I have a 2002 F250 4x4 with the powerstroke and an auto.
The problem that I am having is that when I go to put it into gear (any), the column shifter does not engage well. Many times I have to let it "settle" into "D" and then pull down on the shifter to get it to engage. Sames goes for "R" only I have to wiggle the shifter to get it to engage.
Today, parking my 5th wheel, I put it in "P" and let my foot off the brake and it rolled making the clicking sound!! I know the parking pin had not engaged, but I think it stems back to the shifter itself, or linkage, not the tranny.

Is this a common problem?
What is the fix for this?

Thanks in advance,
Eric

 

Yes, it's common. There are two bolts that can loosen and cause this to happen.

Crawl under the dash on the driver's side. With you head on the floor look up the steering column. There are two Torx head bolts that work loose. They mount the shift tube to the steering column. Tighten them and it should work fine again.

 

Bingo!
THANK YOU MARK!! That was the problem.
It has been getting worse over the last few months, probably aggrevated by the constant F to R shifting while plowing snow.
Next time you are in the Grand Haven Michigan area, I owe you a beer. Is it safe to assume that you worked in the Detoit area before heading south?

If anyone else has this problem, it is an easy fix just as Mark stated. Use a T-27 socket on a standard ratchet. No extension or U-joint needed, you can access both bolts. They hold on a bracket at the end of the shift tube. The bracket is connected to a cable that goes down to the trans tunnel.
When I fisrt found it, I thought it wasn't the problem as the bolts appeared to be tight, but I got over a complete turn on both. Now my shifter is nice and tight again, and P means Park, D mens Drive, and R means Reverse, etc.

This happened to me over many months, and started as a minor agravation and continued to get worse until it wouldn't go into Park! With about 10,000# of 5th wheel and a F 250 rolling on it's own, turned into something really scary.

Eric

 

Yes, I lived and worked in the Detroit area until 2009.

 

Just got home from vaca and saw this post...Mark beat me to the answer. I almost lost my truck at a boat ramp last year due to the same issue.

 

Had the same issue with my old work van.

 

Genius! 2 minutes of contorsionism and now I can find D again.
Nice fix :-)

 

Fixed mine this winter. What a pia plowing..