When the vehicle is off and the shifter is in one of the gear positions (aka not neutral) I can wiggle the shifter side-to-side a lot. Also, when driving, it's kind of difficult to find the proper position to move the shifter into. The last time I drove a manual trans F150 it was a '97 and didn't feel like this. Is my trans going to go kablooey or are there some simple adjustments I can make?

 

You can remove the boot plate inside the cab and see if the bolt has come loose , this might be a shimed bolt ' wiggle it around a take a peek if it is loose give it a tightining.

 

My ranger did this. The transmission was fine, the rubber between the shifter shaft (the long piece you grab onto) and the metal nub going into the transmission was worn out. I got an entire new shaft at the dealer. It came with a **** and everything felt like new.

Good luck.

 

My brother had the same problem but he went to a tranny shop and bought a pin kit for his 91 after the shifter came off of his hand. It had been in the same general situation. Ford wants to sell you the whole top end of the tranny assembly for like 300 or 400 bucks pins were like 20 bucks. Just like new.

WV

 

Is the part really called a pin kit?

I pulled the shift lever out and the bolt+nut are tight.

rutherk1 - Does the F150 have that same rubber piece?

 

Its definately the pin. My 87 did the same thing, but I lived with it. Someone suggested antisieze, but I didnt try it.

 

which part exactly is the "pin"?

 

Pull the 4 screws inside the cab around the shifter and pull the rubber boot up so it "inside out". Where the shifter meeets the transmission there will be 3 torx screws, pull them. Lift the shifter straight out (remember what gear its in or if its in neutral). You'll see a ball like object a couple inces up from the end of shifter with a notch in both sides, the pins are on the top part of the transmission, corresponding with the notch locations. They both should be flush or a bit in from the outside housing.
Hope that helps.

 

If they are currently flush with the outside (IIRC, they are) should I move them in a little bit?

 

Try lightly tapping them in. Is'nt much swing room anyways to really beat them. Put it back together and see if it helps and go from there. Only one of mine worked out about 1/8 of an inch and there was close to 6 inches of play when it was in gear. I tapped it in and it was fixed for about 2 days. Truck was dieing fast so I drove it for another 6-7 months and retired it.

 

The left pin was out a bit (IIRC, more than a 1/8") so I tapped it in and it took up some of the play. I'm going to see if I can find a replacement pin or find a brass sleeve to put over it to help take up the slack.

I imagine I should knock the pins back out, clean them up and knock them back in after scuffing the surfaces and use a little loc-tite.

Thanks for the tip, Mikey9

 

Update, with the shifter assembly fully assembled I realized I could pull it vertically about 1/8 to 1/4 inch. *doh* What part keeps the shifter "down" and in place? (aka what should I be looking for when I disassemble this thing again)

thanks

 

Assuming the TRANS code on your door sticker is "M":

 

Steve,

For those parts drawn directly below #59, are they common parts that can be found in an auto store or am I going to have to go to a bunch of salvage yards?

 

I doubt you'll find them anywhere, other than inside another transmission, or from an online trans parts supplier. You should try local parts stores first, though.

I've never messed with a Mazda trans, so I'm just guessing.