My dad's 2003 f250 has had the 'stuck in park' issue intermittently for over a year now. Gotten worse now always have to go into N first to start. Brake switch, lights, cruze all work. solenoid clicks. The retaining bolts that can fall out are not the issue either. Seems like next step is to dig into column. Any advice on how to proceed welcome.
Thanks,
Justin

 

Can you pull the shifter back but not down?

 

Check that the trs inner bushing rotates freely in the outer housing.

 

Just because your brake lights work does not mean the brake pedal position switch is working completely. It has two halves - one for the lighting and the other for the status signalling which includes the shift interlock.

However, if your shifter handle feels "sloppy", it's a mechanical problem in the shifter mechanism, somewhere between the lever and the transmission.

 

Yes, back at least somewhat.
what is trs inner bushing? in column or on trans, or?
I tested brake switch. both poles work as expected. I can hear solenoid click so don't think it is electrical issue.

 

Good, then you can eliminate electrical concerns as the problem. Now you know to focus on the mechanical.

 

Park interlock solenoid on the colume, take fuse cover off,look up on side closest to the door,youll see a plugin, 3 wire,only one there,use a screwdriver to unplug.

 

they were referring to the plastic bushings down on the transmission side of the linkage. they sometimes desentigrate with age and fall off.


(Edit: read the wrong reference post to start with)

 

Some closure on this thread;
The culprit was the brake switch. Although I tested it myself 6 months ago and it was OK, it had further degraded.

My Old Man took it to Ford dealer to diagnose, they replaced it without consent, so labor was free. (Dealers often screw things up, but worked out for the better this time )

 

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