Fix Shift Collar but broke neu/rev switch tab!
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Joined: Feb 2004
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From: The Shenandoah Valley
Fix Shift Collar but broke neu/rev switch tab!
Well, for some time now my 1977 F150 4x4 Auto with 105K that I've had since 1986 has had a sloppy shifter, the holes where the roll pin ride were wobbled out and the travel was so great that it sometimes didn't want to shift through N-R-P even, and I was afraid the pot metal collar was gonna give up.
So some time back I had ordered and set aside a Dorman replacement. Today .... I tackled it. steering wheel straight, unhook battery, pull horn pad and then wheel off.
Under dash .... good heavens ..... it took forever to get that long curved plug loose from the harness, hard to reach .... I know I spent an hour there, broke the two clips at ends and used small screwdriver to start wedging them apart .... they have been mated for 36 years.
Finally apart, move some added wires out of way, pull red insert, .... make wire chart ... 9 wires, gotta be back right .... pull off rubber sleave, then remove signal lever and pull switch out after removing 4 screws.
Finally, signal / hazard switch is out.
Pull small snap ring .... keep magnet handy as remove two 7/16 nuts, wrestled awhile, push down on collar and remove rubber piece from bearing, wrestle some more ..... bearing is not a slip fit!
So I went to town and got a small cheap 3.5" bearing puller at AAP and a set of loaner pullers .... just in case. Trim the claws of the cheapo 3.5 puller to just grip bearing, hold collar down and other plate while wrestle with puller .... already removed modesty cover and loosened column support bolts so I could watch neutral safety switch.
Finally "pop" and bearing was loose .... it and plate came off and then collar .... collar was broken inside along one side ..... cracked and by time I got it off, it was good broken. Transfer spring / plunger / lever to new collar, use new roll pin, transfer pointer .... (I already painted new collar) . Tighten two screws holding detent plate in place, they were a little loose.
Install new collar on column, fits good. Then plate time and those two square headed bolts ..... glad I had a small magnet stick thing. Pushing down on shift collar, lining pawl with detent in Park, pointer in place, 1/2 hour later finally get the two 7/16 nuts snugged up on plate .... what a PITA.
I used the DORMAN 83242 replacement shift collar.
Lube bearing, tap in place really easy, reinstall snap ring, make sure rubber wrap is in place. Shift was really nice when I tried it ....
Fish wires through one at a time, reinstall signal switch, 4 screws, and then at lower end put wires back in by the chart I made, lock with red insert, crawl under dash and take short route to plug in harness. Tighten up steering column bolts after pulling up on column to remove slack at bearing that I added in my wrestling to get puller jaws in place.
Install plastic gear indicator lens and hood, 1 screw, install wheel and nut and then horn pad .... hook up battery ..... all work except NO START.
Investigate .... what's this ..... the tab that used to be on top of shift tube and which moved neutral safety / reverse lights switch is found laying in the floor, it broke off.
I reach up from underneath, move switch **** with finger as hold key in start position, truck starts.
So .... looks like I'll be adding a toggle on the dash as a "Manual Safety Switch" and another as a "Reverse Lights Switch".
I know of no easy repair for that tab short of another column, I'm sort of thinking I ain't the first. It is better than having the old shift collar breaking away from home I think .... then I'd have had to set brake, start truck ..... likely by manually operating safety switch by hand, and then opening hood to move trans into drive ..... all while hoping parking brake held?
Shifts really nice now ...... I can live with it on my old truck.
In all, started about noon, finished up near 8, one hour maybe gone to town ..... and when frustrated I'ld watch a few minutes of whichever Randolph Scott Western was on (they ran them back to back today) as I looked on the net or in my books for a shortcut / remedy. I'm thinking about 4 hours actually wrestling with it.
So some time back I had ordered and set aside a Dorman replacement. Today .... I tackled it. steering wheel straight, unhook battery, pull horn pad and then wheel off.
Under dash .... good heavens ..... it took forever to get that long curved plug loose from the harness, hard to reach .... I know I spent an hour there, broke the two clips at ends and used small screwdriver to start wedging them apart .... they have been mated for 36 years.
Finally apart, move some added wires out of way, pull red insert, .... make wire chart ... 9 wires, gotta be back right .... pull off rubber sleave, then remove signal lever and pull switch out after removing 4 screws.
Finally, signal / hazard switch is out.
Pull small snap ring .... keep magnet handy as remove two 7/16 nuts, wrestled awhile, push down on collar and remove rubber piece from bearing, wrestle some more ..... bearing is not a slip fit!
So I went to town and got a small cheap 3.5" bearing puller at AAP and a set of loaner pullers .... just in case. Trim the claws of the cheapo 3.5 puller to just grip bearing, hold collar down and other plate while wrestle with puller .... already removed modesty cover and loosened column support bolts so I could watch neutral safety switch.
Finally "pop" and bearing was loose .... it and plate came off and then collar .... collar was broken inside along one side ..... cracked and by time I got it off, it was good broken. Transfer spring / plunger / lever to new collar, use new roll pin, transfer pointer .... (I already painted new collar) . Tighten two screws holding detent plate in place, they were a little loose.
Install new collar on column, fits good. Then plate time and those two square headed bolts ..... glad I had a small magnet stick thing. Pushing down on shift collar, lining pawl with detent in Park, pointer in place, 1/2 hour later finally get the two 7/16 nuts snugged up on plate .... what a PITA.
I used the DORMAN 83242 replacement shift collar.
Lube bearing, tap in place really easy, reinstall snap ring, make sure rubber wrap is in place. Shift was really nice when I tried it ....
Fish wires through one at a time, reinstall signal switch, 4 screws, and then at lower end put wires back in by the chart I made, lock with red insert, crawl under dash and take short route to plug in harness. Tighten up steering column bolts after pulling up on column to remove slack at bearing that I added in my wrestling to get puller jaws in place.
Install plastic gear indicator lens and hood, 1 screw, install wheel and nut and then horn pad .... hook up battery ..... all work except NO START.
Investigate .... what's this ..... the tab that used to be on top of shift tube and which moved neutral safety / reverse lights switch is found laying in the floor, it broke off.
I reach up from underneath, move switch **** with finger as hold key in start position, truck starts.
So .... looks like I'll be adding a toggle on the dash as a "Manual Safety Switch" and another as a "Reverse Lights Switch".
I know of no easy repair for that tab short of another column, I'm sort of thinking I ain't the first. It is better than having the old shift collar breaking away from home I think .... then I'd have had to set brake, start truck ..... likely by manually operating safety switch by hand, and then opening hood to move trans into drive ..... all while hoping parking brake held?
Shifts really nice now ...... I can live with it on my old truck.
In all, started about noon, finished up near 8, one hour maybe gone to town ..... and when frustrated I'ld watch a few minutes of whichever Randolph Scott Western was on (they ran them back to back today) as I looked on the net or in my books for a shortcut / remedy. I'm thinking about 4 hours actually wrestling with it.
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Joined: Aug 2005
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Likes: 8
From: Cleveland, TN
Here ya go........... A/T Neutral Safety Switch Selector | Dennis Carpenter Ford Restoration Parts
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Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 10,760
Likes: 2,590
From: The Shenandoah Valley
Thank You Both!
I figured it was spot welded on ..... but I hadn't used a mirror yet. I went to Dennis Carpenter site and ordered one just a few minutes ago .... and Mike's pics show me what I need to see .... I think I can get the old out OK. Might have to sacrifice a small screw driver by bending to use underneath, looks like I can pop it off if I can get into the two side holes and spring outward.
Thanks again ....
I figured it was spot welded on ..... but I hadn't used a mirror yet. I went to Dennis Carpenter site and ordered one just a few minutes ago .... and Mike's pics show me what I need to see .... I think I can get the old out OK. Might have to sacrifice a small screw driver by bending to use underneath, looks like I can pop it off if I can get into the two side holes and spring outward.
Thanks again ....
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Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 10,760
Likes: 2,590
From: The Shenandoah Valley
Finish shift collar / switch fix
Just finished up ..... on the 19th I ordered part D0TZ-7B097-B from Dennis Carpenter, that night actually .... on line. A package arrived yesterday afternoon, it was a old Ford box with two of the part inside (I guess it was common to loose one sometimes so FoMoCo put two in the box .... "good Ford") and so this evening after supper I pulled the '77 around to the basement ( it started easily as a couple nights ago I wired a toggle switch in parallel with the hanging NSS).
I unhooked the battery, removed horn and steering wheel and signal lever (need to straighten wheel anyway as I got it off a couple splines Monday .... so before yanking I positioned it again where straight was coming home yesterday.) dropped the modesty cover from underneath the column, loosened two bolts holding column up to dash, used a bent coat hanger to limit drop and eased column down towards seat.
Took a small screwdriver, felt in hole as I pulled gear selector into the ranges, settled on 2 ..... inserted screw driver in hole of old selector and it popped loose .... I used finger to slide it up on screwdriver and eased it up and out of hole .... simple.
My NSS was still hanging loose, I had taken it off the column so I could reach it several days ago so I could start the truck. I left it off and hanging as I knew this job was coming. Sad part was one of the short sheet metal screws with 5/16 hex head had fallen in the square hole Monday. So I used a small magnet secured to a bent wire to fish inside the column and retrieve the screw. Install NSS and temporarily moved it far to left as I could, screws loose.
Ease column back up in place, insert two bolts and the thick steel spacers like washers in place, and tighten. Hook up battery, use key to check positions and played with N, R, and P and switch ..... only had to move switch maybe 1/16" back right and it was perfect .... it actually would work before adjusting if the shift lever was held up to high side of position .... now it's works like a new one and that gear selection is so nice ..... smooth .... positive .... like a new one! Install modesty cover and horn and signal lever ...... done.
Thanks again guys!
A/T Neutral Safety Switch Selector | Dennis Carpenter Ford Restoration Parts
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Near Fairfield ...... or if going by Interstate 81 .... near Exit 200.
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Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 14,333
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From: Stanley, VA
Agreed, it's really beautiful country up there, I've got family in Stanley and Shenandoah.
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Hotshot
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 10,760
Likes: 2,590
From: The Shenandoah Valley
Thank You Sir!
We participate with a GoldWing (GWRRA) chapter out of Harrisonburg and have so many friends in that chapter all over the Shenandoah Valley, we are through Shenandoah and Stanley often. Stanley is between Shenandoah and Luray on old 340, I love the drive through those parts .... and Rancho Viejo in Luray and Mamma Mia's in Shenandoah are two of our favorite eating places.
