have a '92 F-150 Supercab, 2WD, auto/power, new starter, transmission, brakes, tires...iow, I thought I had replaced ebverything important that could fail(and did) within the last year.
Surprise!!

Yesterday, after driving about 25 minutes, I had to back up to get out of a parking lot. When I shifted into reverse, the shift arm went limp. As it turned out, I could still maneuver it into what were probably neutral and drive or overdrive or 1st gear (I could go forward and stop and rev the engine without moving. The display panel was meaningless at this point).

Anyone got a diagram of this mechanism? I'm hoping something just slipped and can be put back in place with relative ease. I took off the dash panel in front of it but didn't see anything that looked out of place and I'd like to know what's in there before I go any further. One thing I did notice was a cable coming from the malfunctioning mechanism that seemed too thin to be doing the job it was supposed to do. It was as fine as fishing line, but appeared to be tight and in place.

Excuse the lay terms; obviously I'm not a mechanic. Nor, unfortunately, can I afford to pay one at this time. So I'm it. Any feedback would be appreciated.

Thanks.

Lisa

 

Crawl under the truck and check to see if your shift linkage is still in place.

 

Thanks for the feedback. The problem is inside the steering column; the rod that connects the shift arm to the gears is severed. I used JB Weld as a temporary fix until I can get someone to put in a steering column. I figure it's not life-threatening if it doesn't hold, just annoying. Just did it this morning, so I'll wait until Monday to test it.

Lisa