Catfish is a '96 4wd extended doggie RV, with 175k. It has developed transmission selector problems in the last few weeks.

The shift selector stops seem to be going soft. It's not to bad going from P to OD, but I have to fiddle with the lever almost everytime I put it into reverse. Particularly harrowing when trying to do a quick turn around in traffic.

Hope ya'll can tell me what's going on here and what I need to do to fix it.

 

Last time my van did it, it was the shift cable. It lasted me about two days between that and the time it broke completely. Junkyard one costs $10 as opposed to a new one that costs upward of $100.

 

I had mine fixed at my local tranny shop for about $120. There is a little bit that I'm not sure what it looks like, but apparently the little screw that hold it in place comes loose. It just needs to be retightened and some locktite applied unless something has actually been damaged.

I'm sure some guys here can pitch in more details than I can, since I haven't actually performed this repair.

 

(click on image for larger)


The shifter tube breaks. It's so common that, around here, there are none in the JYs.

The screws that retain the steel arm to the lower end of that shift tube (all the way on the left, in the pic above) come loose. Sometimes you can remove them and locktite, reinstall them, but often the threads are shot in the aluminum.

You can get to those screws without a huge amount of work, so you may as well look at those first.

 

Hallelujah

The little screws were loose on the lower selector lever. The picture really helped! With a light, my wife's makeup mirror, and the right size torx, it is fixed! Challenging for a dyslexic, but now I know there is a Dog.

 

Hallelujah

The little screws were loose on the lower selector lever. The picture really helped! With a light, my wife's makeup mirror, and the right size torx, it is fixed! Challenging for a dyslexic, but now I know there is a Dog.

 

Helps to lube up the cable arm where it goes into the transmission housing under the vehicle from the driver side. Also give the shift arm a second to click into position rather than force it!

Aeroman.

 

Update: Dorman now makes a replacement shift tube kit, their No. 905-100, and it comes with the plastic bushings. It's around $30. Fits Aerostar, trucks, vans, other Ford cars too.



I've updated that broken tube picture to point out the screws that come loose. Anybody recall the Torx size?

 

I think they were T3 or T4 in my 1992.

 

I would think about T30.

My Norelco razor uses T7 -- pretty small.

 

funny, I just looked at my torx bits and they are are marked T3 (T30) and T4 (T40) and so on.

UPDATE: I saw and bought an excellent condition 1997 extended last night. Refrigerator White with gold trim, sure it has a few bugs to fix but it is the best example I've seen in 3 months of searching. Also the rocker panel "splines" are not bent/damaged, as straight from the factory as they came, this has got to be a miracle of nature, every Aerostar I've seen has the damaged rocker panels, in some the damage is all the way up to the body panels. No rust whatsoever. I'm one lucky boy!

 

If you end up buying, to prevent any rust from getting started, take it to a paint shop, have them remove the rubber plugs on the backside of the rocker panels, and spray a rus inhibitor inside. You can also have them drill in some drainage hole along the bottom of the rocker panel before they spray it. This will help ensure that the excellent condition rocker panels stay that way.

 

the rocker panels are indeed perfect, this van has not been raised by placing the jack or lift arms on the rocker panel "lips" or "splines", a miracle of nature! Every Aerostar I've seen has damaged rocker panels so I passed on them. This one is the exception.

No rust anywhere other than normal surface rust on exhaust parts and bracketry bolts, but I will take your advice about rust proofing the area. The van I bought was sold in Florida and has had two owners since new, I am the third. It came with the original owner's purchase papers, with all the Factory Manuals, Florda Lemon Law Booklet, Key Code Tag, and Dealer Stock NumberTag.

funny, the second owner never noticed there is a shelf under the passenger seat, looks undisturbed, untouched. All the papers and manuals were in there. I had asked him if he had the Owner's Manual and he said he didn't, but they were in the van. I'm a lucky boy!

found a used set of aluminum running boards from a wrecked Eddie Bauer, I'm installing them today assuming all the hardware is there. The van has the '97 factory hubcaps, I'm thinking of leaving it as is and going to 15" wheels and tires later when I gather all the info. so the speedo isn't affected.