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Shifter Play/Now can't get into any gear

well they said that it would be a lot cheaper if they are able to get it out from the top so i'm hoping the end price comes out somwhere below $600.As far as mechanically inclined or not,i'm only 19 and have only been working on my car(i.e. routine mateince,plugs wires waterpumps) for a couple of years.So i'm still gathering all the tools and knowledge to work on my car.
 
TRicker said:
my bolt didnt even break, it came out, and fell into the bottom. i just put it back in with locktite and a lockwasher. my car was in 4th when this happenned. you will know if that is even your problem by moving the shifter. you will not be able to define what gear is what, it'll just flop all around. if it is stuck in a gear, you could have a shift fork that is frozen up, or the shift tower bolt did fall out and it got wedged somewhere.
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You were lucky!
 
where is this shift tower? looking at the pics i cant make out the location. looking at the pics i wanna change that bolt like now!
 
I'm in the same E X A C T situations. car is stuck in 2nd gear. Ordered the bolt today from ford. and paid an extra $6 to have it over-nighted. from Detroit to Phoenix. hopefully it gets here tomorrow. gonna open that bad boy up, and hopefully be able to coax it out. then fish out the piece(s) and slide the new bolt in..... This of course is if everything goes as planned. probably wont tho, so if it gets to a point where i'm stuck. I'll just take it to a shop and instruct them on the rest and let them finish it :blackeye:
 
Guys, I just pulled my shift tower today, same problem same situation, except for mine was stuck in reverse, I'm half done, my new bolt won't be in till tuesday morning, so tuesday night I should be finishing, I have step by step pics if you need them, I just got back like 2 hours ago, and haven't uploaded them yet, but I can make them priority one if anyone needs them, I'll have a how-to up after I finish completely!
 
After reading all of this about the shift tower bolt, I'm starting to get a little nervous.

Friday leaving work, I noticed my shifter was 'loose' in every position, neutral and every gear. There is a lot more slop in the shifter than there ever was before, and the change was drastic and all at once. It will shift fine and I made the 15 mile trip home without incident, but now I'm nervous. I haven't driven it since.

So, did I shear my shift tower bolt like the rest of you?
 
miller542 said:
After reading all of this about the shift tower bolt, I'm starting to get a little nervous.

Friday leaving work, I noticed my shifter was 'loose' in every position, neutral and every gear. There is a lot more slop in the shifter than there ever was before, and the change was drastic and all at once. It will shift fine and I made the 15 mile trip home without incident, but now I'm nervous. I haven't driven it since.

So, did I shear my shift tower bolt like the rest of you?
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Double check your linkage and make sure it's still good and not sliding.... Make sure the sheathing around the cable is secure... and that it's not sliding...

Otherwise... when I get done putting my car back together... I'll post a how-to on doing the shift tower pull an reinstall... probably won't have it ready till the weekend...
 
So I pulled off the boot around the shifter and found what I think was the source of the play/sloppiness.

There are two torx screws that hold the silver shifter housing to the black shifter mounting bracket on the floor of the car. These two screws were loose and allowed the entire shifter to move around, which explains why it was sloppy in every gear, as well as neutral. A quick trip to the toolbox and things were back in order. Total time for repair: 2 minutes.

I really hope there isn't anything more wrong with my trans. Eventually I would like to have a complete TH rebuild, keyed shift tower, revised shift forks, LSD, the full nine, but I want to be able to do it on my terms, and those don't include being towed by AAA.
 
miller542 said:
So I pulled off the boot around the shifter and found what I think was the source of the play/sloppiness.

There are two torx screws that hold the silver shifter housing to the black shifter mounting bracket on the floor of the car. These two screws were loose and allowed the entire shifter to move around, which explains why it was sloppy in every gear, as well as neutral. A quick trip to the toolbox and things were back in order. Total time for repair: 2 minutes.

I really hope there isn't anything more wrong with my trans. Eventually I would like to have a complete TH rebuild, keyed shift tower, revised shift forks, LSD, the full nine, but I want to be able to do it on my terms, and those don't include being towed by AAA.
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Wow.... now I feel like a total idiot..... lol

As for the tranny rebuild... I totally agree... I'd like to do that some day as well.... I want to do that whole build.... forks, parts, the whole 9, just like you said...

As for when my tranny failed.. luckily, I have friends an family who are usually available for help when I need it. When my tranny got stuck in gear on thursday.... my cousin (who is also my roommate) gave me a ride home to my home town. One of my dad's friends has a car dolly which we borrowed and brought back to mad town, picked my car up from my apartment, and took to my Uncles... Which is where it now resides until tuesday when the part comes in, so hopefully tuesday night, I will have my tranny fixed up!

One day I'd like to get a little ranger with a tow package and a dolly, that way if I ever had problems with my Contour, I could haul it and have a second mode of transportation...
 
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CSVT_2004 said:
Guys, I just pulled my shift tower today, same problem same situation, except for mine was stuck in reverse, I'm half done, my new bolt won't be in till tuesday morning, so tuesday night I should be finishing, I have step by step pics if you need them, I just got back like 2 hours ago, and haven't uploaded them yet, but I can make them priority one if anyone needs them, I'll have a how-to up after I finish completely!
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Hey, I don't remember a "Thank you" for those instructions I sent you......
 
allstyle12 said:
Hey, I don't remember a "Thank you" for those instructions I sent you......
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Thanks man!!! they really did help... I'll have how-to hopefully up soon... Order some royal purple.. should be in tomorrow, and my part to fix the shift tower will be in tomorrow as well.. so tomorrow night should be up and running again! Cross your fingers!
 
CSVT_2004 said:
Thanks man!!! they really did help... I'll have how-to hopefully up soon... Order some royal purple.. should be in tomorrow, and my part to fix the shift tower will be in tomorrow as well.. so tomorrow night should be up and running again! Cross your fingers!
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You are welcome :) My fingers are crossed for ya. Good luck.
 
azbobbybooshay10 said:
Here's what happens if you don't get all the pieces out:

ProjectF13_2.jpg


And my Royal Purple Synchromax undercoating:
ProjectF13_1.jpg


Miraculously I was able to drive probably 30 or more miles after this happened. I didn't realize what had happened at first (I thought a tool had been accidentaly left in the engine bay and fell out). The last 5 miles or so had me on pins and needles though, I was just limping home...
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Did your gears get messed up, the teeth that is?
 
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