02 Explorer won't shift gears

[bobbleduck]

Hi there. First time poster, and a complete car newb here. Does this belong in the transmissions section? Those posts looked way more technical than I can handle, so I thought that area might be for advanced folks.

Anyhow, I just got an automatic 02 Explorer XLT, and am having trouble shifting into gears. After wiggling the shifter around and pulling it to other gears a few times, it will eventually drive and reverse as it should.

While driving, it's the smoothest vehicle I've ever owned and it will shift itself with no protest that I can feel. But, again, cars are "here be dragons" territory for me and I may be missing something.

I had it taken to a shop and they replaced the internal...lever? Some metal part inside the steering column, which you can see if you take the cover off of where the stick is connected and where the ignition is located. They said it was busted and some metal fell out (some of which is actually still on the floor, it was little bits and pieces of metal.) I'm not entirely confident in their work since it's still having the same issue, and they didn't explain much to me.

- Brake lights come on just fine
- No alert lights are on (like check engine, etc)
- No codes
- The bar indicating which gear it's in doesn't always line up, especially when in park. Park is very off, the others are off but not as terrible.
- I've tried looking for the bolts on the shifter under the wheel area to tighten them, but I couldn't identify exactly what I was looking for
- I can't tell if the shifter stick feels "loose" or not. I suppose it does in comparison to my last vehicle, but I don't feel confident enough to say.

My roommate drove it to work today, and it functioned fine with no issues getting there; shifted on the first go. After work, it displayed the same behavior of starting fine, but staying put regardless of shifting. He told me that he wiggled the stick around for a little while, put it in reverse, and hit the gas for a bit and it popped into reverse suddenly. After that, he had no problems running his errands for the rest of the day and parking the car for a while, then getting it into gear normally.

I do plan on taking it in as soon as I can (to a much better mechanic that I trust,) but that's going to be a couple of days because he's slammed.

I'm wondering if anyone has any suggestions on what to check for so I can make a list to take to the mechanic? I just want to make sure I'm as informed as possible. Gathering from the other posts I've seen, my list so far is:

- Transmission fluid problems
- Shifter cable
- Bad shift solenoid
- Electrical problems
- Bad sensors
- Shifter linkage
- Control module
(I tried to get the terminology right for these)

Thank you for all of the resources here on this site! Everything has been an interesting read.

 

[Number4]

Welcome to the forums. Sorry you've not had luck with any responses.

You have a very detailed post and there's a lot of info in the forum, but can sometimes be hard to narrow down.

The piece in the column is a common problem, especially on the '02's. The indicator not lining up is also an issue. Under the steering column you'll find (if you chase the cable) a white connector that tends to break. I believe it has a wheel to it. It's been zip tied and also replaced as a means to fix it. My '05 does this, yet the plastic piece is whole. You can replace the whole unit (in the cluster) for $20 or so from Ford.

I'd suggest you have a reputable transmission shop look at the issues you've mentioned above.

 

[bobbleduck]

Thank you! I'll check on that part you mentioned as well. The check engine light came on this morning, so that's an additional detail.

I'll be taking ol' Clifford to the best transmission shop in my town this weekend, and we'll see what they say.