• Welcome to the Contour Enthusiasts Group, the best resource for the Ford Contour and Mercury Mystique.

    You can register to join the community.

1st gear grinding

97vulcan

CEG'er
Joined
May 22, 2007
Messages
456
Location
Wisconsin
Ever since I changed the cable end on the bushing, I have grinded in 1'st gear when the car was stopped, and I thought it was in gear, and let out the clutch, and it grinded. I have done this twice so far, and it really makes me mad! I never grinded in 1'st before I replaced the bushing. Has this happened to anyone else after they changed theirs? Any tips or suggestions?

Thanks,
Adam
 
Readjust your cables and cheat them a smidge towards first. Sounds like your not fully in gear even when your shifter is all the way up in first.
 
You loosen the cable end and slide it a bit. As to which way to slide it and how much, it helps to have an assistant in the driver's seat while you fiddle with the adjustment. Also re-read Reebs post as you want to push the transmission lever a little further toward 1st.
 
Well it only grinds in 1st every once in a while. Not every time. I still want to adjust the cable end, so I will have no grinding. What do you mean push the transmission lever further? Are you talking about the part under the car that the bushing is connected to? Also do I want the shifter pushed all the way into 1st when I am adjusting the cable end? Will me messing with this affect the way it shifts in other gears?

Thanks,
Adam
 
You want to get it back to where it was before the old bushing wore out. If you do, there should be no problem about the other gears.

You want the cable adjusted so that the lever that had the worn out bushing gets pushed slightly further into 1st.

Put someone in the car. Climb under and see what you have to do. I think you need to lengthen the cable, but very slightly. Make a very small correction, and then try shifting. Make sure that it still has good action through the neutral gate. If you get off very much, it will catch going through neutral on the way toward the 1-2 gate. Once it looks good to you from underneath and seems to shift OK from above. road test it and see. Repeat as needed until it feels good again.
 
Big Jim, I must be an idiot, because I can't seem to get the shifter in the right position. I have it functioning through all the gears, but its not perfect. I don't know how to get it just right. The way I have it now, when its in neutral, it doesn't take much to go into 1'st, 3rd, or 5th, but to go into 2nd, 4th or rev. I must pull the shifter all the way down. It shifts ok in all the gears, it just has to travel longer from neutral to 2,4,rev. and not as long from 1,3,5. I did notice however running the car hard through the gears, from 1st to 2nd I miss the 2nd shift, its like it doesn't go into 2nd. Is this what your talking about when u mean lined up in the neutral gate. I know this must be pretty simple, but I am missing it. Or am I?

BTW. I don't know where the shifter should've been when there was a bushing in the old cable end, because I bought the car with the missing bushing.
 
I don't know how much more I can help by posting. It sounds like the cable is adjusted too short. Try checking on your local forum to see if there is someone nearby that can help you.
 
Back
Top