Hello

has anyone ever changed a shift cable before? i am attempting mine tomorrow.

Dan 3 L

 

What is wrong with your shift cable?

If it is sticking inside the sleeve, instead of replacing, spray in some speedo cable lube and work it some. That will fix it for another 10 years.

 

Well I remember when my Aeros shift cable broke it had less then 10k miles on it one day I was on my way out I was trying to shift into drive and the lever gave no resistance.

I ended up going under the Aero to shift it manually while I made sure someone I trusted held the brake .

Heres the procedure and a diagra of the linkages.





Removal
1. Raise vehicle on hoist and position suitable safety stands under the vehicle.

2. Unclip shift cable end fitting from transmission outer manual lever.

3. Remove shift cable from transmission shift cable bracket (7B229) by carefully squeezing shift cable ears together. Push shift cable out of transmission shift cable bracket.

4. Remove safety stands and lower vehicle.

5. Using a screwdriver, unclip the shift cable end fitting from the shift control selector lever.

6. Carefully remove shift cable from steering column bracket by prying back the lock tab with a small screwdriver and pushing the cable from the transmission shift cable bracket.

7. Peel back the carpet to expose shift cable grommet and clip.

8. Remove shift cable clip by gently squeezing shift cable ears together with suitable pliers.

9. Remove the shift cable from the vehicle by pulling or pushing shift cable through floorpan hole.

Installation
1. Route cable through floorpan hole.

2. Install the shift cable to the steering column bracket, making sure lock tabs are fully seated into bracket.

3. Seat shift cable grommet.

4. Place shift control selector lever in the (D) position and place a 1.4 kg (3 lb.) weight on the end of the shift control selector lever.

Note: You can use anything you want to hold the lever in the (D) position.
If you have a helper its alot easier then improvising a weight.

5. Raise vehicle on a hoist and position suitable safety stands under vehicle.

6. Route the shift cable away from exhaust and seat cable in transmission shift cable bracket.

7. Shift transmission lever into the overdrive position by moving the lever all the way rearward (counterclockwise) then moving it forward three detent positions.

8. Attach shift cable end fitting to the transmission outer manual lever.

9. Fully seat lock tab on transmission cable.

10. CAUTION: Shift cable must be properly clipped to underbody. Failure to do so may result in the cable resting on the exhaust pipe, causing it to burn and ultimately causing complete loss of shifting ability.

Attach shift cable clip to vehicle underbody.

11. Remove safety stands and lower vehicle. Remove the weight from the shift control selector lever. Check for proper transmission engagement of all gears.

 

#4. 3 lb hammer hanging on vinyl insulated wire wrapped around shift lever

 

I broke mine around the lock mechanism when removing it fromthe tranny. After of which I found a small screw on the floor from under the dash. It wasn't broke until i took it off. I should have looked closer the first time. Thanks Dan

 

On our Aerostar, the plastic clip that holds it against the frame has melted, and the cable came in contact with the exhaust pipe. It is not broken, but it does give stiff resistance. It also has a hard time upshifting after it has been used.