97 Civic starts but wont come out of park unless I use the key slot to unlock it
 

I have a 97 honda civic that wont come out of park unless I use the override slot to unlock the shifter. I have replaced the brake switch, the master cylinder and it has ample fluid, the solenoid switch, and the neutral safety switch. I do notice when I first turn on the ignition, just for a brief second, the solenoid opens and closes, but after the car is started the solenoid wont unlock when I depress the brake. Could the ignition switch be bad, or shorted? Do you have any other solutions?

Have you checked that the brake lights actually work?

Yes the brake lights work, and the fuses are good. I do notice that the top center light flashes on and off when the brakes are held down, but the other two brake lights are on steady. ???

97 Civic starts but wont come out of park unless I use the key slot to unlock it
 

I guess everyone out there is as clueless as I am when it comes to my shifter unlock problem! I know it has to be a minor thing causing this and I can't afford to take it to the dealer, so I have two options.....break the plastic locking mechanism and not have the safety feature, or take it to the salvage yard and get $500.00 for the car and start over. Thanks guys!

It is most likely a short in the wiring based on the fact that the 3rd brake light goes in and out. I would run a new wire for it

Thanks i'll try that and see. I did notice yesterday that it shifted ok a few times then it would stop working again, so it must be a loose wire or something.

Well guys it wasn't the brake wiring causing the problem. I was getting a TPS code along with the shifting problem, so when I replaced the TPS, the shift problem went away and is working correctly now. I guess the TPS voltage had something to do with the unlock switch not working right. Thanks for the replies. I hope this inf helps others.