Screw fell out from under dash & problem going in gear... | Ford Explorer Forums - Serious Explorations

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Screw fell out from under dash & problem going in gear...

JKooL

Active Member
Joined
December 6, 2007
Messages
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City, State
Reading, PA
Year, Model & Trim Level
1997 XLT
I started my 1997 XLT auto trans today & when I put it into drive a shiny gold colored (torx head?) screw fell on the floor from under the dash. I then drove to my local grocery store & when I went to put it into park, it was in reverse. I moved the shifter to the far right and then went back to the left & got it into park.


When I got home I removed the 2 piece plastic housing over the steering column hoping to find the empty hole but no luck. I re-assembled it so I could go to a birthday party and have a closer look later & now it will not even start! I get a fast chime. (Faster than seat belt chime)


Any ideas what happened?

Thank you so much in advance!

JKL
 



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sounds like the magic screw that makes the whole truck work

actually I bet its a screw from the gauge cluster, don't worry there are 7, one missing isnt the end of the world. But I would have to see the screw to confirm
 






No, It is a thick strong screw. I see a few like it securing heavy parts.
 






it has to be from something, as the problem started when it came out,, i would poke around a bunch more and find out where it came from, ,
 


















Thank you Thank you Thank you!

Time to get crackin tomorrow!

Thanks again all!

JKL:D

PS...Could this cause the truck not to start? Such as a safety issue?
 






if it won't go into park, it won't start,unless you shift to Neutral,
 






From what I remember, the shifter doesn't work at all unless all the plates line up. This bolt will go thru and line it all back up. Once you get it into park, you'll see what I mean. Check all the others around it also. Mine were a bit loose
 






ok, what I meant to say--
there are more bolts like it up there
look at their orientation. You'll see an empty hole, the top one, which completes the pattern.

Maybe that will help
 






get under the dash and wiggle the shifter a bit. you should see where two mechanisms come together and that there is only one bolt left. This bolt is more than likely very loose also. One bolt is plainly visible and the other has something in your immediate view but with a little head movement you should see it (or where it should go).Tighten both of them and you should be good to go. The bolts should be way up at the top. The mechanism is above the steering shaft. You will need a short screw driver that is able to have a torx bit put into it.

This happened to while I was hunting in the middle of nowhere and it took awhile to figure out that the trans was not in park so it would not start lol.
 






If you can't see the bolts, take the plastic knee cover of from under the steering column. you have to undue the hood release then the bottom screws. the top of the panel pops up and put. Then there is a steal crash plate to unbolt. Everything should be visible from there with the column covers off. Your shifter has a clamp plate around the column and a small clip underneath way back on the right that attaches to a wire that goes up and around to the instrument cluster and into the gear indicator. there must be other loose bolts because it sounds as if your bracket is shifting (due to the missing bolt) if it was off totally you wouldn't be able to change at all. Check them all.
 






Thanks for all the tips!

Thank you all so very much!

:thumbsup::salute:
 






Mine only got a little loose on my 97 and the detents were way off. Bolt is in the end of the shaft. Just follow it down the column.
 






Thank you everyone!

All fixed and workin fine!

Only thing is i keep getting a fast chime when I open my door. (like keys left in)

I think when I removed the 2 piece plastic steering housing the first time I was looking for the screw, I messed something up.

There is a small switch under the ignition that will stop it...I think that is the culprit. Oh well.....another day when it is not so cold here in PA!

Again, thank you to everyone for all the help!

You made my day and saved a single father a lot of money!

:D
 






Thank you, thank you, thank you.

Happened to me today. Shift lever has been wobbly forever and never really thought about it. Wouldn't go into park, couldn't find reverse, etc. Came here and saw what the bolt was supposed to look like, saw where it was supposed to be, but no bolt. went to my local shop and he told me to bring it in tomorrow for an "assessment" to see what cables grommets, cables, and stuff he'd order from Ford. Told him I was looking for a bolt but he wasn't that interested in my input.

Came home stuck my head and hand back under there and was hit in the head by the bolt. Shoved the bolt in the hole, tightened them both up. Seven and a half minutes. Probably saved myself $285.

What's really cool is that it feels like brand new with a non wobbly shift lever.

Of course, while all this is going on the left rear door lock decided to break its spring today.

Another subject, the auto lock system is not working. It constantly cycles thru lock-unlock until I pull the fuse. Any ideas?


And thank you again.
 






Shift Selector off the mark, how to tighten?

Hey Guys

Read the thread,
I've got a problem with the shifter for automatic transmission. The shift selector is off the mark of where it should be (looks like its in 2nd gear, when should say Drive). This wouldnt be a problem if it was only the selector that were off, but when driving, sometimes it shifts erratically from 1st to 2nd, just not very smoothly. I'm wondering if these might be related. If so, is there a screw to tighten the selector linkage?


Thanks
 






+1 Thanks guys this tread is just what I was looking for! That same gold 30mm torx screw just fell out from under the dash like an hour ago. Thanks to you guys I was able to determine where it came from and replace it within 10 minutes of it falling out. Thanks again!
 






Picture

I recently had this same problem but found this website and it told me exactly what to find and how to fix it. So I thought I would add a photo to help others with this problem
IMG_0203.jpg


Its not easy to get under there and fix it but it can be done, also I found it easier to put the shifter in neutral to help align the two bolts. Hope this helps
 



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I recently had this same problem but found this website and it told me exactly what to find and how to fix it. So I thought I would add a photo to help others with this problem
IMG_0203.jpg


Its not easy to get under there and fix it but it can be done, also I found it easier to put the shifter in neutral to help align the two bolts. Hope this helps

thx for the idea of neutral. and the pic of course.. its pretty clear once u look up but the idea of neutral was solid. cheers.
 






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