Column gear shifter/stuck in PARK

I have a 1996 ford ranger 4x4 and for the last month my column shifter has felt a bit sloppy and also when I put it in park and then get back in my truck to go some place else it won't shift out of park BUT after a couple tries of turning the key and removing my foot from brake and back again it always would shift out of parking gear and off I would go but today was a different story,as I was getting back in my truck after going to the store I could NOT get it out of park for like 5 minutes FINALLY it shifted out of park and I put it in drive and went home.

I have decided from now on to put it in neutral,turn it off and put on my emergency brake and lock it up when I am not in it, so the obvious question is what in the hell is going on???

Are there any write up's about this exact issue with other people experiencing this problem and what was the fix?

THANKS!!!!

....:scratch:....I'm not sure you will get many responses or people will take you seriously due to your log in name and not having a location under your name...

...If you use the search function at the bottom of the menu bar I'm sure you will turn up something...

...You might contact Rick the admin here and see if you can do a name change...

Tbars4 said:

....:scratch:....I'm not sure you will get many responses or people will take you seriously due to your log in name and not having a location under your name...

...If you use the search function at the bottom of the menu bar I'm sure you will turn up something...

...You might contact Rick the admin here and see if you can do a name change...

Click to expand...

Hmmmmmmm, I like my screen name ( it's different ) but I did solve my problem today!!

I had a good look at the brake switch today and one of the two wires was almost broken in half so I just spliced it and now my cruise works when taping the brake and I don't get stuck in parking gear anymore.Also I had two bolts that were loose and that fixed my sloppy shifter,feels brand new now!!

Zero dollar repairs are the best!
So, welcome to the forum, where you from?

RangerX said:

Zero dollar repairs are the best!
So, welcome to the forum, where you from?

Click to expand...

Kansas

i have a gear shift stuck in park,there is some kind of cylinder loose on the cable that i can move to release it from park but have no clue what it is help!!! please.

**************** said:

Also I had two bolts that were loose and that fixed my sloppy shifter,feels brand new now!!

Click to expand...

On my '00 automatic a bolt came loose on the shifter linkage under the dash, and the shifting action was so sloppy that it got to the point that I couldn't shift down into low. Don't they tighten those things at the factory?!

It was a bear to get under there and tighten the bolt, but once I snugged it up everything was normal again.

I hope this is the way to start this.....

Gonna explain what followed up to the point where I am

Hi I have a 2000 Ford ranger xlt and I’m having issues with my manual shifter going into 1st gear.... Transmission was rebuilt and I recently put it in. I replaced shift cable and got help adjusting it. I also drove through all the gears and even shifted through EVERY gear.... I parked it turned it off for a couple minutes and jumped back in; couldn’t get out of gear (Park) thought tranny was done... Was told it could be brake safety switch failed, tranny issue, or shift tube assembly....Was told to take off shift cable on the side of my tranny and shift through all 6 gears by the bracket shifter.... Was able to w/o a beat. So then I was referred to the (manual shifter/dash) because bushings could have messed up or plunger could have snapped. But I wanted to test the brake first I slammed my foot down on brake and was able to shift gears harshly might I add very tough.... so I put it back in park struggling and tried to start.... Overhead light just blinked I read up on it and saw it needed to be put in Park or Neutral so I put it in neutral; Started right up and figured it was bushings on shift tube like I was being told. Bushings were bad rubber was worn.... Put it together with new assembly tube, bushings, and plunger; even greased everything.

Now this is where I’m at.....The Problem
PRND21. I can manually shift through all gears while seated in my truck except for 1st gear it stops PRND2*1 where the star is in between 2nd and 1st I looked and looked and looked different things it could be I took it back out (Shift tube assembly) put in reattached still Messing up saw my shifter where the spring collar is~There is a Pin where you hammer it through(original one) hit against column right when it was about to hit 1st figured I hit it in to far/didn’t. So I used mini adjuster under steering wheel to adjust needle and tried shifting nope figured something was wrong with shift cable as well took out and now I’m stuck with no first gear a new cable that I don’t know if it’s good or not because I pushed metal rod on ends and make a crrrrrrrr* sound (maybe it’s just the way the cable is running through but I saw one side like pop out and it had a indent like a small wrench could fit on so.. No first gear on dash and a cable I don’t know about