1997 ford explorer please help me

[kingyoshi2424]

hello. i have a problem with my shifter in my 1997 ford explorer. it is stuck in gear neutral right now and the key is stuck in the ignition. the shifter lever is loose but its still connected to the column. Ive done some research and it seems to be the linkage or gear cable or are they the same thing. i heard since its a old ford its just a metal linkage. today i shifted it out of park and something sounded like it snapped off. it wont shift back up into park. i also heard it could be a plastic clip or a rubber oring or something like that. please help. does o reillys sell the parts. i think it sounds like the linkage broke. or the gear cable. what do you think. the gears even before it broke today were not lined up properly and sometimes the car would not go into park at all so it would roll backwards when u turned the car off. How do I take off the panel so I can see the steering column? how hard is this to fix in a day? please post link to any diagrams u might know of. thanks

 

[JusTheUsual]

Look at your transmission, do you see anything broken on the outside of it or something hanging down?

 

[koda2000]

4 "+" head screws along the bottom of the plastic trim panel, then pry out from the top of the trim panel (2 push clips). once the plastic is out of your way there's a metal panel that's held on with 4 bolts.

i think your year would have a cable between the shifter and the trans. a common problem is that one or both of the two T50 bolts that hold the shifter to the column get loose and can even fall out and land on your foot. have you noticed any large gold colored bolts on the floor?

BTW, this is the time to turn the adjustemnt thumb wheel to get your gear pointer to line-up correctly.

 

[swshawaii]

http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=219144
http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=266031
http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=307151

 

[kingyoshi2424]

Thanks guys. I got it fixed. It was the actual steering shaft that broke in half. I thinkbits made out of aluminum or something.