cant shift out of park! help?

[samsher213]

hey everybody,

so my 100 series came with a car phone which i removed yesterday. seemed pretty easy as i got the ground, and two fuse wires and then just unrouted the mic and antenna. i got in to go fillup today and depressed the brake but could not shift out of park without using the shift override button(the gear selector button would not push in far enough like it normally would) i took the console back apart to see if there was anything i had missed and i could not find anything. help me!?!?

[1loudLX]

brake light fuse blown?

[SpokaneLX470]

2nd the brake fuse. My 4 runner did the same thing not to long ago. Hopefully a $.50 fix.

[samsher213]

checked the brake light fuse, not that...

[Cruiserdrew]

Do your rear brake lights work? Check, even if the fuse looks OK.

Could you have jarred something loose from the interlock?

[samsher213]

ok, so it is not the fuse. i put in a new fuse and the brake lights still dont work.

[Cruiserdrew]

Originally Posted by samsher213

ok, so it is not the fuse. i put in a new fuse and the brake lights still dont work.

That's the problem! It's got to be in the trailer harness, only because that's always where the problem is! Good luck, get the lights working and the shifter interlock will work as well.

[samsher213]

ok... so how do i get the lights working? i am not very good with electrical things so any ideas would be greatly appreciated because this is my dd and i cannot drive without brake lights

thanks

sam

[e9999]

gotta say that this brake light issue, although relatively well known in enthusiasts circles like this one, is just plain weird.

I mean, somebody tells you that your transmission won't go cuz your lights are out and they are bound to laugh in your face, no...? Weird....

[raydouble]

Brake light switch on pedal.....
Unplugged
Not adjusted properly
Broken

[raydouble]

Here go........
from a 2004 100 series FSM





What about the lights themselves?
They could both be burned out........ don't laugh, it's been done.

[ogsuv]

I second the brake switch. a good place to zip tie wires to, could have pulled it enough to be out of whack

[ginericLC]

Originally Posted by e9999

gotta say that this brake light issue, although relatively well known in enthusiasts circles like this one, is just plain weird.

I mean, somebody tells you that your transmission won't go cuz your lights are out and they are bound to laugh in your face, no...? Weird....

If you think about it though, it is an excellent safety device. I mean it isn't some light on your dash telling you there is a problem that people ignore. You have to fix it or you can't drive.

[e9999]

Originally Posted by ginericLC

If you think about it though, it is an excellent safety device. I mean it isn't some light on your dash telling you there is a problem that people ignore. You have to fix it or you can't drive.

interesting point. So you think it's intentional? Didn't think about that. Doubt that most truck buyers would support the idea, though. You're in the middle of the desert and you can't move cuz you lost a light bulb....?

[ginericLC]

Oh yes it definitely intentional. On the older ones (my 91 has it) they included a button near the shifter which you could unlock the shifter after bulbs blew. I think the newer ones you can get at the release by prying off a button cover. I guess I've never looked at it in my 100. But just yesterday I had to press it in the 80. I'm running with no doors, windows, lights, seats, etc... in preparation for the 60 series body swap.

[e9999]

well, I think that "forced remedy" effect is worse than the original problem. I bet 95% of drivers would not know about/figure out the shift override and would effectively be stuck on the road if a bulb blew. Does not look like good PR for Toy to me.

[ginericLC]

Read the owner's manual!

[Trunk Monkey]

95% of 100 drivers would call AAA and have the bulb changed at the dealership.

[Dandon]

I find it an interesting feature, but a disproportionate one. I mean, losing a brake bulb has you stuck unless you push a hidden override button. But if you lose e.g. all your engine oil or cooler fluid (which will destroy the engine), or your brake fluid (which will surely lead to a severe accident), you can perfectly drive away with just a warning dash light.
Sorry, but I don't think it's logical.

[ginericLC]

Think of the odds though. I've never lost engine oil or any oil containing hoses and I'm well into 300,000 miles on Cruisers. But I've burned out a lot of brake light bulbs and even more having to do with trailer wiring.

[raydouble]

Maybe we can get an update?

Threads like this are useless if the OP never comes back to report on what happened.

[EdsCruisin]

You all are overstating this problem. A blown bulb will not lock up the tranny. It is a short in the circuit that locks it up. That's why trailer converters and harnesses often cause the problem. The other culprit is the loose connector as mentioned above. This is the way almost every vehicle is wired these days, not just Toys.

It would be good to hear the resolution though.

[mmaakk]

My brake light fuse blew after hooking up a falty trailer harness to my LC. changed the fuse and it was good to go! did the symptom you described with the gear shift locked up. fuse box is on driver side floor left hand panel.

[9toys]

i backed into a tree and locked mine up intermittantly. Doors would lock and unlock on their own, also intermittantly. Turns out the bumper had pushed in against the brake light wiring harness and crimped them. I had a devil of a time discovering that. I then rewrapped each wire individually and then wrapped them all together again. Problem cured.

[rusty_tlc]

Try this with any newer Toyota;
With your foot off the brake nad the car in park start the engine. Keeping your foot off the brake try to put it in gear.

[ToyotaDon]

Originally Posted by EdsCruisin

You all are overstating this problem. A blown bulb will not lock up the tranny. It is a short in the circuit that locks it up. That's why trailer converters and harnesses often cause the problem. The other culprit is the loose connector as mentioned above. This is the way almost every vehicle is wired these days, not just Toys.

HEAR, HEAR!! Let's be logical, folks.

Originally Posted by rusty_tlc

Try this with any newer Toyota;
With your foot off the brake nad the car in park start the engine. Keeping your foot off the brake try to put it in gear.

As said above, all newer vehicles are designed this way. It is a safety feature, so the vehicle cannot be shifted into gear without someone "in control" of the vehicle.