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Continued shifter problems

oblivionboyj

Member
Joined
December 2, 2010
Messages
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City, State
Drumore, PA
Year, Model & Trim Level
1997 Explorer XLT
I had an issue with my shifter last year where I could not get all the way over into park, and the needle was not lined up right.
The problem was solved by tightening the star bit that seems to commonly come lose that goes between the shifter and the lever.
The unit is pictured in on the upper right of this photo (viewed from the floor of the vehicle aft of where the star bit screws are)...
attachment.php

(image taken from another thread only to illustrate the problem I am having)
I have had to tighten the screw a couple times, but nothing major, until today...
Today I pull in my driveway and the shifter is almost free.
I can not shift entirely into park, and cannot find reverse.
I removed the lower trim under the column for access and when I did so the problem became obvious.
The unit pictured at the upper right has 2 cast ears for the star bit screws to thread into.
The one on the upper left of the assembly sheered so that half the threads are on the unit, and half are on the portion of the ear that fell off.
There is nothing left for the screw to grab onto.
Clearly I am going to have to replace the unit that has the sheered ear.

What is the name of this part named (for ordering purposes)?
Has anybody else needed to replace this part?
 






Well, I seem to have found what part it is...
It is the Automatic Transmision Shift Tube, listed in the Ford part lookup resource as P/N 7212 (though on mine the P/N is different- not that I am surprised by that).
A replacement will cost in the neighborhood of $30.
Removal and replacement may prove to be somewhat difficult, though not impossible.
Maybe a few hours of work.


Picture as I found it...
905-102-007.jpg

In this picture it is the lower of the 2 long parts, and this view is from the top rather than from the botom as seen in the other picture.

So again, has anyone else had to replace this part?
 






Sorry it took me so long to get a repair posted up here.
I was able to post the rod, and the problem is fixed.
I did not include all procedures, just an overview highlighting some of the things that set me back.
This is the state of dis-assembly that I needed to get to to gain access...
photo1.jpg

I went far past this point before I discovered that fact.

To drop the steering column for access to the shifter rod you will need to locate 4 nuts. The 2 front nuts are easy enough, but the existence of the 2 rear eluded me for quite some time. Failure to find these nuts frustrated the hell out of me. Knowing about their existence would have made this a half day job...
Steeringcolumnboltlocations.png


This is 2 detail pictures of the damaged rod...
Brokenear.png

detailbrokenear.png

The ear that connects the shift rod to the linkage sheered perpendicular to the threads.

Here is the new rod bolted in place on the top of the steering column...
finalinstalledpicturedetail.png

And a detail of the replacement rod (with the linkage bolt not yet installed...
boltpassthroughdetail.png


Overall I would put this as an intermediate job, that requires some time and patience.
The truck is driving better than ever after this repair.
Hope this helps somebody figure out their shifter problem.
Remember, if the linkage bolt is loosening or falling out of the shifter rod, the ear the bolt threads into is cracked and failing.
 






Nice job. And thanks for the excellent photos!
 






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