Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums Modifications Transaxle loose shifter = install Focus tower?

Finally (finally!) had an afternoon to do this. The part numbers above are the correct replacement "clamps" for this application; I guess if your cable ends look like mine then those are the clamps for you.

I ended up cutting off the old clamp with a Dremel. There is a very small tab (visible in the second pic) about halfway down the shaft of the plastic cable end that prevents the clamp from sliding off. So right or wrong I carefully cut off the clamp and was on my way.

Below is the old and new clamp. The black piece missing from the old one necessitated the change. The orange spring assembly stays retracted until the clamp is in position on the cable, when retracted the ribs lock in to corresponding ribs on the plastic cable end.


Here we have a view of the ends and their relationship to the transaxle. This is with the drivers side wheel removed, peering through the suspension, towards the front of the vehicle. At the bottom of the pic you can see the transaxle housing, towards the top left you can see the counterweight which overhangs the shift tower. I didn't change the other clamp due to time constraints, but because the shifter is *SO* much firmer with much less slack I will be changing it soon. You can also see the plastic end of the cable is ribbed, this allows for minute adjustments to help the feel of the shifter.



This is with it all back together, note how the orange spring piece has been released and therefore clamps down on the cable end.



All in all this is max of an hour and not too bad a fix once you figure out how the bits work together.

Thanks to everyone for their help!

BigMoney,

Quote:

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On a whim I ordered the two ends, I think. These are the part numbers...
XS8Z-7412-GA
F7RZ-7412-AA

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Were these the square end ones? The upper (black) one failed on my '98 (early) SVT. It appears to have a square end for the 'threaded' part, I pressed in the spring and slid it in and out and it was definitely square. I didn't take it off. I called the dealer and gave them the above part numbers and they told me that the black one (upper) was no longer available, and I would have to order a replacement cable ($141 CDN) vs a $12 end. Just wondering if I should have them look up a later model and or Focus to see if they can still get that. For now I just pushed it back on.

Yes, those two part numbers fit the square end cables. Unfortunately I took the parts out of the bag before seeing which number refers to the black end. Sorry. I will say that putting the white one on should be easier than the black one so you might as well do both! Definitely improved the feel IMO.

Technically, the guy did go through the Focus schematics for the MTX 75 to get to the part and as I've only ordered these ~1 week ago surely they are still available.

Ordering new cables at 10x the cost of the ends was the first option thrown my way too, how odd....

BigMoney,

Do you happen to know which year Focus? Just so I can point the parts guy the right way.

Thanks.

I would imagine all years with the MTX 75 but am not sure.

How did you get the Focus clamps to fit over the nipple on the Contour shift tower? The opening in the clamp is smaller and will not go over the nipple. I tried and ended up popping the metal washer out of the Focus clamp due to the opening being smaller.

Hmm which cable end did you purchase? Does it look like the one on the left?


If so then that's a different unit than mine. It's my understanding there are several different combinations of cables, cable ends, etc etc. Read this thread and if see if you have the cables like Pete has, i.e., the cables without the large, black plastic ends.

The Focus clamps I purchased are like the one shown on the left in your photo. They fit the square cable ends on my 1999 Contour. That part works fine, but the hole that goes over the metal nipple or pin is way too small to go on. I got it on after popping the metal washer out of the new clamp and using an e-clip over the recessed part of the metal nipple to retain the clamp. I have located some nylon retaining washers that are the right size and will work better than an e-clip; they have an I.D. of 0.359" and an O.D. of .891". I put calipers on the nipple end and measured 0.39" O.D. so they should work great and do a much better job of retaining the clamp due to the larger diameter. They also make visual verification that they are still there much easier than trying to spot the e-clip from under the car. I'll let everyone know how it works after this weekend.

I think you got the wrong clamps. Sounds like you need the same ones I got (part #'s in a post above) to work correctly. I'm not sure why there are two different clamps for square end cables but they're out there. Your custom bushing thing might work but total cost for both clamps from the dealer is under $20.

The part I purchased is exactly like the one shown on the left in photo #4 above. It is the white end clamp (as shown in the photo) for the Focus SVT. The parts with the square ends for the Contour are no longer available and have been obsoleted by Ford. What pisses me off is the fact that they still offer the complete cable assembly with both cables, all 4 ends, and the bulkhead rubber fitting. Cost is over $160 US so screw that!