First off, didn't this forum used to have a Windstar section?

Anyways, the kid was driving the Windstar, and somehow got it stuck in what appears to be 2nd gear. I could get the shifter to shift down into first, but not go up past second. After digging into it, the problem is rooted at the transmission. So any cable issues is out of the question. My thought is he was backing up too fast and jammed, yes jammed it down into gear. I can't think of any other way that this would happen under normal use, but something is definitely jammed up inside.

Now before I give up on this, is there anything I can do or look at that might remedy this issue? Any external adjustments? I have tried hammering on the shift lever to get it to move, and trust me, its jammed up pretty good.

 

There is an external adjustment on the cable, but since you have eliminated the cable as a possibility, that's not going to fix it.

Try removing the TRS (Transmission Range Sensor) that's just below the shift lever. I've seen them freeze and keep the lever from moving.

If that doesn't fix it, things get a lot harder. You'll need to remove the side pan to find out what's wrong inside. To remove the side pan you need to support the engine and trans. Then you remove the transmission mounts, and then the pan comes off. It's a lot harder than it sounds.

 

Yep, I removed the range sensor, still nothing. Even put the lever back on and tried tapping it with a hammer. Didn't budge. At this point its above my level. The kid has been driving this vehicle and I have had it with fixing it because of his abuse. And I am not talking about regular maintenance either. My guess is he may have been backing up at a good rate of speed and slammed it down into gear really fast while it was still rolling.

Thanks for your response!

 

I dont think the kid could have done that by using the shifter or by pulling it into drive when rolling backwards.

It does appear to be a linkage problem. Look at the bottom pan maybe it has a big dent in it and that is stopping the linkage from moving. You can remove the bottom and and check the linkage arm that engages park maybe the problem is there. The other parts of the linkage is located in the side pan, it's not fun to remove that pan in the vehicle.


The park linkage is highlighted in yellow, have someone move the linkage as you watch it to make sure it is moving freely.