Hello,

Infrequently, I have been having some troubles starting my 2001 4.0L Ranger XLT with Auto Transmission, related to the position of the gear selector lever. In the rare event that the truck would not start, I would jiggle the gear selector lever and then I could get the truck to turn over. This has gone on three or four times over several weeks, as I had no time to address it.

Two days ago, I hit a very bad pothole. After hitting the pothole, the shift lever itself began misbehaving. I had trouble starting the truck and trouble getting the lever to shift through the gears.

I pulled the kick panel and frame, removed the clamshell behind the steering wheel, and observed that a part had cracked. The part number on the part is F57A-7215-AA. After searching the part I found that it was a shift tube. The two screws holding the shift tube at the front of the vehicle were slightly loose. Apparently the force of the pothole cracked the tube. I watched a youtube video and bought a replacement tube. When I pulled the old tube out, I realized that I was supposed to remove the shift indicator cable, but for me that was not necessary. The shift indicator cable was not connected to anything. In fact I didn't even see a cable initially. The cable is there, but there is a white plastic block that is somehow attached to the cable that has broken as well, and the cable was floating free.

I know a picture would help here, but I can't get one at the moment (I will get one tomorrow).

Anyone have any idea what this plastic block anchoring the cable is called? I poked around on rockauto and didn't find it. I was hoping that a replacement of the shift tube would solve my issue, but apparently it is worse than I imagined.

I have looked at a couple of other threads here, but the ones I have found don't address this.

Am I going to be able to find this plastic part? Am I going to have to try to epoxy it?

Thanks for any help you can provide!

 

I got a photo of the adjuster block:

cable tension adjuster bracket broken off from stud mounting.

 

I may have found an aftermarket version of the part: Dorman 83244 -Automatic Transmission Shift Indicator Cable Bracket...

$17 for a little molded piece of plastic. And I shopped around! Ouch

 

As a followup, I installed the shift tube and the shift indicator bracket this afternoon. It's a bit uncomfortable installing everything, but it is done and works. The gear indicator in the dash lines up properly with each gear shift position. I took the truck for a test drive. The only issue is that I had a little difficulty getting the key out even though it was in park. That's new behavior, so maybe something is not quite aligned right. Not sure. I'm going to watch it and see how it goes before taking the clam-shell back off.

 

Very good description, pic, & troubleshoot with part number!
Have a 2001 SportTrac here, same Frame+DriveTrain+... as 2001 RangerXLT, excepting 4WD,
so good to see this info on the SteeringColumnShiftMechanism when+if I need it.

 

Try shifting to N & use the cable adjustment device as 87 XLT & CowboyBilly9Mile describes here, Shift Lever adjustment?? - Ford Truck Enthusiasts Forums (ford-trucks.com), to center align the pointer on N, then check pointer alignment in P & L to make sure the pointer travel is following over the shift range.

 

I forgot to reply to the key removal difficulty. If the steering wheel is locked with some tension on it, wiggle the steering wheel left & right while pulling on the key. This often happens if we've parked on unlevel ground & grab the steering wheel for a hand hold when getting in & the steering wheel locks with tension on it. So we have to wiggle the steering wheel a little to install or remove the ignition key.
Happened to me the other day when I parked on a uneven ground up hill grade & had to grab the wheel to pull myself into the seat & I didn't feel the wheel move or hear it click/lock when I let go when seated. Then I couldn't get the key to go into the ignition & it took a couple of unsuccessful tries for my moldy-oldy mind to realize what had happened.

 

Hi there,

I guess I missed the thread reply notification.

When I removed the old and installed the new adjuster wheel bracket, I made note of how many threads were exposed and set the adjuster in the new block to match. But I did use the wheel to slightly adjust the indicator after that.

pawpaw, my key removal difficulty is just after putting it in park, and I think before the column has locked up. Happens on level or sloped ground. What I notice, after having driven the truck a for few days, is that I need to make sure to push the lever "all the way up" into park. If I do so, I have no trouble pulling the key out. Does that mean I need to slightly adjust the adjustment wheel? I wouldn't think so, since that's just driving the indicator, but I will probably try that if for no other reason than to remind myself to move the lever more.

PS, I notice in that thread you linked that the guy just zip tied his cable into place rather than buy a new bracket. I thought about that, but I guess I am too fussy for that route.