'99 5.0L V8 - Engaged gear doesn't match shifter position.

[jaekh]

Hi folks,

I'm a new member here seeking advice on how to proceed with a transmission issue I'm having.
I'm not very knowledgeable with cars, especially when it comes to automatic transmissions but I'm hoping you might be able to give me suggestions on how I could fix the issue I'm having.

I believe I have the 4R70W transmission and I'm having a weird issue where every shifter position on the dash corresponds to the actual gear to the right of it.
For example: the position for P is R, R is N, N is D, etc.
I can still engage every gear.
Everything still seems to be shifting smoothly, not hearing and grinding or crunching.
I can't think of anything I'd heard, seen, felt or smelled before this randomly happened that would indicate any kind of issue with the car.

Does anyone have any idea what caused this and how I could fix it?
Thanks!

 

[swshawaii]

Loose gear shifter... and what is this bolt?

shift drive selector indicator

 

[jaekh]

Thanks so much!

I'm surprised I didn't come across these posts in my search.

No bolt found yet so I'm hoping it's curable by the suggestion in the second post.
I'll look again tomorrow with a bit more light.

 

[8TZX]

This happened to my 99 AWD about 10 years ago. There is a plastic clip which if I remember correctly, holds the pointer in place in relation to the indicator. The plastic (nylon) clip broke. I used a small tie-wrap to replace it and to this day it still works fine. It is shown in the "shift drive selector indicator" post referenced in the above post. There is a good picture of it.

 

[Stic-o]

There is also a small nylon wheel that you can turn to adjust where the position is.

 

[Mbrooks420]

While you have the wheel cover off it might be worth giving those gold Torx bolts a snugging. They came loose on my last Mounty and it didn’t engage park once and almost sent my truck off a 100 foot cliff into a river.

Luckily it started rolling before I closed the locked door.

 

[Collin Whitfield]

This is how I fixed mine

 

[CDW6212R]

Also related to the shift indicator, it's often now to have the shift lever very loose, without it being a loose bolt. At this age the wear on the shift lever and connected parts is considerable. If anyone has a loose shift lever, it'd be a great idea to replace the main wear parts.

They cost about $50, I think it's two big pieces and two bushings, it takes a couple of hours to get the column down enough and R&R those parts. I have a set of them ready in the back of my work truck, to put in my 98 when I have more time.

 

[1998Exp]

You may want to inspect the white plastic bracket that holds the adjustment gear: tends to crack and break when it gets old. Happened to me with two different Ford vehicles. Dorman has a replacement -- not much cheaper than buying the complete assembly, with the pointer, cable and gear, but way simpler to install.

 

[CDW6212R]

Ditto, those are very delicate little plastic parts.

 

[jaekh]

Thanks for all the advice guys.

It ended up being that little white bracket holding the thumb-wheel in place.
I think maybe the cold mornings and how brittle it must be after 20 years finally got to it.
Really have to echo the sentiments of all the other posters who are in disbelief that something so flimsy didn't break sooner.

I was initially going to use the zip tie + duct tape method but came up with a better solution for myself.
I had to buy a single torx driver from the hardware store, and it came with these 2 little rubber grommets securing the shaft to the little plastic tab they use to hang it up in store.
Ended up using a razor blade to cut through to the centre of it and then wrapped it around the part where I would have used the zip tie.
I used both rubber pieces and now gear indicator lines up perfectly.

Not sure about the longevity of my fix but it seemed like a good solution at the time, and I can always try the zip tie next time.

 

[CDW6212R]

Well done, those under dash parts are complicated how they are arranged, and most are plastic or small.

 

[Spudhut]

This is how I fixed mine

Excellent Video

 

[BruceExploder]

Rockauto also sells the piece brand new if you ever need it. I just went to a junkyard and go-to the little plastic off one that wasn't broken