start the car and put in to drive.

Best Answer!

could be the park pin is broken at the transmission. trans has to come out if that is the problem. sorry for sad news

check to see if brake lights are working. if the brake swith is bad it wont release the shifter lock when key os on or when running.

You may have a faulty Break-light switch. If the switch is bad, then it will behave as if you have no breaks afa the shift-lever is concerned.

This might work for you guy's replace the brake light switch
Easy step by step tutorial watch the video. im sure it will help.
MERCURY MARQUIS STUCK IN PARK
http://youtu.be/fgUn1TuHu-0

There is an electrical brake light switch under the dash, at the top of the brake pedal, near the steering column. This brake light switch is wired in series with the gear shift lever, which means if one goes bad or has a problem, the other does too. If the brake light switch isn't working correctly, it will not allow the gear shift lever to be moved from the Park position. You first have to remove the plastic cover under the dash that covers the steering column (it will pop loose when pulled on and some are tougher than others to pull off but go back easily) to get to where you can see the brake light switch and the plug-in that plugs into it. Next move the seat all the way back to give you more room, and tilt the steering wheel all the way up out of the way. That switch could be bad or the two wires going to the plug-in could not be making good electrical contact. I had this to happen to my 1997 Mercury Grand Marquis and seen it happen to several others that I fixed. To test if it's the brake light switch, unplug the plug-in that has 2 wires going into it that is plugged into to the brake light switch (you will need a flash light, a flathead screw driver, and a pair of pliers to make this job easier). Take a 3 or 4 inch length of heavy solid wire, remove a small amount of the insulation from both ends of the 3 to 4 inch solid wire and bend it into a "U" shape to make a jumper wire out of it. Plug one uninsulated end of the "U" solid wire into one side of the plug-in with the 2 wires running to it that connects to the brake light switch on the brake pedal, then plug the other uninsulated end of the "U" shaped wire into the other opening of that same plug-in that has the 2 wire running into it. Your brake lights should come on and stay on, even though you are not touching the brake pedal, nor is your key in the on position, and your gear shift lever should move to any gear you want when you turn your key to the on position. Be advised, your brake lights will stay on as long as the jumper wire is stuck into the plug-in and will run your battery down if left that way. If what I have just explained happens, you have a faulty brake switch. If it does not happen, one of the wires going to the brake light switch plug-in may not be making a good connection or it may be grounded. To see if it's grounded check all of your fuses. Check the fuses under the dash and the fuses mounted on the fender under the hood. If you find a blown fuse, replace it. If it blows the fuse again, you have a ground and you will have to trace down where the wire is grounded and fix it. A volt meter set for 12 volts will aid in this when tracing a wire that is grounded. Then re-try all of this again after you have found any place the wire may have been grounded and you have fixed it. Most likely it's 1 of the 2 wires not making a good connection in the plug-in that plugs into the brake pedal switch. This seems to be a fault with the 1997 Mercury Grand Marquis. I've fixed this problem on 4 different Mercury's in the past. I don't know if this happens to other models of Mercury Grand Marquis or the Ford Crown Vic's. Hope this helps. Good luck.

There is a brake pedal sensor that keeps you or your children from accidentally knocking the vehicle into gear. You have to press hard on the brakes to activate a switch. Once the switch is activated, current is sent to a solenoid that releases the shift lock. But if pressing on the brakes hard is not helping then the transmission needs to be checked. The gears are got worn out.it needs to be checked and replaced. Also check the power to the solenoid and brake lights. That would be called the shift interlock feature. It operates on the same circuit as the brake lights so the first thing you want to do is to make sure the brake lights are working when this problem is present. If the brake lights are working, that proves the circuit is good up to that point, then you'll have to get to the solenoid in the console. Disassemble as much as you have to to access the solenoid near the shifting mechanism. Us a 12v test light to test for power coming and going at the solenoid when the brake is applied. If power is arriving and switching and the solenoid is not triggering, the solenoid is bad and will have to be replaced. Thanks. you can rate this solution and show your appreciation.

it may be a brake light switch. on most vehicle the brake light switch releases the shift lock that may be your problem

The park lock mechanism is deactivated by the brake switch. Check to make sure the brake lights are working before any other repairs are made. When the key is in the on position and you depress the brake pedal it allows you to take the car out of park. One can usually turn the key one click and not have power to the park lock mechanism. Then depress the brake pedal and put the car in neutral. With your foot on the brake pedal you can start the car and drive normal but when you put the car in park the process will have to be repeated. Often times one of the wires to the brake light switch on the brake pedal gets brittle and causes intermittent contact or no contact. Check this first.