89 honda wont shift Pleace help!

89 honda accord wont shift out of park, the brake lights do not come on when
I press on the brake, and the singal for an ajar door comes on when i press
the brake. Did my brakes go out???? Please Help!!!

 

Are you sure it is the "door ajar" indicator and not the "brake light
failure" indicator? Some model years have that feature, don't know
about the '89.

If the switch at the brake pedal is broken, your brake lights will not
work and the shift lock solenoid will not release, leaving the
transmission stuck in park. On many cars the brake pedal switch is dual
pole, so that some functions (like cruise control cancel) will work even
if the brake lights do not. I would check / replace the brake pedal
switch.

 

Yes odd isn't it? I am wondering if light was wired wrong. There is a fuse
in the engine compartment (20amp) that keeps blowing. The fuse is labeled
Stop, Horn, (Seat belt retractors) Is the stop portion brake system?

 

Yes odd isn't it? I am wondering if light was wired wrong. There is a fuse

I believe it is. With that fuse blown, the shift lock system won't work
either. Does the fuse blow at random, or only when you are stepping on
the brakes?

 

I placed the fuse in and it remained intact until I press the brake, then
the fuse blew. Short somewhere, trying to track it down. Whats the best way
to locate a short?

 

Same fuse also controls the horn. I place the fuse in without pressing the
pedal and the horn blows, fuse stays intact.

 

The short answer is that tracking down a short is cam be a royal pain in
the butt. In your case we know it is somewhere between the switch at the
brake pedal and the brake lights in the back. I would start by removing
all the brake light bulbs and see if the fuse still blows when you step
on the brakes. Typically there are TWO brake light bulbs on each side
plus the high mount one. Sometimes when bulbs fail they become dead
shorts. If the fuse stays intact when you press on the brake with all
bulbs removed, I would just replace with all new bulbs.

Also check the wiring where it connects to the tail lights. See if the
insulation is worn off so that bare copper can rub against the sheet
metal or anything else that is grounded.

Any time the wire harness passes through a hole in the sheet metal there
is potential for problems. Checked for nicks in the insulation at such
points.

Lastly, if your car has the warning light for broken brake bulbs, that
would be a place to check as well. I believe the control module for that
feature is mounted somewhere in the trunk.

 

ok heres an update. I tested the brake switch it's good. I removed all bulbs
in the back, fuse still blew. I disconnected both brake light sensors in the
back. Fuse did not blow. Light did not come on and gear shifted out of park
fine. Then I reconnected the right brake sensor fuse did not blow, Light
did not come on and gear shifted out of park fine. Then I reconnected the
left sensor, the fuse blows, light came on and will not leave park. Bad
socket(s), wires, and/or sensor on the left side wouldn't you think?

 

Left sensor is good I placed it in the right sensor spot...fuse did not
blow.

 

Each brake sensor should have one wire that goes to the brake pedal
switch, one wire that goes to the brake lights, one wire that goes to
the dash indicator light and most likely also a ground wire.

I have the circuit diagram for the '97 Accord (which uses only 1 brake
light sensor) and the wire colors for that year are:

Green with white stripe to brake pedal switch
Green with orange stripe to left brake light
Green with red stripe to right brake light
White with green stripe to dash indicator light
Black to ground.

What you could try is to remove the left brake light sensor and connect
the wire from the brake pedal switch (GRN/WHT in 1997) directly to the
wire to the left brake lights (GRN/ORN in 1997). If the fuse still
blows, the short is somewhere between the left brake sensor socket and
the left brake light.

If the fuse does not blow, the short is most likely in the brake light
sensor itself. You could try to replace it, or simply connect together
the two aforementioned wires permanently (brake lights would work, dash
warning light would not).

Perhaps a simpler test is to remove both brake light sensors and then
plug the one from the right side (which you verified works) into the
socket on the left side. If the fuse stays intact, the sensor that used
to sit on the left side is bad. Fuse blows, the short is between the
sensor and the left brake lights.

At least it is narrowed way down at this point!

 

Cool. Another 15 minutes with your head in the trunk and you'll probably
isolate the problem.

 

Yes I placed the left brake sensor in the right hand spot (no sensor in left
spot) and fuse did not blow. That tells me both sensors are good.

 

I would take a close look at the light bulb sockets on the left side.
Look for anything stuck inside them or for chaffed wires at the back of
them.

One strategy could be to connect a test light at the left sensor socket
(after removing the sensor) and jam the brake pedal down with a 2x4 (or
your spouse / girlfriend / kids, either will do). Connect the test light
between the wire to the left brake lights and the wire to the brake
pedal switch. Remove all the brake light bulbs on the left side. As
long as you have a short the test light should light up. Now start
wiggling wires and see if you can make the test light turn off. When it
does, you have found your short.

You can use a multimeter set to "Ohms" or "continuity test" instead of a
test light, or you can use any 12V light bulb (brake lights are
typically 21W, so if you use a bulb rated 21W or less you should not
cause any damage). As long as there is a short the Ohmmeter would read a
few ohms only. With the short gone you should read dozens of kOhms at
least.

 

I placed the right sensor in the left spot and the fuse blew. I would say
both sensors are good. With ignition key on I am showing voltage at one of
the pins on the left sensor plug. No pins on the right sensor plug show any
voltage. With the brake switched pressed I get voltage at an additional pin
on the left sensor plug. I do not understand why I am getting voltage back
on the left sensor plug when the brake light switch is not active. Could you
email me at (remove the nospamhere part)
and I will send a copy of (what I think) is the correct schematic for that
area of this verhicle. I have done a breif look over on the wires but I do
not see anything that looks like damaged wires ect.

 

I have a factory manual for the'87 Accord with the electrical diagram
if it is needed. bob

 

Thanks will keep that in mind. I am gona change that sensor and see what
happens.