Loose gear shifter... and what is this bolt?

[CDW6212R]

Old thread but same problem - WHERE do you get this bolt? I can't find one! Also, my shift lever is often VERY hard to move, worst of all, sometimes when I get it into Park, it slips backward a little bit, makes a noise before stopping. Is this more damage and will need an actual mechanic to fix? I'm at the point of removing the driver's seat so I can actually get at the shifter & bolt. Help!

Have you looked close at it under the dash, and found the bolts connected with the shift linkage, besides the obvious bolt hole? Usually the bolts will become loose, both nearest to the pedals. If one is still there, carefully push the bracket back up and snug that bolt well. That end is just one part that holds the shifting components in place. The shifting shaft and the tube around it, are pot metal and wear over time.

So you will need to restore the bolts into place, and then reevaluate whether the shift lever is working properly(tightly). The replacement parts are(were) about $50 or so years ago. I recommend replacing those in any high mileage Explorer. I have one extra set of those for my project truck, but I should buy another for my current 98 to sell it in the near future.

 

[joney]

Have you looked close at it under the dash, and found the bolts connected with the shift linkage, besides the obvious bolt hole? Usually the bolts will become loose, both nearest to the pedals. If one is still there, carefully push the bracket back up and snug that bolt well. That end is just one part that holds the shifting components in place. The shifting shaft and the tube around it, are pot metal and wear over time.

So you will need to restore the bolts into place, and then reevaluate whether the shift lever is working properly(tightly). The replacement parts are(were) about $50 or so years ago. I recommend replacing those in any high mileage Explorer. I have one extra set of those for my project truck, but I should buy another for my current 98 to sell it in the near future.

Thank you, and everyone else who responded! As Shamrock (new name) is also my daily driver, it's been hard to really dig into the whole thing, as I have to drive it! prob have to yank on that lever to see if it's loose, as it appears the bolts actually are in place. Very difficult to see in that cramped space. Will possibly have to take out the driver's seat, it doesn't go very far back and I can't maneuver myself into place. Also have to recruit a friend to observe the 2 places under the hood where some linkage is supposed to move when I move the shift lever. If no issue then look at the linkage in along the steering column. Got all this from threads here and more on You Tube. If I can find time would be possible to replace burnt out lights behind the gauge display. And I'm hoping to get a pulley fixed that a shop told me was ****ed, serpentine belt runs a bit crooked, may have to pay them to do it and diagnose why the AC doesn't work. Getting ready for a trip, perhaps next month!

 

[Mbrooks420]

They’re probably just loose. My guess is the grinding is the parking pawl finding it’s home. You probably aren’t parking fully. Be very careful. It can appear in park, and then come out of it. I almost rolled my Mounty off a cliff before I figured out what my issue was.

 

[CDW6212R]

Ditto, the parking mechanism operates a cable from the column, out to the trans. If the cable isn't fully in place in the park position, it will be easily out of park there. You can feel the different positions for other gears etc, and know they are engaged, generally. I do that with my truck daily, shifting back and forth from D to R, dozens of times each day. The park position is the only one that bothers me, it doesn't feel as positive as I'd like, I am very careful pushing the lever fully up to the left, gently and not too forcefully. It can break, don't push too hard.

The belt pulleys and the tensioner are wear items, it's a fairly easy to do once every 5-10 years job.

That gold colored bolt for the column shift parts, there are several of those in the column area, all the same dimensions. It would be easy to find a used one or more at a JY, lots of Fords from the 90's would have them.

 

[CDW6212R]

The column shifter parts are very old now, it's time for many 90's vehicles to have those parts replaced. I had my spare pieces in my office close within reach. I got them from eBay a few years ago, but only one has a part number shown on the OEM bag, it's the inner shaft "plunger" F7DZ-7R264-AA

I have posted the three part number before, well before I got these I'm sure. I replaced them in my 99 work truck in 2006 I believe it was, and I scrapped the two main cast parts, they were very loose fitting then, at only 77,450 miles when I bought the truck. What is needed is the shifter "tube", the plunger, and the two bushings that go on the tube piece. Taking the column out is a fairly big job, and I think I've read of a person doing it without removing the column.

 

[joney]

Thank you, and everyone else who responded! As Shamrock (new name) is also my daily driver, it's been hard to really dig into the whole thing, as I have to drive it! prob have to yank on that lever to see if it's loose, as it appears the bolts actually are in place. Very difficult to see in that cramped space. Will possibly have to take out the driver's seat, it doesn't go very far back and I can't maneuver myself into place. Also have to recruit a friend to observe the 2 places under the hood where some linkage is supposed to move when I move the shift lever. If no issue then look at the linkage in along the steering column. Got all this from threads here and more on You Tube. If I can find time would be possible to replace burnt out lights behind the gauge display. And I'm hoping to get a pulley fixed that a shop told me was ****ed, serpentine belt runs a bit crooked, may have to pay them to do it and diagnose why the AC doesn't work. Getting ready for a trip, perhaps next month!

BTW, I didn't use a cuss word here, just a common one for something that's tilted off kilter, LOL

 

[joney]

Update - I did get both screws into place on the gear shift thing under the dash. Took forever. Recent weeks noticed it was getting harder to shift gears. Have been way too busy looking for an apartment and putting things in storage. Until Thursday last week...Was coming from about 12 miles away, noticed I needed some gas. While pumping gas with the truck off and in Park, it started to roll forward towards the station building! As I can't run (need a cane to walk) I laid the pump nozzle on the concrete and yelled for help!!!! A brave guy came out, pushed against the front bumper slowing it down so I could jump in and put my foot on the brake! Another man working for the station asked if I needed help, asked him to grab a wheel chock from the back seat. With that in place, spent the next 1/2 hr. or so getting up under the dash with my jerry rigged torx bit extension setup, getting one of the screws in a few threads. After parking and catching my breath, went on back home. Adventures like this I could do without, but VERY grateful to God and the good guys who helped me! Easily could have turned out much much worse!! As for the stupid screws, very tempted to replace them with long ones with locknuts, or even rivet them in place! And I still have to likely put in a water pump next, pressing my luck on that one also!!

 

[Mbrooks420]

The screws will stay tight for years. If you’re concerned a little blue loctite would keep them in place, and you wouldn’t even have to fully remove them.

 

[410Fortune]

With a 7mm and a 8mm you can remove the knee guard and get good access
With a 14mm and 4 nuts you can then drop the steering column and do a proper repair on those bolts and shifter bushings