Got Hit by a Parked Car!

[codyprofessional]

Hello friends,

I have a 1997 Ford Explorer XLT V8,
I just purchased this car and notice it moves in park.

I have a 15degree drive way and it rolls forward, and it will also roll backward on the slope.

What causes my ford to roll while in park?
Transmission?
Poor electrical wiring?

Thanks in advance.

 

[SuRrEaLNJ]

moves as in like an inch or 2, or moves as in rolls out of the driveway?

 

[Vargas]

2nd gen AWD model rolling in PARK is caused by any of three things:

Pawl in transmission not engaging (pawl damaged or shift cable needs adjustment)
Bad viscous coupler in transfer case
Removal of front driveshaft

If you have a 2WD V8, then the second and third possibilities don't exist on your rig, and it has to be the pawl.

 

[Vargas]

From another thread with similar problem,

"The adjustment for the cable is down on the transmission. There is a little clip that you can pop out and then slide to adjust the length of the cable housing."

 

[codyprofessional]

Moves out the drive way

It rolls out the drive way maybe 5-6 feet.

I used the emergency break also and it rolled backwards.

 

[codyprofessional]

Pawl?

If its the pawl? Do I need a transmission, or a pawl?

 

[Kfred]

you can get the pawl part replaced in the trans. you either have to go to a trans shop unless you do it yourself which is kinda risky messin w/transmision unless you are a pro.

 

[Vargas]

I don't know if the pawl/"stop pin" can be replaced with the transmission in place or not.

Maybe it's time to fix that parking brake? The parking brake on your '97 is a separate system from the rest brakes. It has its own set of shoes and is cable operated. The shoes should never wear out unless the vehicle has been driven with the parking brake left on. Most PB problems are due to lack of use, so cables rust in place.

Generally a good idea to have a working PB (and use it) with the AWD Explorers, since the driveline does not lock in PARK the way a 2WD or 4WD model does.

 

[gijoecam]

Wait... are we talking a sudden, 'it went pop and rolled out into the street' kind of 'roll' or are we talking about a gradual creep over several hours or overnight?

If it's the former, I'd be looking at the transmission. If it's the latter, I'd say it's the transfer case/driveline issue (front driveshaft out, front axle/axle shaft/cv joint damaged/broken).

If setting the parking brake didn't stop it, the parking brake is shot. That's a different (and unrelated) issue that needs to be dealt with.

 

[gijoecam]

2nd gen AWD model rolling in PARK is caused by any of three things:

Pawl in transmission not engaging (pawl damaged or shift cable needs adjustment)
Bad viscous coupler in transfer case
Removal of front driveshaft

If you have a 2WD V8, then the second and third possibilities don't exist on your rig, and it has to be the pawl.

FYI, a bad VC in the case alone won't allow it to roll. The way the planetary gears are linked to the VC, the planetaries actually provide the resisting force to keep it from rolling. The VC just limits the amount of roll (or when under power, slip) between the front and rear outputs. But in theory, you could remove the VC from the case entirely and still have functioning all wheel drive (but you could still do a one-wheel-peel under the proper conditions).

 

[SuRrEaLNJ]

look into making sure that the parking brake is properly adjusted, if the pedal drops to the floor then you have an issue there. like stated the parking brake is its own individual system and when operating properly it should be able to hold the vehicle in place on its own