Subtopic	Posts		Updated
	Butt Warmers??	1		03/31 05:32am

By Jay R. on Saturday, March 31, 2001 - 03:47 am: Edit

Hi All,

I started the Disco this morning and it would *NOT* shift out of park. Brake lights do not come on when I press the brake pedal. Anyone had this problem ? Fixes ? If you are proposing a solution, please do post the "how-to"s as I will have to attempt fixing this myself. I am sure the dealer is going to tell me to bring the car and leave it with him. Duh!!

Here is some investigation I did at 2AM this morning as I have to use the car this morning.

Fuses checked out Ok.

I wanted to check out the brake light (or) shift lock switch. Is this the one located near the brake pedal ? I removed the plastic liner under the fuse box and I saw what looked like shocks boots behind the brake pedal and a plastic switch in front of it. If I press the pedal, a "piston" extends from the plastic switch possibly pushed out by a spring.

My conclusion is that the plastic thingy is the switch and needs to be fixed/replaced. Is this correct ? How do I remove it ? Can I fix it or does it need to be replaced ?

Thanks a bunch.
Jay R.

By michel on Saturday, March 31, 2001 - 04:08 am: Edit

You are correct, its a $20 part, and you need to replace it. If in an emergency, you can play around with the plunger and sometimes it will still work once or twice to get you home. If youre home, get the dealer to courier the part to you ASAP by local courier. Replacing only takes 10 minites or so. You will see when down there, remove to old and put in the new.

Michel

By Jay R. on Saturday, March 31, 2001 - 04:11 am: Edit

Hi Michel,

Thanks for the fast reply. Thank God I am home. Have you done this before ? I could not figure out how to remove the black switch with plunger. I did try to extend the plunger out and try to shift but it did not work.

Thanks again.
Jay R.

By rock rover on Saturday, March 31, 2001 - 04:13 am: Edit

Jay, You need to replace your brake light switch. If you take apart the trim right under the drivers side dash and look up in there you will see two switches on a bracket right over your brake pedal. I cant remember witch one the brake light switch is, but i know that one is for cruise control disable and one is brake light, transmission unlock. Its reall easy to do yourself and i think the part is like 30 bucks at the dealership. All you have to do is simply unplug the switch and pull it out from the bracket that holds it against the brake lever. What is happening is, the switch that tells the transmission that the brakes are on so it can shift from park is broke

By Jay R. on Saturday, March 31, 2001 - 11:39 am: Edit

Thanks for all the responses. Problem solved.

Problem: 97 Disco SE will not shift out of park and brake lights don't work.

Possible causes & solution:

(1) Check the fuse for the brake light. I believe this is combined with the indicator lights. So if your indicators are working, you are probably Ok.

(2) Remove the black plastic trim under the steering column. It is held together by 3 plastic rivets. I am not sure if there is some special tool that you need to use to remove these. I used the tried & tested brute force method. Just pry it a bit, hold it with a plier and yank it out. While yanking, make sure that you pull it straight out or you will break the plastic rivet. Ask me how I know :-)

(3) You will be able crawl in the footwell area and spot the two black switches right next to the brake pedal. A tube is attached to one of the switches (bottom on mine) which goes into the firewall. I believe this is the ABS (??) switch. A wiring harness is connected to the other switch. This is the break light / shift lock switch.

(4) Keep the brake depressed. I used a 2ft long 2x4 and wedged it into the seat. If you have this problem, invariably the plunger on the switch is stuck and will not extend out as you press the brake pedal. This is the problem.

(5) Try pulling the plunger out by hand and check if the brake lights are on. If yes, you will be able to shift out of park. Drive CAREFULLY to the dealer and buy a brake light switch. REMEMBER THAT YOUR BRAKE LIGHTS DON'T WORK. Replace the switch. This is easy as you just need to wiggle/yank it out.

(6) In my case, pulling the plunger out did not turn on the brake lights. So, I removed the harness going into the switch.

(7) The harness has 2 green wires & 2 white wires(GGWW). I used a small piece of wire to jump it and move the lever out of park.

(8) On my harness, I had to jump the outer green wire and the inner white wire. If this does not work, have your helper (hope you have one) watch the brake light while you start to jump all combinations until the brake lights go on. At this point you will be able to shift out of park. I am not sure if trying all the combinations is a good idea or not. I had no choice but to do it. You may do so at your own risk (if any).

Tools I used : small screw driver and pliers for this job.

Note: Attempt all this at your own risk.

Hope this helps.
Jay.

By Moe on Saturday, March 31, 2001 - 06:35 pm: Edit

Jay, thanks for posting the steps. Like you said, it's surprising that LR doesn't have an emergency pin that can be inserted so at least the vehicle can get going--surprising how a brake light switch can hold up progress. I'd hate to be ignorant of this bit of info while out on the trail.

Great meeting you today. Let me know if you want some help with your RTE springs.

Ian