Hello Everyone,

My 1997 F250 Automatic cant get into park. Theres alot of slack on the shifter and nothing is what it should be. you have to select the nextsetting to get the one you want. Just so much slackthat when on the "P" your in revearse. Any suggestions would be greatly helpfull.

 

I am guessing you will probably need to get a service manual to do this yourself if that is what you intend to do, but since you can get into everything but park, your transmission is probably good, just that because of the offset you can't get into park.

Could be anything from a bent linkage, to a slipped shift adjust lever. Sounds like one of those little tinker jobs that you do on a weekend while drinking a beer and watching a football game in the garage....Good times.

My wife's Hyundae had the same problem, and I just took it down to my Mechanic (Korean Guy with Great work ethic) and he just played around with and got it aligned until it went into park and stayed there.

Be careful until you get it parked, you know already that without park it also will not lock the Tranny and the vehicle will move and the parking break is not a full proof stopper. Get yourself a Chok Block for the wheels till you get it fixed.

 

At the base of the main steering column (up high just above your feet) where the steering shaft comes out of the main column, you'll see the shifter tube and the 'lower' selector lever where the selector cable from the trans attaches.. There are '2' torx screws there that attach the lower lever to the column selector tube.. Common for them to back outand is usually easily seen,causing a selection/shift hunt for positions and a hard/no park engagment.. Tighten both of the screws back in moderatly first,,, then remove 'one' completely and use some thread locker and reinstall the screw tightening.. Then follow up with the 'second' install with a final check for tight on both.. You can just tighten them back up, but using a thread locker will insure they don't back out again...

 

Yea was reading other forums and came up with alot of others needing to tighten the bolts at the bottom of the shifter tube. Ill try it out when i get out of work and see if that solves the issue.

 

9 times outta 10 it willsolve the problem.. Another area is,, the shifter tube is clamped down on two points along the column (upper/lower) assy. and rides onnylon bushings under the clamps.. If the torx screws there should come loose, or the bushings are excessivly worn it will cause the shifter tube to have some 'wobble' and can cause 'some' looseness.. Generally the lower shift lever screws are the culprit for the condition you have, but sometimes to achieve a 'new feel'the shifter tube bushings may need attention..

 

i have had this problem on alot of customers trucks -the most common is what hayapower suggests with the torxs screws loosening -but if you tighten any loose screws and still is the same ,look at the shift tube itself -gotton alot of them cracked in halfbelow the upper clamp that holds the shift tube down-with your description of your concern the problem is definatly in the column area-not the tranny.