I posted this in the 7.3L Diesel section, and someone said I should post it here. So here goes.

So I've been working on the no crank issue on Dad's truck. It's 96 F-250 7.3L E4OD transmission.

And I did something really stupid...

I had put the front up on ramps so I could get under it easier. Disconnected the shift lever from the shaft that goes into the transmission and removed the Transmission Range Sensor, which is also the Park/Neutral safety switch. I checked the switch, I checked power to the switch when the key is turned to start and it was all good. So I ruled out that sensor/switch as the problem and was putting it back together. Put the sensor/switch in and reconnected the arm to the shaft. In the process of tightening the nut, I must have partially moved the shaft out of park, cause it decided to roll off the ramps on me. Damn near killed me. Yeah, I made a stupid mistake on that one. Didn't have the park brake set or the wheels chocked. I don't usually make mistakes like that. But, putting all that aside...

I moved the shift lever to see if it was working properly, since I had disconnected and reconnected it. It moved from where it was, just a bit out of park, I think, to reverse, neutral, drive, L2 and L1, just like normal. But it won't move back. It's jammed.

In trying to diagnose this, I disconnected the lever at the shaft on the transmission again and the linkage from the cab to the tranny is fine. It moves smoothly. I found a wrench the right size to put on the flats on the shaft and it won't move. I even got the truck started (very, very carefully) and rolled it a bit and it's stuck. Stuck in L1.

At this point, I'm at a loss. I have no idea how to proceed from here. Did I break something in the transmission? If that's the case, I'm pretty screwed.

Any ideas would be appreciated. Thanks.

 

Take the pan off and look at the mechanism inside. My guess is that it overtravelled and the spring is jammed up. It's probably an easy fix with the pan off.

 

Thanks. I'll give it a try.

 

So, I'm seeing that there is no drain plug on this thing. Which means I'm going to make a helluva mess getting the pan off.

So I got to thinking (really dangerous for me), I can get a drain plug kit locally for less than $10. I think it's a Dorman brand. How stupid would it be to carefully drill a small pilot hole into the pan, using a bit with a stop on it, let the oil drain through the hole and then when I get the pan off I can safely drill the correct sized hole and install the plug.

If I were to be this brave (stupid?), where would be the best place to drill the hole to avoid any interference with something inside, and how much oil can I expect to get out?

I've also seen mention of using some hose on the transmission oil cooler line and letting the engine pump oil out until air appears. Is that a good or a bad idea? And also again, how much oil should I expect to get out?

Thanks. I really appreciate your expertise and willingness to share it.

 

You can take the rear cooler line off of the rear of the trans and aim it into a bucket. Start the engine and let it run the oil out of the pan. After the steady stream when you get a big air bubble the pan is empty and you need to shut the engine off immediately.

 

i run a front wheel up on a 6x6 block of wood, and loosen the pan bolts starting at the lowest rear corner with a catch pan under that corner. than start loosening the other pan bolts. the lowest corner will act kinda like a funnel and the oil will flow out it into the catch pan.

 

^^^Once the pan if off now's a good time to consider adding a drain in the pan. I use these: Quick Changers Once the proper sized hole is drilled use a suitable hex nut to secure the fitting to the pan, use Loc-Tite on the fitting threads and perhaps a bit of RTV on the hole and fitting.

There are other less expensive types of pan drain plugs, these are mine due my work area for both oil and transmission changing.

Good luck with your repairs OP!

 

Well, this is what I found after I got the pan off (which is no easy task). I think you can see in the picture where that flat spring with the roller on the end is not where it's supposed to be. It's behind that cam, not allowing it to move, instead of being on top of the cam, rolling over the indents as it moves. After getting it back where it belongs and everything put back together again I can shift it.

It's a little rough and acts as though the mechanism is out of adjustment. I'm not sure why the adjustment would have changed but I'm going to work on get it adjusted properly today.




And, miracle of miracles, the new ignition switch fixed the starting problem. I'm having an issue getting it all the way into park because of the adjustment, but when I do, or get it in Neutral, it cranks right over with the key just like it should.

 

Another minor thing I'd like to get fixed, so I'll ask about it here. Even though it's not directly related to the transmission.

Some time ago the bushings gave out on the tilt steering column and Dad replaced the whole column. But he didn't reconnect the little cable that goes to the shift indicator. It's all there. And I can see where the little loop on the end of the cable goes. And sort of see where the little white plastic piece is supposed to go. But danged if I can figure out how it's all supposed to go in there properly.

Does anyone by chance have a diagram or pictures of how that little cable connects? If I could see how it's supposed to be I'm pretty sure I could get it reconnected properly. It's not a big deal but it'd be nice.