If you've followed this, I'm working on my Dad's 1996 F-250 7.3L Diesel with E4OD transmission. This is where I'm at now.

I've replaced the MLPS Sensor and have Forscan connected so I can see what selection is being returned to the computer. I'm trying to use the right language here as much as possible but I don't know the names of some of the parts because my repair manual sucks.

When the shift lever is in Park, I'm in Park. The computer recognizes it as Park. When I move it to the next detent the computer reports Reverse. The transmission may go into Reverse but it may not. If it doesn't, I move the shift lever slightly past the center of the detent and it goes into Reverse. When I move it to the next detent I'll be in Neutral, also properly reported by the computer, but again, sometimes I have to push it a little past the center of the detent before it finally leaves Reverse for Neutral. Move it one more detent, to Drive, and I'm still in Neutral, period. Even though the computer properly reports OD. I have to move it to 2 before it shifts into a forward gear, but I can't say for certain what that'd be. I'm assuming Drive but the computer is reporting 2. I haven't tried driving it at this stage.

I've worked with the shift linkage adjustment and gotten some improvement. But I'm not convinced the shift linkage is the problem. Let me throw up a diagram here.



Now I'm aware this isn't the diagram for the E4OD. I can't find one for the E4OD. But this one is hopefully sufficient. I'm referring to 4, what I'm calling a cam, and 5, the spring. On the E4OD, these are inverted with the indents pointing up and the spring above. Otherwise it's pretty similar.

It seems to me like the cam and spring are what control the positioning of the mechanism. It seems to me like this isn't moving far enough. My next step was to see if the spring had any movement, and it does, 1/16 of an inch maybe. But unless I'm looking at it wrong, when I took the pan off earlier it appears to be as far in the direction it needs to go as it can. The spring has a small tab in the back that goes into a hole in the case and has little movement.

I'd love any suggestions here. I'm about to the point of "accidentally" towing it off of a cliff and taking the insurance settlement.

Thanks.

P.S. The spring.

 

So, after doing some browsing around online, I found a partial part number that led me to a full part number and all of the pictures I find of it show the spring flat? With no bend on the end. That'd certain explain things. I can't seem to be able to find many online parts catalogs that will verify a part fit's a specific vehicle, but Ford Parts Giant says it does. When I put in my vehicle information anyway.

https://www.fordpartsgiant.com/parts...z-7e332-a.html

 

The spring in the E4OD is almost exactly the same as one from a C6. I accidentally bent my spring similar to how yours looks when I was tightening up the nut on the shift linkage in the case when I put my E4OD together and I ended up using one from a C6 which worked fine. They should be the same for all E4OD transmissions, 4R100 too so it shouldn't be difficult to find one.