Steering Column Repair: 97 ford crown viuc police, brake light switch, tilt positions

Question
stopped car and out of the blue when I restarted I could not shift from Park to any gear.  I played with the steering wheel in different tilt positions and it finally shifted and had no problem.  This morning the something happened but this time it it doesn't shift park to any gear from any tilt position - tried for 40 minutes - have an important medical appt this a.m. and I just cannot get it out of park to go anywhere.  This is the first time anything like this has happened.
I think that my break lights are not working properly - would that have anything to do with my system not recognizing that I have depressed the break peddle before trying to shift?
Really lost!!  Help please


Answer
Hi Michael:
You are correct.
It sounds to me like the shift-brake release interlock is not working properly.  This is fairly common on many Ford vehicles.  The best way to check this system is to have someone see if the brake lights are working when you step on the brakes.  Most likely you will not see them on when you depress the pedal.  This indicates the common problem...the wire from the brake light switch or the brake light switch itself is broken.
When that happens, no power is sent to the brake lights OR to the shift release solenoid.

The repair is simple.  Either fix the broken wire to the brake light switch at the pedal or...Ford makes a brake light switch kit with new wires and switch that can be spliced in at the brake pedal.  Once this new switch and connector is in, your shifter should work fine.

Let me know if this does not cure your problem

Good luck
Doug