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help..stuck with no 1st gear

M

mineralrob

CEG'er
Joined
Jul 1, 2008
Messages
104
Location
pittsburgh pa
Ok I pull into my house..I goto put it into 1st and there's nothing there..shifter became extremely loose and it feels like I only have 3rd and maybe 4th..I've read a couple of things about cables becoming deattached etc..I guess ill have to get it towed in the am but any help or what to look for would be great ):
 
The shift cable most likely popped off of the tranny. You can fix it yourself temporarily by just turning the wheel all the way over and reach into the drivers side wheel well. You should see the cable hanging off of the shift tower.

What is most likely missing is the rubber bushing that locks it on there. You'll need to buy a replacement end to get a bushing or have to rig up something yourself.
 
If it's the cable end, they won't be able to find one new. It was only available from Ford and it's been discontinued. You'll have to find a used end from someone on here or at the junkyard. I keep spares at home for this reason. :laugh:
 
Another possibility is the bottom ball on the shifter where the cable attaches snapped at the weld, fairly common for aftermarket shifters on our cars. It happened to my B&M, switched back to a stock one and haven't had a problem since. I wouldn't take it to a mechanic just yet, just pop off the shifter boot and see what happened. Changing shifters is a very easy job on these cars.

If it's the cables you should be able to see where they attached at the trans too, just take the intake off.
 
YOOOO said:
Another possibility is the bottom ball on the shifter where the cable attaches snapped at the weld, fairly common for aftermarket shifters on our cars. It happened to my B&M, switched back to a stock one and haven't had a problem since. I wouldn't take it to a mechanic just yet, just pop off the shifter boot and see what happened. Changing shifters is a very easy job on these cars.

If it's the cables you should be able to see where they attached at the trans too, just take the intake off.
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Yea i wish i had the time to mess with it but i work 2 jobs and really dont have alot of time at the moment. The place i took it to is pretty reputable so hopefully everything will turn out ok.
 
Oh I understand, good luck. Whether it's the cables or the shifter it shouln't be a bad job. Changing cables is a pain in the ass because it's just a tight space, otherwise it's a very straightforward job....new OEM cables from Ford ran me around $110.
 
CSVT1214 said:
If it's the cable end, they won't be able to find one new. It was only available from Ford and it's been discontinued. You'll have to find a used end from someone on here or at the junkyard. I keep spares at home for this reason. :laugh:
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I bought a brand new older style white cable end from Teamfordparts.com in May, the black ones were no longer available but I was able to get the white one. Just a thought in case you end up needing the bushing. I pulled the bushing out of the new end and used it, piece of cake.
 
Good to know. I actuallly forgot that I had looked up the white cable end earlier this year and saw it was still available from some dealers. It's discontinued but there were still plenty out there.
 
tranny place just called. It was the cable.. They were able to get a brand new from the local ford dealership. It should be done in a couple of days
 
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