My truck won't go into park?

[Angelboy863 21]

Hey guys. I have a project truck that won't go into park.

I have a 1995 Ford F150 Flareside XLT 5.0L

It's 2 wheel drive.

I'm having a problem with it going into park, it doesn't go into park. When I shift gears to park, it's in reverse, and I can't go any further. I have to keep it on neutral or reverse and have the parking brake on whenever I park the car. What could be the problem? Something with steering column? Tranny? Must I go under the truck and look at some things? Any help from you guys would be appreciated. Especially you automotive guys. Thanks in advance.

[Angelboy863 21]

*and I'm trying to see what I can do before going into a shop.

[Tirefryr 1,742]

It's the linkage itself or the more than likely, the shift cable leading from the lever to the linkage. It's probably broken from the plastic underneath the dash and has stretched.

[shizzzon 461]

http://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/930653-truck-wont-go-into-park-help.html

[Tirefryr 1,742]

Check these screws also.

[Angelboy863 21]

Thanks guys. I found out my problem. My shift cable is bad and needs to be replaced. Tirefryr you were spot on because it looks badly stretched. Will be looking to buying new one.

[Tirefryr 1,742]

Call Tousley Ford parts in White Bear Lake, MN. They will be the cheapest place, even with shipping. It will be a dealer-sourced part only. Of course, Rock Auto may have a Dorman part.

[Angelboy863 21]

Call Tousley Ford parts in White Bear Lake, MN. They will be the cheapest place, even with shipping. It will be a dealer-sourced part only. Of course, Rock Auto may have a Dorman part.

Alright I'll check them out. I was going to call autozone, scratch that lol.

[Tirefryr 1,742]

You won't find it at a local parts store. I've replaced a couple of them and could only find them at the dealer. It may be an obsolete part by now, so check Rock Auto also as they will have a replacement if the OEM is no longer made. There are millions of those trucks on the road and this is a fairly common problem as they age.

[Angelboy863 21]

You won't find it at a local parts store. I've replaced a couple of them and could only find them at the dealer. It may be an obsolete part by now, so check Rock Auto also as they will have a replacement if the OEM is no longer made. There are millions of those trucks on the road and this is a fairly common problem as they age.

True. I called advanced auto and they said they would have to get it from the dealer. I might go with them since it's a 5 minute drive and about $60.

[Tirefryr 1,742]

That's a pretty good price. IIRC I paid around the same price and that was 3 years ago.

[Angelboy863 21]

Awesome. Well thanks for your help man. Really appreciate it.

[djjdnap 78]

actually i think orielly has them...

I know they carry e-brake cables and hood latches, so shifter should be there too.

[Angelboy863 21]

So here's an update on the fix and we're still having problems..

We bought the new shifter cable and when we took the old one out, it still seemed to be ok but we replaced it anyway. After the install, the truck still won't go into park! Now we noticed the gear shifter was very loose so we opened up the steering column to take a look. It was in fact very loose and most of it's supports were broken. We installed new supports so the shifter is now less loose. Another bad thing that happened was that the new shifter cable somehow broke.. We have no warranty. So we installed the old shifter cable because it looked about as good as the new one. Did all that butthe truck still won't go into park... Pretty upsetting really.

Any thoughts? This weekend project has dragged for over a month and we still cannot get it into park.

Example, no matter how high we pull the gear shifter, it won't park, the truck will continue as if in drive.

Thanks in advance.

[///M5 2,833]

Call Tousley Ford parts in White Bear Lake, MN. They will be the cheapest place, even with shipping.

Funny because their car lot is full of overpriced cars and they don't negotiate nice.

[Tirefryr 1,742]

So here's an update on the fix and we're still having problems..

We bought the new shifter cable and when we took the old one out, it still seemed to be ok but we replaced it anyway. After the install, the truck still won't go into park! Now we noticed the gear shifter was very loose so we opened up the steering column to take a look. It was in fact very loose and most of it's supports were broken. We installed new supports so the shifter is now less loose. Another bad thing that happened was that the new shifter cable somehow broke.. We have no warranty. So we installed the old shifter cable because it looked about as good as the new one. Did all that butthe truck still won't go into park... Pretty upsetting really.

Any thoughts? This weekend project has dragged for over a month and we still cannot get it into park.

Example, no matter how high we pull the gear shifter, it won't park, the truck will continue as if in drive.

Thanks in advance.

With the cable disconnected, get under there and try to remove the linkage by hand. Tell If you can't move it by hand, there is a problem with the transmission. There is also a lock in the ignition which could also be causing the issue. How did you get a new cab;e with no warranty? If it's bad from the get go, take it back, get a new one.

[Tirefryr 1,742]

Call Tousley Ford parts in White Bear Lake, MN. They will be the cheapest place, even with shipping.

Funny because their car lot is full of overpriced cars and they don't negotiate nice.

Never had to deal with sales, just parts and they've been awesome to the Mustang/Taurus/T-bird/Explorer communities I've been on.

[Angelboy863 21]

So here's an update on the fix and we're still having problems..

We bought the new shifter cable and when we took the old one out, it still seemed to be ok but we replaced it anyway. After the install, the truck still won't go into park! Now we noticed the gear shifter was very loose so we opened up the steering column to take a look. It was in fact very loose and most of it's supports were broken. We installed new supports so the shifter is now less loose. Another bad thing that happened was that the new shifter cable somehow broke.. We have no warranty. So we installed the old shifter cable because it looked about as good as the new one. Did all that butthe truck still won't go into park... Pretty upsetting really.

Any thoughts? This weekend project has dragged for over a month and we still cannot get it into park.

Example, no matter how high we pull the gear shifter, it won't park, the truck will continue as if in drive.

Thanks in advance.

With the cable disconnected, get under there and try to remove the linkage by hand. Tell If you can't move it by hand, there is a problem with the transmission. There is also a lock in the ignition which could also be causing the issue. How did you get a new cab;e with no warranty? If it's bad from the get go, take it back, get a new one.

We can get the truck into gear by hand with the cable disconnected so it's not the transmission. Idk what you mean by a lock on the ignition that might be causing the problem? And idk they asked if I wanted the advanced auto extended warranty for like an extra $8 I said no. Idk if they can replace the new cable? I haven't taken it back yet, it's been raining these past couple of days. All in all we are trying to sell the truck but want to get that issue fixed before selling. Might sell as is.

Edited August 13, 2011 by Angelboy863

[Tirefryr 1,742]

It should have a 90day to one year warranty. Take it back. When you turn the ignition, there are some rods that move which allow you to move the shift lever. These could be the culprit also. It's a safety feature so you can't shift the vehicle without the keys and the ignition on.

[Angelboy863 21]

We returned it and we are getting a new one shipped to the store sometime next week. Hopefully putting in the new cable will make the difference, if not, I'm going to be really sad lol.

[Tirefryr 1,742]

Does your shifter move freely in the column with the cable disconnected?

[Angelboy863 21]

it's the same as if the cable is connected.

Edited August 18, 2011 by Angelboy863

[Tirefryr 1,742]

Then the problem is in your column and/or ignition.

[Angelboy863 21]

So we installed the new transshift cable and the truck finally was able to get into park! But few seconds later, my dad managed to break the cable again? Why does this keep happening? All he did was change gears and from there he could tell the cable was broken. We took a look and indeed it was.. Could this be because of cheap manufacturing? Is the cable poorly built? User error? Why for the second time did the cable break when changing gears? Very frustrating really.. Especially since we had the truck in park.

[Tirefryr 1,742]

Perhaps you are getting the wrong cable.