Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums Modifications Transaxle Shift Cable woes

Has anyone else succesfully replaced thier shift cables?

After multiple trips to the dealer to replace the "White" shift cable clamp on my '99 SE Sport I've ended up with the early style round shaft cable assembly. I removed the old cables, but can't seem to be able to force the new cable ends up through the gap between the floor board and the engine cradle. There's a little saddle the cables are supposed to lay on but there's no way in hell those things will fit through there. HELP!!! is there something I'm not seeing, something else that needs to be removed? Any Ford mechanics out there that know the trick?

Welcome.
This thread has some interesting points.
http://www.contour.org/ubbthreads/showflat.php?Cat=&Board=tranny&Number=1114406&page=1&view=collapsed&sb=5&o=31&fpart=1

If you can't make the 98 cables work, Bill Jenkins told me that the replacement cables as sold new from Ford are only about $80.00. I understand that they are actually Cougar cables, buy most nearly like your original 99 cables. I understand that the 98 cables are larger.

...on fitting.Feed the cable ends thru the floor hole
one at a time,stagger them....then they go thru.Once
thru go under the car and zip tie the two cables
together...then feed over the steering rack guide...a
helper inside the car can feed them thru the hole as
you(under the car) guide them over the rack guide and
towards the bracket....;)

Hey guys, thanks for the info! I think I got a set of cougar cables, the parts guys mentioned that the replacement part # showed up as a Cougar piece. They claim this is the only part still available to fix my prob., they did have the black clip still in stock but not the white for an early '99 car like mine. I understand what you're saying about feeding the cables, but they just don't fit. I'm tearing the tar mat off the firewall trying to FORCE these cable ends through that gap over the rack. I'll try it again with someone on the other end of the cables. Of course its snowing now in MD and I have to do this job in the street.... blah
PS-If nothing else I'll take a blunt object and a short sledge and put a dent in the floor to 'make' room.

Todras Is Correct...Definitely A Two Person Job And A PITA As Well! Like He Said Stagger Them When Feeding Them Through The Floor. If I Remember Right I Had To Remove Some Of The Aluminum Under Body Paneling ( Above The Y-Pipe) To Feed The Cables Through Without Tearing Them Up. Obviously You Have To Feed Them From The Inside Of The Car To The Engine Bay Due To The Grommet That Is Attached To The Cables.Make Sure That You Keep The Overall Shape Of The Cables As You Pass Them Through The Floor (I.E., Dont Twist Them As This Will Make You Swear And Throw Things Later On. You Will Find That Above Your Knock Sensor There Is A Bracket That Looks Like The Mcdonalds Arches..New School, Not Old School Single Arch. It Is Black. If You Look At The Cables Lock Mechanisms...Black Barrel Shaped Pieces Of POO, They Mysteriously Want To Slide Onto The Double Arches. That's Because They Go There. However While Sliding Them Onto The Arches, You Must Twist The Ends Of The Black Barrels To Release The Catch In Order To Get Them To Slide Onto The Double Arches. You Will Notice That There Are Some Black Barrels On The Inside Of The Car As Well That Will Need A Home Much Like Those Above Your Knock Sensor. These Work In The Same Fashion. In Order To Get These TO Stay Put On The Bracket, You Must Twist The Ends. Once You Have Your Cables On You Can Pop The Ends Onto The Shift Tower And Shifter Assembly. I Highly Reccomend Using E-Clips Where Necessary To Hold Your Fine New Cables In Place On The "Nipples" Of Said Shift Tower And Shifter Assembly. The Small Orange Plastic Inserts Are Highly Important!!!! You Will See These At The Ends Of The Shifter Cables. These Are Your Left/Right Forward/Aft Adjustment Tabs. I Believe The Newer Cougar Cables Dont Have Spring Loaded Orange Clips So You DONT Want To Push These Clips In BEFORE You Run Your Cables As This Will Make Things More Difficult To Adjust. (you Would Have To Pry These Up With Very Little Room Once The Cables Are Run.In Order To Adjust You Will Need Two People. One In The Car And One Under To Adjust Your Manual Tranny Shift Pattern Back To Normal. You Will Immediately Notice That Your Shifter Is Way Out Of Wack Compared To What Is Normal. As Drunken Friend Is In THe Vehicle, Have Him Find The Neutral Position On The Gearbox. Make A Baseline Row OF The Gears To See If You Have It Remotely Close Or Not. In Order To Adjust Pattern You Must Lift The Orange Clips (More Like PRY) To Allow Movement Of Your Cable. Your Incoherent Friend Will Say Something Like "You Must Have Broke It Because Its All Mushy Feeling" Or Something To The Like. He Will Now Be Able To Move More Freely Either Forward/Aft Or Left Right. You Need To Have Both Orange Tabs "Lifted" In Order To Make This Easier On Your Self. As You Push The Orange Tabs Back In SLOWLY One Small Click At A Time, You Can Dial In The Correct Amount Of Movement To Get Your Pattern Correct Again. Hope This Helps.

TODRAS???? Who The Hell Is That??!!

No f-ing way I'm reading that. For the eleven-billionth time, learn to type!