I have a 2000 F250 and am having trouble getting the truck in all gears. So the story goes: I had a lot of play in my shifter lever and I took the steering column covers off. I noticed the plastic bushing fell out of the bracket of the shift tube. I dropped the steering column and put the bushing back in place. After putting everything back together, I am having trouble getting the truck in any gear. The shifter is nice and tight now but seems like I have to play with it to eventually get it into gear, sometimes it just works. Is there some switch/sensor maybe that tells the truck to engage the transmission and now not being engaged? or do I just need to readjust the shifter cable?
Thanks in advance for any suggestions.

 

Split the dictionary...Disconnect the cable at the trans and actuate the shifter. If its still hard then its likely the cable or something up stream towards the column. If its smooth then its the lever in the trans. This will require you to drop the pan and look at the detent mechanism or valve body.

 

I should reword. The truck won't engage in any gears. I have to wiggle it and eventually it will engage. Besides in park all the other gears act like it is in neutral and the truck will roll until it eventually engages. The shifter is smooth. Would the shift lock actuator cause this?

 

Doubtful...But Im not familiar with a 2000. How many miles on your 16 year old rig? Has the trans ever been serviced? Hows the fluid level? Hows the fluid look and smell? Pink and smells like oil or brown and burnt smelling?
Time to take it in for a diagnostic check up. Have the stored and present codes read if there is any. Have the main line pressures read too. Sounds like a classic case of a worn out pump or frictions, i.e. worn out trans? Drop the pan and look. Dirty with a ton of mud at the bottom= rebuild time. The line pressures will tell you if its healthy or not.

 

Thanks for the replies and your time. Yes I did have it serviced because I thought I was having torque converter issues that ended up being the coil over plugs. My fluid is clear and doesn't smell burnt. I was fixing the play that was in the shifter and noticed the bushing came out of the shift rail. The problem started right after I put the steering column back together. Anyhow, it may have remedied itself. It was still acting up yesterday morning but after driving home from work and driving to work today, I didn't have any issues.

 

Glad to try to help. FYI you might want to include this key evidence in your next trouble posting. It helps us seasoned trouble shooters to zero in if we know the whole picture. It will save you time and money in the long run.