'98 EB Sloppy Column Shifter

[khpony]

The shifter on my expedition is real sloppy. I've been digging thru the shop manuals and can't find anything on it. Has anyone run into this before and what was the fix.
Thanks,

 

[megawatt00]

Look under the dash you will see a plate with some torx head bolts in it that the shifter connects to. Tighten them up and your shifter will be much tighter as well, they tend to loosten up over time. I can try to get a pic of what you need to tighten up tomorrow if it is of help to you.

 

[treycool94]

please do im sure it can help alot of us...

 

[khpony]

yes a photo would be helpful.

 

[Big Red Monster]

that dosent always fix it. i have the same problem and those bolts are tight as can be. you may need to replace your shift tube assembly, the bushings inside crack and that causes the slop. the part is like 45 bucks so its not to expensive....although you need to open up your steering colum to change this

 

[megawatt00]

yes a photo would be helpful.

I will get one as soon as it stops raining. I have one of the ones on my SuperDuty not to sure if it is the same exact set up though.

that dosent always fix it. i have the same problem and those bolts are tight as can be. you may need to replace your shift tube assembly, the bushings inside crack and that causes the slop. the part is like 45 bucks so its not to expensive....although you need to open up your steering colum to change this

You are correct, I would check the torx bolts first though, whereas it is a no cost fix.

 

[JTKustoms]

i used to have that problem on my 98, when it was in drive the indicator would be above "2", so everything was kinda shifted to the right.....that was back when the truck belonged to my dad so he had the dealership fix it so they just installed a new cable and that solved it

 

[DieHardBiker]

The shifter on my expedition is real sloppy. I've been digging thru the shop manuals and can't find anything on it. Has anyone run into this before and what was the fix.
Thanks,

I have the opposite problem with my '98. My shifter is real stiff. It takes some serious effort to get it to move. I crawled underneath and sprayed penetrating oil on the mechanism at the tranny and it seemed to help some.

The OD section was also broken off when I bought it, so I ordered a new one to replace it, and figured I'd check it out while I'm in there. Any thoughts?

 

[khpony]

Haven't dealt with this yet but need to now that it's getting worse. Now sometimes I have to shift it into park several times to get the starter engaged. If this is the shift column tube can someone please explan to me what I'm up against. I've not been able to find it in my orig. ford shop manuals. Thanks!

 

[khpony]

Has anyone delt with this?

 

[megawatt00]

The torx bolts are circled. Try to see if they are loose first. Sorry it took me so long to get this posted. I totally spaced it out

 

[khpony]

Thanks I'll check it this afternoon.

 

[khpony]

Thanks megawatt00 that fixed the problem. I really appreciate the photo. That did the trick.

 

[CARO'S98EB]

diehard
Ihave the same problem with the stiff shifter. I have a new cable on it and soon I am going to remove the trans range senor then the pan and shift shaft to look for the problem. I have all new parts waiting so when I drop the pan I cna fix the problem. I will post the results.

 

[megawatt00]

Thanks megawatt00 that fixed the problem. I really appreciate the photo. That did the trick.

Your more than welcome I am glad that it took care of it.!

 

[Redwood]

Same problem on mine. The two screws circled were tight. It was 2 screws further above that in the dash that were really loose. Tightened 'em up and that fixed it.... Thanks for the tip! Saved me a TON of hunting!

 

[syntaxerror]

Same problem on mine. The two screws circled were tight. It was 2 screws further above that in the dash that were really loose. Tightened 'em up and that fixed it.... Thanks for the tip! Saved me a TON of hunting!

I realize this is an old thread, but do you have any insight on where those screws are? I cant see anything from underneath other than the two circled in the picture (which are tight) but the whole assembly they bolt to seems to be a bit loose.....not sure where it attaches to as I can't seem to see the mount point from the underside.

 

[TactialMonkey]

I have the same issue but I mean I do rip on that shifter haha cant wait for this new manual just gotta keep on saving

 

[Kermit]

...

 

[FordandPolaris]

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=GFa5maYbW8I

Make sure to check these. I know they have been mentioned but they are almost always the cause. It's very possible that one has fallen completely out and is now missing. It needs to have two.

(I just copied my post from the other thread on the same issue from today)