Truck popping out of park into reverse
 

My truck is, and has since I've had it, not wanting to stay in park. This morning I went out to get in it and it wasn't where I left it. When I parked it I made sure it was in park and apparently during the night it popped out of park and rolled off. Luckily there is a row of pine trees between me and my neighbor's house to catch my truck before it rolled thru his house! I'm not sure if the the problem is my shift cable or the manual lever. My gear indicator has never lined up, R is actually neutral, N is OD, and so on. When it's in park the needle is so far to the left that you can't see it. When the manual lever is in park, the shift cable just barely reaches it enough to snap on the lever so I guess this could be pulling on the lever causing it to pop out of park but even when the cable is not connected to the lever it just takes a very light tap to pop the lever out of park and into reverse. Reckon this is a shift lever problem or a shift cable problem or both? I'm not to concerned about the gear indicator lining up cause I go by what the Optishift says now but I sure do need for it to stay in park! LOL

Sounds like it could be 1 problem causing another. Perhaps the shift cable was adjusted too tight for quite some time, causing one to have to muscle it into the park detent on the shift lever, which overtime may have caused it's detent to wear to the point of allowing it to pop out of Park. I think first I'd try to get the shift cable adjusted properly and see how it reacts there. Then if you still have issues disconnect the transmission shift linkage from the transmission and make sure park is working properly on the transmission, then on to the shift lever.

i would chock the wheels, disconnect the shifter at the trans, put the shifter in park, then adjust the linkage so it can reconnect to the trans so it is in it's proper position.

this will give you a starting point. if it still does not work properly after it is adjusted, you then will know it is not in the linkage

I don't know how long you've had the truck, but if it's always done this.... why did you never fixed the parking brake cables if there not working?

Sounds like it might be a good idea to set the parking brake until you figure it out... :)

Yep, parking break is not working either, gotta fix that too. I now have a wheel chalk that I borrowed from a wrecker service to use until I fix this issue. I know I should've fixed these issues by now but I've been so busy fixing other issues on the truck that I just haven't gotten around to this one yet. Guess I'll bump it to the top of the list now! LOL

I just now realized that when it hit the pine tree one of the tree limbs broke one of my cab lights! I can't stand that, looks like a bag of ass! I just ordered a new one from summit racing.

It could be two things. Stretched gear selector cable or the linkage is out of adjustment. Either way, your gear selector is too far ahead of the transmission and that would indicate slack in the linkage. Does your shifter feel loose at all? Mine has a little play in it but it has never jumped a gear.

It could also be the shift tube being loose or worn on the steering column.
Take the shrouds off of the steering column and see if the shift tube is sloppy. If it's not too bad, I'd adjust the cable.

The shift cable adjusts at the transmission end, where the cable is attached to the bracket.
The procedure is:
1. Pop the cable end off of the ball on the trans shift arm.
2. Put the trans in drive by manually moving the shift arm. (Fully rearward is park, 3 detents forward is drive)
3. Put the shift lever in the cab in drive, and have a helper or bungee cord hold in down against it's stop.
4. Release the cable adjustment lock. (The cable housing adjusts in the plastic stop that snaps into the bracket. The adjustment lock slides out perpendicular to the cable, kinda like a plastic fuel line clip, but it doesn't come completely off, just out about a half inch.)
5. Slide the cable housing in the plastic bracket stop until the cable end lines up with the ball stud, and snap the end onto the ball.
6. Push the adjustment lock back in to lock the cable housing to the bracket stop.

The gear indicator adjusts with a thumb wheel on the right side of the steering column. Take the bottom plastic panel below the steering column off to get at it.
There's a thin white plastic cable that goes from the instrument cluster, down on the left of the steering column, under the column, & up on the right side. Follow that up the right side, & you'll find the thumb wheel.
Adjust it with the lever in drive, & it should be good.

I thought my truck was a bit of a Christine, but I think yours has taken the crown.

Look right down at the bottom of the steering column for a little "plate" with two torx head bolts, these can come loose causing what you describe.

back in the late 70s ford truck had a recall for that same problem , a number of people were getting run over by there own trucks when they stopped to get the mail !
also could be the parking pawl inside the transmission ! but check all the linkage first and the tranny mounts and bolts for the tranny cross member to see if they are lose or missing !
if it is a cable linkage the cable could be bad !