Gear Shift Broke Off in Hands!!!

[Majin1084]

Nope if it's fits then go for it.

 

[Kotico]

Very informative post, I was able to find the Steering Column Repair Kit Dorman 905-104 off ebay and will wait for it to arrive.

Dealer ask for $2000 for the whole steering column,,, insane!!!:thumbdwn:

 

[Majin1084]

[MENTION=289894]Kotico[/MENTION]

Good luck with the repair. Dealers are snake and they know there's a replacement part yet they try to fool you into buying something that isn't even needed.

 

[newtek007]

I wish this repair had been around when mine broke!!! I'm the original poster of this thread. As an update to replacing the steering column, it is still going strong at 185,000. But I just ended up selling the Explorer because of air bags deploying for no reason. Anyway, hope this Dorman repair is good and strong.

 

[NCMarc]

mine broke yesterday

I have a 2002 Explorer XLT

this happened to me today. i don't feel 100% comfortable doing all this myself, nor do I have the time, so I am hoping I can send my mechanic this thread and he can figure it out. Going to be ordering the part today.

Does this seem like the correct part?
(dead links)

That says AM Auto Parts and not Dorman, but it looks like the same part number on there.

Is it easy to change the gear? I want to take it to the auto shop without having to tow but I am pretty clueless after reading all the pages how to get it to shift.

 

[NCMarc]

Update...

More update, i was able to get the plastic off (3 phillips screws under neath) and it was fairly easy to change into drive just using my fingers.

I bought the Dorman part in-stock at Advanced Auto for $58.00+tax. I found it on ebay for less, but I wanted it today.... i'd stay it's a fairly common problem to be in-stock at my local auto parts store.

I thought about doing the repair myself but I didn't have a dremmel or any grease and the shop only wanted 2 hours time ($160) to do it for me, so for about $220 out the door, I feel pretty good about it.

(dead links)

 

[DayDots123]

Thank you to everyone for posting in this forum. I had my column shifter break last week and after reading the forums I was able to fix this in roughly two hours.

I saw a lot of questions asking what exactly is the clip that needs to be pried or dremeled out. I found it pretty easy to remove the clip. I stuck a small screw driver in between the old column shifter and the clip, then I banged it with a hammer for a bit going around the clip until it opened a big enough space to pry it out with a bigger flathead.

Here is a pic of the clip almost out:

Here is a pic of the clip once it is out.

One thing that I found out the hard way is that under the column shifter there is what I think is an electric solenoid. After putting the part in I was having trouble putting the shifter through all gears with out any binding. In fact I was getting stuck due to a small gray bar that was blocking it. As it turns out because I had the battery disconnected the solenoid was not releasing. After I connected the battery the shifter works perfect.

Hope this helps someone.

 

[D Hook]

I have this part, if anyone is interested in buying one. Bought it from Dorman but thankfully never had to put it in before I sold the truck. Shoot me a PM and we can haggle pricing or make me an offer.

 

[JWILLY]

Fixed cheap

My daughter calls from atop Mt Hood with the same issue.
They figure out how to shift without the shiftier. Made it home!
Did a search of 02 explorer shift fixes and got this part number.
Dorman 905-104
Crossed at a Napa auto parts store and we got this Napa part Number:
600-3384 = $57.00

Of course there is a you tube video!

Went to the same transmission shop that fixed this hunks trany crap!
1 Hr labor = $88.00
Works great guys, thanks Economy Transmission.

So when I did my research, for fun, went by local Ford dealership and the guy knew exactly what was up. He says oh yeah know it well, gotta replace whole steering column: $2000.00 for the part! he knew it was a sham...poor guy.

 

[colnorm]

gear shift broke of in my hands

to JWilly..read your post...glad all worked out ok.. wonder when ford and other companies will realize with the internet that more and more people know that they are a bunch of thieves!

 

[Mixmaster213]

Name of part please.

I need the name of the part. The little plastic piece

is shattered on mine and the spleen is stuck to it.

Thanks in advanced.

 

[360cid]

This just happened to mine today! Thank god for this thread and that Dorman part!

 

[Machine090767]

I didn't read all the replies, but this is only happening with the column mounted gear shift and not the floor mounted shift?

 

[D Hook]

That's correct. Ford changed from column shifter to floor shifter for the 2006 model year.

 

[2ndcovenant]

Folks, once again I am so thankful for Explorer Forums. I have not gotten the Dorman piece yet and I know this is an older thread but this happened to my 2002 Ford Explorer XLT last night as I was getting in the truck to go to work at 9:40pm lol. What a time to break. Anyhow, I just got off of work and I have opened the steering column's covers (thanks to the person who gave details on how to do that, with pictures, a couple of pages earlier); and it IS the same piece that broke for most other people here. You don't know how relieved I am that this may be an easy fix. I just started two new jobs and I can't afford to miss work and this is my only vehicle. Anyhoo, in continued good news, both of the blue switches are completely intact and holding on strong. I have to walk to my first job in a few hours since I can't miss being there and since my only possible ride is one of my daughters who is going to the doctor for her first New Baby checkup! I get to be a grandpa anew! Anyhow again, since I can't work on the truck anyhow today, Amazon can ship it to my home next day (ie tomorrow) for $20 cheaper than the autoparts store chains. So, I can work on it tomorrow. I will update you to let you know how things go.

 

[UtahX]

Mine also busted Sep 2016.

 

[2ndcovenant]

Interestingly enough, I ordered the dorman 905-104 part from amazon and then realized that there was no dremel tool at my home anymore so I ordered a new one a few hours later, also from amazon. The dorman part got here yesterday but the dremel said that amazon transferred the package to the united states postal service for delivery. Last summer Amazon offered to put a notation on my account to Never Ever deliver by the USPS because in my area they ALWAYS delivery late. 99% of the time, the postal worker notes on their website that they have delivered my packages when I know for a fact they have not, so I always end up calling the USPS customer service number which reports the action to the local office which in turn sends their postal worker out to my house with the package that they said they delivered in the first place. This time things really suck because I started two jobs recently and I need both of them to pay my bills. One is over night work. I could not walk to that job and had no way of getting a ride last night so I had to call out. I only have one call out left before I lose my job and these idiots at amazon, who guaranteed delivery Today, gave it to the USPS who have postponed delivery until Tuesday. I put the partial paycheck that I got from working only a few hours on my first week toward buying this dremel and now I don't have enough money, barely, to buy another dremel locally today. I am not even certain that I can get a ride anywhere to buy one. I am so mad right now. I can't miss out on work again tonight. I called Amazon about their guaranteed delivery and they said that since the package was placed into another company's hands, they cannot force the other company to deliver and that they can give me a refund but it won't be in my account for at least 4 to 6 days.

On a side note, does anyone know of a better video showing how to repair with the dorman 905-104 part than the one on you tube? Everyone that has a video is showing the same Dorman informational video which really doesn't give much detail. In part because the camera is too far away for details (held by a camera man, not the repair person) and, secondly, the repair man is wearing a ball cap that gets between the camera and the repair.

I had thought that I knew where the clip was and what to do based on the forums here but after seeing that video, I find myself confused. They are removing a clip toward the front of the vehicle (I was expecting it to be near the broken piece) and they mention taking out the pin (which I don't see mentioned here, but I can figure that out), and the part where they take the old shifter actually out and put the new one in (after the dorman part is clipped back into the steering column) is covered up by the gent's ball cap.

 

[2ndcovenant]

Not good...

Okay, I got a dremel and got everything apart just fine Except, I found that a black covered electrical wire from the very top of the steering column, above the top blue switch, had somehow broken just about at it's connector. Secondly, I had everything else going back together pretty much fine so I tested the movement of the gear shift to make certain that it had free movement to all of the gears and Oh Crap No! It now goes between reverse and 3rd gear (and those in between) but will Not go to Park or the last two gears.

Everything was going fine until the gear wouldn't move... I live on a hill with the downward slope being toward our road. Not good. Right now I have gotten it into Park by using my fingers to physically move the bar just below and behind the ignition switch... the piece that actually puts you into a gear. So it's in park and it's got wheel chocks behind both rear tires. I am about to put some cinder blocks behind the front two.

Any ideas what I can do to fix this?

 

[John G Celski]

Well. Here goes. Thought somebody might be able to use this info about my experience with my wife's 2002 E.B. Explorer.
I got the call from her this morning that she just arrived at work and the gear shifter broke off in her hands. Could not get the key out so I had to haul over and trade out trucks.
Once I got it home I found that a major aluminum part had sheared off! Now, I am no expert when it comes to metal, but I do tinker with aluminum and soft metals in my garage making stuff for RC Airplanes. So, I know a little about this kind of stuff and I know that what I am looking at should have never broken, unless the batch of aluminum they used to cast the part was tainted with something or maybe an air bubble got in the cast.
But, here are the pictures that I have taken.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v679/newtek007/2002 ExplorerShifter/IMG_9354.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v679/newtek007/2002 ExplorerShifter/IMG_9355.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v679/newtek007/2002 ExplorerShifter/IMG_9360.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v679/newtek007/2002 ExplorerShifter/IMG_9358.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v679/newtek007/2002 ExplorerShifter/IMG_9356.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v679/newtek007/2002 ExplorerShifter/IMG_9366.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v679/newtek007/2002 ExplorerShifter/IMG_9367.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v679/newtek007/2002 ExplorerShifter/IMG_9368.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v679/newtek007/2002 ExplorerShifter/IMG_9369.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v679/newtek007/2002 ExplorerShifter/IMG_9370.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v679/newtek007/2002 ExplorerShifter/IMG_9371.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v679/newtek007/2002 ExplorerShifter/IMG_9371-1.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v679/newtek007/2002 ExplorerShifter/IMG_9373.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v679/newtek007/2002 ExplorerShifter/IMG_9374.jpg

I have not taken pictures since I have Reattached the pieces using PB Weld. I have had great results using this stuff in the past. It is curing in the garage as I write. Hopefully, the jury rig piece will hold up to the stress of shifting the column.


Gear Shift Broke Off in Hand

Does anyone know what the circled clip does? My son's gear shifter broke off and was replaced. This metal clip/connector is missing. I know the bottom one allows the key to be removed when depressed. thanks