HELP! Won't go into gear/brakes issue?

P

petewootton

Guest
I will start this plea for help out with a funny (for others) story about what happened to me the other day in my 1995 Disco V8i.

My brakes have been screwy for awhile-- the anti-lock brake light was coming on and off, occasionally making a wierd mechanical-type noise every now and again. When the light would go on or off, I would hear this sound of something 'engaging' or 'disengaging,' accompanied with feeling some resistance on the brake pedal. That's probablem #1.

Then I noticed that the brake pads where seemingly getting more and more worn out; slow braking times, having to press harder, etc. I was getting ready to make the call to Boulevard Imports here in Portland, OR on Friday morning.

Well after dropping a friend off Thursday night, I went to drive away after putting it in park and it wouldn't budge! I pressed on the brake again, and tried and it engaged. Wierd I thought.

Then I make a pit stop at Burgerville. I stop and wait at the drive-thru window for my order, and after a few minutes, I decide to put it in park. You can see where this is going....

Sure enough, I get my order and attempt to engage it back in gear, and again-- nothing. Can't budge it. The button on the side of the shifter clicks in by it will not go into neutral, drive or anything. It's stuck.

After an hour of blocking the drive thru and creating a specticle for the high school kids working there, AAA comes with a dolly tow and bring me back home.

Now I am nervous. Is it worn brake pads? ABS? Is there some sensor or something that needs to click when pressing on the brakes in oder for the shifter to move? Hmmmm.

I don't think I am capable of fixing this myself -- am I? If not, anyone have an idea of what might be happening here, and how much I might be looking at?

Apologies for groveling-- i greatly appreciate any help you can offer.

Have a good weekend,
Pete Wootton
Portland, OR
 
N

Norad

Guest
Check the switch located on the brake pedal. If the connection is bad, or it is going out, it will not trip the relay in your console that releases the gear shift.

I have had the same thing happen.
 

Steve Rupp

Well-known member
Apr 21, 2004
3,213
0
48
Seattle, WA
www.discoweb.org
That's a good place to start. I had this problem on my 94. The brake wire that goes all over the car to the lights controls the solonoid at the shifter. After the entire car was ripped apart, I noticed a Walmart trailer wiring harness. Not a good thing for the disco. I found the wire that they tapped into from the lights going to this harness, cut it and the problem was solved. If there is a short in this wire somewhere or a bad ground on the lights you will trip a fuse and the solonoid will not open. If the truck is sitting with the problem unsolved, I would pull out all the lights and look at the connections. Check all the grounds. If anything is questionable, rewire it. Believe me, the Lucas electricial system on Land Rovers can be frustrating. If you are not competant with electricial, You might consider having it towed to the dealer. I am too proud for that and being an electrician myself, I feel that I must fix those things myself. Good luck.
 
B

Brian

Guest
Replace Your Brake Switch . . .

. . . it is the thing above and behind your brake pedal. Keep in mind there appear to be TWO switches up under there. The cylinder-shaped one is the vacuum for your cruise control. The one you are looking for is above this one, and is shaped like a black Zippo lighter. It has a plug connected to it. Simply unplug it, snap it out, and snap in the new one. It will cost about $45USD at the dealer. Buy two and keep one in the glove box.

Your symptoms were classic: a little bit of a warning, then failure.

By the way, there is a way to jumper two of the brake switch plug wires to override the switch in an emergency. I keep a small (4") piece of #12AWG wire in the glove box to accomplish this if ever needed. It is increbibly simple and quick (10 seconds) to do this. If you want to know how, reply.
 
C

campbell

Guest
Yeah, me too.
I had this problem a few months ago. I installed a new switch and it was fixed, but need to know for next time, if there is a next time.

Thanks
 
P

petewootton

Guest
guys-- thanks a million for these leads! I am going to look into this today (I couldn't access this website due to the server rebuild for most of the weekend). I will let you know how it turns out--

Best,
Pete Wootton
 
S

Sergei

Guest
Another place to look - pop up cover on gear shifter. There is stalk that pulled up and down by pressing that side button. Sometime damn thing stucks and you cant move lever - try to pull it up by hand or small pliers. If it helps - you just need to check springs , lube and / or add some spacers in there (depending on what it looks like). Mine needed spacer, b/c sometime it just wont return into proper position.
 
P

petewootton

Guest
thanks! Will check there also.

Does anyone know where I can find these brake switches in the event that's what it is?

Also, in regards to that ABS wierdness that I described in my first post....doesn anyone think that could be be the front brake ABS sensor? I saw that those were like $245. I'd hope that would be it.

thanks again!
 
C

campbell

Guest
You can buy the brake switch at the dealer. Atlantic british has them also. D1 w/o ABS $7.95, D1 w/ ABS $30.95, and D2 $17.95. I can't remeber what I paid at the dealer for my D2 switch but I seem to think it was around $40 shipped to my door. Wish I knew about an alternate source before I shelled out twice the money.
 
C

coloradodisco

Guest
Off-Topic to this particular thread, I apologize. But Sergei I sent you an email regarding Durango, CO it was sent to the email provided on your user profile. Once again sorry guys for posting this on this thread.

Matt
 
P

petewootton

Guest
thanks

thanks, campbell. much appreciated for the low-down. I've got an appointment for the pads tomorrow morning. wish me luck :) I will report back once I hear the diagnosis.

best,
pete
 
P

petewootton

Guest
disconnecting ABS in a disco? yay or nay?

hey everyone--
so continuing the brake saga..... (from the thread 'HELP: Won't go into gear/brakes issue?')


I brought my 95 Disco into the shop. The owner said basically there are a couple of things.

1- The ABS system is fried. To replace the whole thing: $2500.
2- The sensors are shot. To replace up to six sensors: $~700
3- Option for bypassing this whole mess: Just disconnect the ABS altogether, check to see if the pads need replacement: ~$320.

We didn't discuss the brake switch too much b/c we were really wanting to get to the bottom of the larger ABS issue.

SO, has anyone done this before? It sounds like it should be fine. Any advice? I surely don't have the $$$$ to replace the ABS or those sensors....thanks y'all.
 

curtis

Well-known member
Apr 20, 2004
1,545
0
Salt Lake City, UT
OK - here is a possible solution that I have actually seen work. It sounds strange, but try it if need be:

Unplug the two wire connector going to the rear window defroster at the glass and insert a flat blade fuse. Then try to put it in gear. I am not exactly sure why this sometimes works, but I know for a fact it has in some cases.
 

S Marks

Well-known member
Apr 20, 2004
373
0
completely unrelated....but nice quote in your profile Curtis. My favorite movie of all time! :D