I'm trying to remove my t.case ('97 F-250HD, 44-07 t.case, E4OD trans) and I'm not sure how to disconnect the shift linkage. Here's a picture of the linkage.


It looks like there's a plastic or rubber piece (the yellow arrow) that was slid over a pin on the shift arm (the green arrow), and then the shift link (the red arrow) was snapped over the plastic piece.

It looks like the only way to disconnect the link is to pull / pry it off the plastic piece. I'm pretty sure if I do that I'll wreck the plastic piece. I have pryed it fairly hard without popping it off, and I don't want to pull any harder until I have a better idea of what I'm doing.

 

A pair of channel locks.

Grab the backside of the linkage with one jaw and push on the pin with the other jaw. USE LUBE!! the plastic bushing SHOULD stay on the pin

 

Thanks Brad. It didn't go quite according to Hoyle, but I did get it off. In case anyone sees this later and wants to know how it turned out...

I couldn't get at the t.case end of the linkage with a channel lock, but getting the other end (at the shift lever) would work too, and I was able to get at that end. The 12" channel lock didn't give me enough force to get that end off, but it did shift it out far enough for me to get a 10" vice grip on it. That popped it loose, but the plastic piece came off with the link rather than staying on the pin. No problem as it popped back over the pin fine when I needed to reinstall it. So all's good.

 

I appreciate it, I am down stairs in a moment to give this a try.

 

can you buy the plastic piece at the dealer?

 

You can get replacement bushings at any FLAPS, or Ford still, AFAIK.