My automatic shifter now rests in between gears (i.e, half-way between Park and Drive, or Drive and Reverse, etc.). I understand that there is a cable somewhere that may need to be replaced or adjusted. My question is where and how do I get to this cable to make the adjustment or is this a job for the dealer?

Thanks in advance for your help.

 

I remember reading that there is a small plastic wheel under the dash somewhere that will let you adjust the shift indicator. If you stick your head under there you might see it?

BTW, are'nt you the member that swapped his 4.6 for a 5.4? If so, how did it all work out for you so far?

Thanx.
LE PEW.

 

LE PEW,

Thanks for the reply...I will look for the plastic wheel. One shop told me that they would have to remove the dash to perform the adjustment...don't know how they are going to do that but I wanted to give it a shot if anyone else here had tackled this problem before.

Sorry, I am not the member that has changed out his 4.6 for the 5.4. That sounds like a serious undertaking. I am pleased with my 4.6 for its reliability and with the mods I have, I am also pleased with the performance. It would be nice, however, if Ford would produced a comparable 4.6 in the F150 that pushing 300 HP as in the new Mustang GT. The 2005 GT appears to be a "smokin" ride.

Take care.

 

LE PEW,


I found the little black wheel threaded around the thin cable that keeps the shift indicator in place. It is not as easy to get to as one might think. First, I had to disconnect the battery cables, remove the key cylinder by turning the switch to the "run" position and putting a pinch or a small screw driver through the second small hole on the bottom steering column housing assemble to press in the release button on the key cylinder. I then removed the key cylinder, followed by the steering column housing assemble, the lower kick panel, and the plastic housing just above the steering column and dash.

I discovered that the shift indcator cable was in tack and noticed the little black plastic wheel that had a small strip of plastic above it and below. These strips of plastic appeared to serve no purpose to me at first. After playing with the cable and the shift indicator for a while, I concluded the the small plastic strips above and below the black plastic wheel apparently where connected at one point to hold the cable in place as adjustments were made by turning the wheel; because without it, you can not adjust the shift indicator at all by turning the little wheel.

I ended up using the soft metal cylinder from a skill craft ink pen, cutting it in half, and wrapping it with electrical tape around the plastic screw that the little black wheel is on, under the bottom of the little black wheel. The plastic screw that the little wheel is on is flared out at the end of it, thus allowing the ink pen cylinder or strip to remain in place to hold the adjustment. I ran through the gears a couple of the times and the shift indicator was back to normal.

Based on what I was quoted, I suppose the Ford dealer would have charged me around $200-$300 to replace the cable and the small housing that goes above and below the plastic wheel.

Sorry guys for the long post, but I tried to be detailed enough in hopes that this will help someone else with this problem. If the shift indicator cable is not broke, it is not worth paying someone, at least in my opinon, to fix this.