shift drive selector indicator

[Twindux]

Thanks to Pumpkin and 99ebexp...I fixed my shift selector indicator today after about 9 years of annoyance with it being an entire gear off (Showed 2 when in drive, etc) .

Pumpkin, the photos were perfect.. 99, your tip with the 10-24 nut was spot on...I was able to micro-adjust it perfectly so that even the wife cannot complain anymore!

When this problem first occurred, the mechanic said it'd be an expensive fix, requiring the entire selector mechanism be replaced. 20 minutes of my time and there we go. The hardest part was getting the danger bolster off!

Thank you so much, guys!

I found the perfect solution.

I went to Ace Hardware, and found that the 10-24 nut (#10, around $0.25) fits the threads perfectly!

So I have the nut holding the bottom piece in place, while the plastic wheel holds the other side in place.

The fix took about 2 minutes after getting the nut, and it works PERFECTLY. Plus I can adjust it in the future if I need to.

So check your Home Depot / Lowe's / Ace Hardware etc for the 10-24 nut!!

 

[Tripdaddy]

Shifter on the floor not on the steering column?

While I was out of town my wife parked on a hill and could not get the shift lever to move out of Park. She yanked on it hard enough to get it to move. Don't get me started on that. However, the indicator is now one off.

I have a 06 Explorer Limited with the shifter and indicator on the center console (aka the floor). How do I adjust that? Is it in the steering column also (though I can't see why)?

 

[OldWhiteGuy]

OldWhiteGuy

For anyone wishing to see a good video of the procedures described in this thread, log on to YouTube (www.youtube.com) and search for "Ford Dash Lights & Shift Indicator Repair." The most thorough instructions I have seen and you can actually watch the procedures. The video includes how to replace the complete shift indicator mechanism. Plus, if you ever need to replace instrument cluster lights, you will already know how to do it. Any one of the excellent repair suggestions listed in this thread can be substituted for complete replacement.

 

[rwing21]

Just did mine last week. Thanks to the help of this forum, the repair was very easy.

 

[Tripdaddy]

Indicators on the floor in 2006

The fix the problem with the center console indicator you need to go under the vehicle. On the driver side of the transmission there is a small silver box. The is the connection between the shifter and the tranny. Peel back the soft metal heat shield and pry off the stainless steel part, adjust the nylon connector and reassemble. the nylon piece have teeth on them and with a hard pull of a stuck shifter those give and slide so they need to be slide back in place. I have a detailed PDF on this fix, file I can send to you if you PM me.

 

[JeBrawn1120]

also you might wanna check the 2 torx bolts at the end of the shift mech, wayyyyy down towards the bottom of the colum. lay on your back, put your head on the brake pedal, shine a flashlight straight up, and while you lay there looking at a big mess, wiggle the shift lever and you will see the shift cable that attaches to a flat bracket (on top of the colum the 2 bolts that hold the bracket to the rotating tube, come loose making a sloppy shifter and sometimes misalignment of the indicator. i think they are a t-35 maybe

In between the to torx bolts you speak of there is a metal stud. What is this attached to because mine is broken and needs to be replaced

 

[seamonster53]

02 Sport Trac

Thanks for the info and pics, I located wheel and adjusted within 20 seconds.

 

[Tripdaddy]

Here is a PDF for the repair.
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/32332363/2007 Explorer Trans selector cable adjustment.pdf

 

[jlrohio]

Here is a PDF for the repair.
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/32332363/2007 Explorer Trans selector cable adjustment.pdf

What model year is that repair for?

This thread started out as a 99 model year but has since drifted to include other model years/different procedures.

...and BTW, I'm here because the other day in a parking lot, my 99 Explorer gear indicator is now a position off. I hope to fix this, this upcoming weekend.

 

[koda2000]

What model year is that repair for?

This thread started out as a 99 model year but has since drifted to include other model years/different procedures.

...and BTW, I'm here because the other day in a parking lot, my 99 Explorer gear indicator is now a position off. I hope to fix this, this upcoming weekend.

the problem may be the indicator and not the trans cable. other than the pointer being off by one position, do all the gears and PARK engage normally? if they do than the adjuster for the pointer may be out of adjustment or broken. the adjuster consists of a thumb wheel on a threaded shaft. it's all made of plastic and has been known to break. it can be fixed with a cable tie or replaced. there's a thread on it here somewhere. try googling it, as the search function here sucks.

here's a link - http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=198087&highlight=gear+indicator
BTW, if the 2 bolts that hold the shifter to the column loosen up, they will also cause shifter problems.

 

[Tripdaddy]

What model year is that repair for?

This thread started out as a 99 model year but has since drifted to include other model years/different procedures.

...and BTW, I'm here because the other day in a parking lot, my 99 Explorer gear indicator is now a position off. I hope to fix this, this upcoming weekend.

All I can say is the PDF works on my 2006 Explorer Limited. It should work for whatever models are in the same generation. Other models may be similar since the problems are similar.

 

[jlrohio]

All I can say is the PDF works on my 2006 Explorer Limited. It should work for whatever models are in the same generation. Other models may be similar since the problems are similar.

Thanks for the confirmation - I did see the 2006 year group listed on the PDF...but wanted to be sure as I'm sure it is probably different than my 99.

 

[thegarman]

Gear selector indicator adjustment

I had the same problem on my '99 Explorer Sport - one day the selector was almost 1 position off (Reverse actually looked like Neutral.) Laying on my back with my head under the pedals and using a small flashlight, I found that the little white piece that holds the black "adjustment wheel" had broken. I followed the directions on how to fix with a wire tie and it worked fine. I didn't remove any panels and while it was difficult, it was not that bad and was a pretty quick fix. (Being 6'5" tall is NOT a plus!) Check out "Pumpkin's" photos in post #11 of this thread to help guide you. My gear selector indicator is now properly lined up again!

This forum has helped my fix many small items on my Explorer and it's been fun, pretty simple and quite inexpensive!!

 

[pumpkin]

It's been a while since I posted here. I say "Your welcome" to everyone who thanked me for the pictures. Glad they were able to help. That's why I love forums too. It's coming up on 6 years since the fix and the gear selector still lines up perfect.

 

[mikemt98]

Sounds like my problem. Is this info valid for a 2008 v6 Ford Ranger too?

 

[rc1626]

Just fixed mine with a slightly oversized nut and a couple of washers. Lines up perfectly again. Thank you!

 

[ferretman]

well my newly acquired 1998 ford explorer has the same alignment problem with the shifter and I had already started to explore what was wrong and found the broken white clip so now I am going to try this fix for my self and I hope it works. I am going to try the 10-24 nut fix if I can find a couple around the shop or might just go with the wire tie trick.

Thanks to everyone that posted on this topic and gave all the info on the different makes and models and all the pictures were very helpful.

now I have to see why the t/c is noisy and slow in shifting for 2 hi to 4 hi to 4 lo and back. I have only had this truck since last Friday so I am still going over everything

Thank again to everyone.

 

[ferretman]

it is fixed for now if not for ever I hope

well I didn't try any of the fixes here instead I went with something that seems to have done the job..

I removed just the broken clip and wheel and used J.B. Weld and a small piece of clear plastic as a reinforcement. As a result I now have the clip repaired and the is enough pressure to hold the wheel in the proper indents but still allows for easy adjustments. I would upload the picture but I don't use any online storage.

 

[ferretman]

well the repair lasted like 5 minutes so on went the zip tie. it is aligned and seems to be working right. don't know why they didn't make that out of metal.

 

[hsd]

Glad I remembered this forum (forgot username and old pw though) and found this thread. The pictures helped a lot. I was able to get one from a local salvage yard, and picked up a few spares just in case. Had been too busy to get this fixed earlier, but dealing with the badly aligned prndl indicator for about half a year. Friend's occasionaly borrow the truck, figured I better fix it before one of them looks at the indicator and goes the wrong way.

I have to wonder how many people are driving with busted brackets, this problem seems to occur a fair bit just judging from google results. Have to agree with the earlier poster, a metal bracket would have been nice.