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

[CMart]

I was a little worried I might not be able to do this after the skinny comment, i'm 220 and I able to get this done in about 10 minutes. You just gotta stick your head way up under there.

 

[poopiosplop]

Guys, this thread has made me very happy.....i think the same thing happened to mine. I will check it out today and see if i can take care of it. Thanks!

 

[DKC_FF]

I have came along to the same problem and found this awesome forum with tons of information but in my hast to fix the problem, I lost the bolt. Does anyone know where I can find a replacement bolt or give me the size and specifications please?

 

[poopiosplop]

I am sure if you go to the auto parts store they can sell you one, or order it pretty easily. If everyone has this problem, most auto part stores know what is up.

 

[hkrambo]

After reading all this I went and checked my 96 sport. Sure enough they were loose which explains the loose gear shift.

 

[JeBrawn1120]

What is the stud sticking out in the center called? Mine is broken and I am not sure what i need to replace.

 

['Splorersport]

Had the same problem on my 01 Explorer Sport. Took it to my transmission guy, who said it was the "PRINDL" effect (Except without the L). What happened was, what the gear shifter said the gear was, was not actually the gear. Park worked only some of the time (Which was fun with no functioning parking brake). So, took it to the transmission guy, who looked into it, and found that it was just the lost bolt. Tightened it up in 15 minutes and was done. Problem solved. It happens, and it wasn't fun.

 

[JeBrawn1120]

Can anyone help me? Refer to post #26

 

[jhong]

hi im Jhong, & im a newly member of this forum....i need help so badly.... bcuz my 98' ford explorer xlt 5.0 V8 .....the engine shut off, whenever i shift the gear on the drive or reverse..but when it was on park & nuetral gear the engine was running..... & ived tried to fix already some parts that might be the causes..liked the IAC SYSTEM, BLEED THE BRAKE FLUIDS...PAYED FOR THE DIAGNOSIS TO KNEW THE MESSED PARTS ...SO THEY SAID THAT IT WAS ON THE ANTI THEFT CONTROL SYSTEM...SO WHAT I DID WAS I DEACTIVATED THE ANTI THEFT PROGRAM TO RESET THE CODE ...SO ITS NOT STILL WORKING ....SO I HAVE IN MIND NOW I THINK I NEEDE TO CHANGE THE FUEL FILTER & CHECK THE HOUSING BRAKE SYSTEM IF POSSIBLE MAYBE NO AIR PRESSURE OR HAVING SOME LEAKS ... SO I NEED HELP & I WANTED TO KNOW WHATS THE REAL CAUSED & NEED TO BE FIX TO MY TRUCK.....TNX

 

[snakeman]

Thanks for the Info...

I'm so happy now I can put my EX in park again.... :exp:
Thank you guys so much....

 

[florida_jersey]

thanks

I thighen the two bolts with help from this form, thank you. I'm upset at the ones that say you need to remove the steering wheel. You don't need to remove the bottom panel eighteen just put your head under the panel and move the shifter.. you'll see the two bolts you need to thighen. It is very easy, just
not a lot of space to work. That's all

 

[27]

I literally just went thru this EXACT problem last week. The same exact bolt fell out of the top of my steering column. Had no idea where the bolt came from. Got to my destinantion & put it in "park" or at least what I thought was park because it was a flat surface. And since it wouldn't start when I came back out to my car, I figured it had something to do with that bolt. Turns out that it was in between gears. Got it started (in between R & N). Fast forward a few hours once I get done work. Took my future father in law (a dude who has close to 60 years of mechanical knowledge, which I hope to absorb) & myself a couple hours to drop the column down so we could get to the back of the shifter. Over all, besides the 15 degree weather, it was a sh***y situation when it happened but it got rectified & sorted out & it was a learning experience for the future.. But I will agree with the other members, there really isn't a whole lot of room to work with.

 

[ranger_blue_92]

Thanks guys.

 

[tchalm]

So, yeah, I've got the floppy shifter problem.

I got my head under the dash and I see the two bolts up in there like in the picture. It appears as though they are in place, but I can't see what's wrong. Neither of those bolts have fallen out.

Am I looking in the wrong place?

Or could this be a problem in the linkage down by the transmission - something seems awful flimsy down there.

Thanks!
TimC in OR

 

[tchalm]

I removed the dash panel under the steering column and got a better look at the shifter linkage. Everything looks good under the dash. When I move the lever, the entire linkage assembly moves smoothly as one unit and pushes the rod in the sleeve nicely.

But it seems like nothing is happening at the transmission. I'll have to find someone to help me with that but no one else is around right now.

Is there another thread on the automatic transmission linkage?

Thanks,
TimC in OR

 

[tchalm]

I think I'm getting the problem figured out. My problem is not with the bolts under the dash. So I probably should find a different thread or start a new thread.

As near as I can figure out so far, please correct me if I'm wrong and/or send me to the right thread, the shift cable runs in a tube that goes thru the firewall and down to the lock/adjustment mechanism on the driver's side of the transmission.

There is another approximately 4" of tube that goes after the lock/adjustment mechanism toward the end of the cable where it is attached to the shift lever on the side of the transmission. That short piece of tube is broken and has been broken for years; someone tried to repair it with a couple of zip ties. I'm not sure what effect that broken piece has or if it's supposed to be in one piece or if it matters or not.

At any rate, I would appreciate any suggestions.

TimC in OR

 

[1996BLKBauer]

This happened to me, literally the same way as the original poster, I was running around town, when something hit my foot, sure enough it was that darn bolt, good thing I was in drive, and was able to chock my wheels, and keep it in Neutral when I got back to my bosses house. I was able to fix it in about 30 minutes. It is way easier to remove the lower cover, and metal plate to gain access, my shifter had never felt this good since I have owned the truck! I even was able to realign the selector, because with the lower cover removed it was literally right in front of me! Thanks to this thread I was able to find where it went, no problem! Once again this Forum saved me when I really needed it!

 

[tchalm]

My trouble turned out to be a broken shift cable down at the bottom end.

Everything under the dash is fine, but moving the shift lever does nothing at the transmission. The cable had come disconnected from the short rod that connects to the plastic piece that snaps onto the ball joint on the shift lever on the driver's side of the transmission.

Replacing the cable doesn't look too hard, except outside in cold weather. So I started the engine and my son crawled under and shifted the tranny into Drive. I drove it down to the shop where they rebuilt the tranny several years ago. The shift cable assembly is around $100 plus 1 - 2 hours of labor, part of which is a two-person job which includes making adjustments. But it will be done completely right. I could go to Pick and Pull to get a part, but it could be 14 years old and down to its last thread too. If you're near Forest Grove, OR there is one shop that is the best place around. I've got almost 100K miles on the rebuild and at the last service there were still no metal shavings in the pan and it is really hard to tell when the tranny shifts. They are the guys to go to.

Cheers!
TimC in OR

 

[jhnnybgood]

Just wanted to add that I tightened these bolts and it fixed my problem so thanks to all who posted. No more using the parking break or starting in neutral!

 

[paralucas55]

Thank everybody for your help, I fixed my Mercury Mountaineer following your suggestions. This video was useful too: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eo_GCeoZtrA