Unable to shift out of Park

[hawksnestsc]

I have a 2019 E450 that has been sitting awhile. Started it up recently and it won't shift into gear. Dash lights all come on when started and continue to flash. Also have no door lock power, or headlights or brake lights. Checked all fuses and they are good. Battery is 11.7 volts. Please help! thanks

[Route 66 Traveler]

Your battery should never go below 12 volts. Have you had a charger on it? It needs to be charged up to about 12.6-12.8 volts.

[hawksnestsc]

Thanks, I will put a charge on it. I did pull the terminals off the battery thinking I might reset something. It was strange because it didn't spark at all when I reconnected the terminals to the posts. Do you think the battery could be causing this issue? It does start right up. Thanks

[Route 66 Traveler]

At a high idle you should see about 13.6-14 volts to verify your alternator is charging the battery.

[Kevin Cooper]

Is the E450 sitting on a hill? Is it possible that gravity has the trans stuck on a park tooth? If so, you may have to push or pull uphill just a little to get it out of park. Just a wild thought.

[BasilHayden]

It may be too late for the OP, but here is my experience for those that come after.

The fact that you have no brake lights is the key.

That circuit also contains the shift interlock, the part that forces you to step on the brake before you can shift out of park. If that circuit is dead you'll never get it out of park. I had that happen once and it turned out a short in the trailer power connector had popped the fuse for the brake lights.

If the battery is truly below 12v, there may not be enough power to activate the solenoid and release the interlock. It should work if you can jump start the engine.

If that doesn't work....
You say you have checked all fuses, even the ones under the hood?
Get out your chassis manual and look at the fuse diagrams, one of the ones that power the hitch connection is under the hood, in the front over the radiator on a ford.

Just looking at the fuses from above is not enough. Look at the fuse diagrams for any fuse (inside or under hood) that says tail, brake, reverse, parking or similar. Pull those fuses and check them with an ohm meter.

Good luck.

[hawksnestsc]

Thank you so much for taking time to write. I will charge up the battery today. It sounds very possible the battery doesn't have the power to engage the shift interlock!

Previously, I did Ohm out the fuses under the hood and in the cab under the drivers dash. I found a blown 20 amp fuse that was coincidentally as you said for trailer lights. At the moment I can't exactly recall what the fuse title is, but it was for the trailer lights. I replaced the fuse and still no fix.

I've found YouTube videos on how to bypass the shift interlock to enable me to get into gear. I'm going to try this today.

I do suspect the brake stop light switch may be the problem. I went to Ford to get the part and the service guy talked me out of buying it for $62, because he said my problem sounded bigger because I also have no power to the door locks, no headlights, no brake lights, and the dashboard lights are flashing. So I came home empty handed and called Camping World who told me sorry we can't work on chassis. argh

Is there a possibility that the slide protection could cause this issue? The slide is in, but just a thought I had in the middle of the night.

I plan to go and try your suggestions today. I will post later. I can't thank you enough for your help.

[BasilHayden]

Just for grins, check the same 20a fuse again. It is very possible that the moment you stepped on the brake it popped again. This would mean there is a short somewhere. The fact that you have no headlights and the dash lights are flashing is worrisome.

By chance do you have anything connected to the towing plugin? If so, unplug it.
If you don't, I would open the flap and take a peek in the receptacle anyway. Maybe look around under there at the wiring for anything obvious.

You say the rig has been setting for a while. Let's hope you don't have any critters that have been chewing on anything.

The switch attached to the brake pedal can be ohm tested for continuity, it's just a simple on/off switch. Yes, ford wants a fortune for it. You can probably get one at a box auto parts store but if it tests ok you don't need it.

I don't believe the slide stop is the culprit, my experience has been that the engine won't start if that is bad but I have been wrong once before. ��

[hawksnestsc]

Thank you. I will check the fuse again. I haven't had time to get back to it. I don't have anything connected to the trailer plug and never have. I will take a look for any signs of rodent damage or shorts. I know rodents can cause lots of damage and I hope that is not the case.

I plan to pull the brake pedal switch and Ohm test it like you suggested. Thanks that would save some money. I also found it at a local auto parts store for under $30 just in case. I also plan to change/test the emergency brake pedal switch because the emergency brake light on the dash won't go out regardless if I release the brake.

I replied to your post earlier this week, but for some reason I don't see my reply. Thanks again for all your advice. I hope to get back with some good news soon as the rain stops.

[hawksnestsc]

I checked the fuse and it is fine. No signs of debris or damage to the trailer harness. I swapped out the brake pedal switch and still same trouble...no lights, no brake lights, no door locks, and dash lights flash on and off.

The emergency brake light remains on even after I release. I think I'll try to replace it next. I'm at a loss what to do next. Any further ideas please??? thank you

[craigav]

Have you re-checked the voltage levels as if the voltage is still low that would be the first item I would correct. Also, what is the dash lights flashing frequency, in other words, how many flashes for how many seconds? I ask about the flash frequency as there are some self resetting breakers that if overloaded can cause different issues. Not that I have enough to go on, but if the coach battery was internally shorted, then that would (could) bring down the chassis battery voltage as well and likely cause the self-resetting breaker to turn off and on repeatedly at first slower then a bit faster as it continues to reset. ~CA

[pconroy]

Have you tried to use the Bypass to see if it allows it to go into gear?

[hawksnestsc]

No I haven't because I am waiting for a friend who is going to help me. I have charged the engine battery and the engine starts right up. I haven't checked the house batteries. I have two that are being charged by a 200 amp solar panel. When I turn off the house battery, strangely the control panel says the house battery(s) is 4.0 amps. I didn't understand that. How would I disconnect the house batteries from the main?

I also remembered that when this all started I remember I couldn't get in the door with the remote so I had to use the key. When I tried to start the engine I recall that the dash was showing a "security lock" symbol/light. I don't remember what I did other than disconnected the battery terminals. I have not seen this lock light since then, but the dash lights still flash at me and the needles on all the guages all work for a moment and then they flat line and start back up.

I did take a video of the guages and how they are behaving. I am going to try and post the video.

[hawksnestsc]

Hi, yes I was able to locate the bypass and I can get into gear when I pull the bypass. I have it safely parked in storage lot thankfully. For those who don't know, the bypass on my 2019 Ford E450 is located under the steering wheel. You must remove the lower dash cover to access it. Look for the button and pull it as you try to move out of park. Thank you.

[JFlightRisk]

Happy to hear you found a bypass to get it moving again. Thanks for updating that.

[hawksnestsc]

yes I did use the bypass and I can get into gear. Still no lights or door locks.

[Tireman9]

Originally Posted by hawksnestsc

I have a 2019 E450 that has been sitting awhile. Started it up recently and it won't shift into gear. Dash lights all come on when started and continue to flash. Also have no door lock power, or headlights or brake lights. Checked all fuses and they are good. Battery is 11.7 volts. Please help! thanks

Your chassis is a FORD. What did the local FORD dealer say?

[Poppyof5]

Mice, rats, squirrels, porcupines among many other rodents love wires

[hawksnestsc]

Ford won't touch it because it is an RV. I have heard this excuse over and over while at home and on the road.

[hawksnestsc]

My RV had been sitting awhile in storage. The battery was low and one day I tried to start it and as she slowly tried to start with the weak battery, I noticed a lock light on the dash. I've never seen this light before. This is when I noticed the vehicle would not shift out of park. I don't have a electronic key, just a simple fob that does not work the doors now since this problem started.

've replaced the bad engine battery and the problem persists. Again, the engine starts fine now, but I still have no lights (headlights or brake), no power to door locks, and dash lights flash about every 10 seconds. All the dash lights illuminate upon startup as normal, but then it repeats this every 10 seconds or so as I see the gauges drop and come back to life.

I found the ignition bypass and I can drive the rig now, however without any lights. I've replaced the brake pedal switch and have tested every fuse in the engine and cab. I found only one bad fuse #52 for the trailer tow lights. I've never towed anything. I replaced that 20 amp fuse.

I've disconnected the battery feed to the RV batteries to try and isolate the problem with no change.

Can anyone help please? Thank you.