My 1986 E-150 Club Wagon was ordered with a factory manual four speed overdrive transmission and floor shifter. Now after 150,000 miles of use the shift assembly is worn, has a weak reverse lockout, and if I'm not careful, the transmission can lockup in second gear when I move the stick out of second. Then I am unable to move the stick out of the neutral position, and I have to crawl under the vehicle and pull the second gear linkage back into the neutral position. After doing that, the shifter works properly, but it is prone to locking up. This has happened about six times so far.

I checked with a Ford dealer about purchasing a new shift assembly, but it is a discontinued inventory part, and a nationwide search failed to find any dealer with the unit in stock. My shop manual states that the shift assembly is not repairable, but I know from previous experience that some parts can be repaired, like the distributor on my van, in which I replaced the Hall effect sensor four year ago. Ford calls this a "top loader four speed overdrive transmission". The shift assembly has three side linkages which connect to the transmission levers, as opposed to other transmission units that have the shift lever mounted on top of the trans and have no external linkages. I attempted to upload a shop manual drawing of the shift assembly, but was not successful.

So my question here is whether any members know if this shift assembly can in fact be repaired, or where I might be able to locate a used one in good condition. I recently submitted a request with a national auto parts search webpage, but have not received any replies. Back in 2009 or 2010 the federal government ran a cash for clunkers program that required old gas guzzlers to be traded in and destroyed instead of sent to junk yards to be parted out. I have a feeling that many vehicles like my van were destroyed and so parts may be hard to find.

Any advice from Forum members would be greatly appreciated. Thanks and have a happy and safe holiday.

Mark

 

I was able to tighten the linkage on a Chevy car by putting in some washers.

 

It might be a good idea to look at the linkage for where there is excessive slop. Rod ends could be worn allowing shift detents to engage more than one gear at a time.

 

Hello Hanky:
I checked the linkages and all three appear to be in good condition, the adjusting nuts are tight, with no slop. I have kept the linkages lubricated, as well as the shifter assembly, to keep it operating smoothly. I suspect that the shifter unit has worn internals, but since it hasn't been disassembled, I don't know what actually may be defective. Looking at the assembly from below, there are three or four metal blades packed together, each about 1/8 inch thick, which individually slide back and forth as the shift stick is moved. I would guess that there are detents or pins of some type that are actuated by the position of the stick to interlock and engage the selected gear linkage.

So I would like to determine if this can be rebuilt, or where I might locate a used unit in good condition. The Ford part number for the unit is D8TZ* 7400*B and is described as a "CONTROL". Thanks for your advice Hanky.

 

Can you try ,
Vintage Parts Inc
Beaver Dam, Wisc.
1-877-846-8243.

 

Or car-part.com

 

I searched both Vintage Parts and car-parts.com without success, using the Ford part number and an item description. Next, I will try local junk yards, and check with transmission shops about rebuilding my shifter. Thanks for your help Hanky and Rusty.