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tranny issue

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Old Apr 1, 2010 | 10:25 PM
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tranny issue

I'm thinking of buying a 92 F150 from my neighboor, but its having some sort of tranny issue. I haven't varified the story myself but he said when you pull it down into gear, your not sure what gear you are going to get. Sometimes drive is reverse, sometimes its first and so on. He said when he got the truck it had a tranny from a car swapped into it and it is missing some sort of plate that selects the gear inside the tranny. It's a 4wd truck so I know they had to go through the tranny to get it into the truck. I'm not new working on these trucks, but the 4 f150s we have currently have sticks in them so I'm not real good with autos but something sounds fishy to me. They pulled the steering column apart thinking the problem was there but said every thing is working properly. Its a pretty nice truck except for the issues with the trans and he's letting it go cheap if I want it. Any suggestions?
 
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Old Apr 2, 2010 | 06:22 AM
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Certainly sounds like the MLPS (Manual Lever Position Sensor), a common part to wear out.

Welcome to FTE!!
 
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Old Apr 2, 2010 | 06:25 AM
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It's also a real easy part to replace
 
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Old Apr 2, 2010 | 12:21 PM
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just looked that up, thanks for pointing me in the right direction. truck is going to be a steal if thats all it needs, going to check it out a little closer in the morning. thanks again
 
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Old Apr 3, 2010 | 11:21 AM
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question number 2, where can i get the mlps. searched all the parts store sites and came up empty, is this a dealer only item? anybody know a estimate price on it, my dealer parts department is closed for the weekend. thanks
 
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Old Apr 3, 2010 | 11:30 PM
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mlp is close!

I just read this and remembered that when i have done swaps from different vehicles (fords) not all the time is the manual lever in the correct possition. up versus down . they could have that backwards , make it do wierd things being stuck between gears that are not trying to be selected. I would jack it up and disconect the shift linkage . then try to move the shifter on trans to park and neutral to crank,then find rev&drive and see if works ok then . If thats all it is you can swap the linkage the otherway with one nut for the easy model. The hard one, pull the pan and disassemble the inside part of linkage that moves the manual valve ,1 nut also and spin linkage down . Reassemble linkage and make sure large nut on linkage is tight. mlp's usually set codes or will drop into a lower gear.
 
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Old Oct 1, 2010 | 08:24 PM
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Update: I still haven't bought the truck, but I did go by and inspect it a little closer the other day. I crawled under it and found out, 14 pan bolts (AODE correct?) and it kinda looks a little hacked, which I expected somewhat.

New question, I have a AOD or AODE (not sure) from a 90 2wd, how hard is it to make it work in a 4x4. Is it as simple as changing the back of the case or will it have to be pulled apart?
 
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Old Oct 1, 2010 | 10:59 PM
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The output shafts for 2wd and 4wd are different lengths. The shaft is the last thing out and first in, when rebuilding. labor intensive.
 
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Old Oct 2, 2010 | 11:15 AM
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Originally Posted by ne-oublie
The output shafts for 2wd and 4wd are different lengths. The shaft is the last thing out and first in, when rebuilding. labor intensive.
I was afraid of that, never can get lucky enough for it to be easy.
 
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Old Oct 2, 2010 | 11:36 AM
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Originally Posted by 79ford302
question number 2, where can i get the mlps. searched all the parts store sites and came up empty, is this a dealer only item? anybody know a estimate price on it, my dealer parts department is closed for the weekend. thanks
The MLPS is also known as the neutral safety switch. Left side of the transmission, behind the gear selector arm. KragenCheckerShucksOrielly, NAPA and Autozone will have them. NAPA is about $65 or so.

It is possible that the linkage inside the transmission was not put back together/indexed properly. Seems to me, that's where I would start. The MLPS, if it was defective, would cause no start conditions or no upshift, not the situation you indicate.

Ray
 
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