When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
I traced a lot of shift lever looseness to the rod that moves in the hollow shaft. The hollow shaft itself could use some new split bushings. The blue guide is cracked but I don’t think it did more than prevent noise on its best day. Is there a bushing that goes in the exposed end (yellow arrow in first picture) or the slot (yellow arrow in second picture)? Am I missing something else causing the looseness?
The flanges holding the shift lever to the shift tube have slightly spread apart from years of use---no real way to prevent it. Its annoying in a way as it feels as though something it about to break. The blue bushing acts as a washer and noise damping feature but replacing it won't solve that floppy shift lever issue. You might try removing the shift lever, GENTLY squeezing the flanges together to close up the gap ever so slightly. I don't know I'd do that over buying a new shift tube from Ford.
The yellow arrow needs to be open because the inner rod the shift lever retracts needs to be free to move. If you drop the column and check the shift detent bracket you might find it worn enough to add to the slop I'm sure you're feeling. When I swapped out my column in a 2000 E-250 for one with the tilt wheel feature I replaced a few parts relating to the shift tube and its operation but still have a bit more slop than I like but its not excessive or dangerous.
Here's a link to a few photos of my column, their're not organized in any particular order but perhaps they'll be useful anyway: https://imgur.com/a/vvR9AaB?grid
If any of this needs further explanation don't hesitate to ask.
I cut up a soda can and slipped two shims in three spots between the shift tube and shift rod. Helped some. Then I slipped a couple of shims around the bottom spur of the shift lever which helped more. Lateral gate motion might ratchet the rod shims out of place and the open bottom of the rod and tube opposite the lever might allow the lever shims to slip through. For now, it feels better with the (peceived?) benefit that the key switch is less sloppy and stops where it has to to let the key come out. Used to have to jiggle it free. I might replace the plastic steering tube bushings so it feels that much more solid.
The two bolts that take a T-30 bit are tightly in place. Good thing because I can’t get a tool on the bolts with the steering angle tone ring in the way.
I mentioned how replacing the shift lever detent fitting at the lower end helps quite a bit too with shift lever looseness. I worked great when I swapped a column with tilt wheel for the original which did not have that feature. Since the new column was already out access to all the movable parts subject to wear and sloppy feeling shifts--made a world of difference.
Thanks. What’s the part number for those plastic bushings? Though what I was after was reducing the slop between the tube and the rod that twists and slides inside the tube. More slop there than between the tube and steering column. There’s also slop between the end of the lever and the slot in the rod. Let’s see how long the shims last. Although key action is better, sometimes I get the seatbelt warning in park. Either I inadvertently nudged the trip switch or more likely the shims misaligned the shifter and the trip switch.
