E series wont go into Park or 1

[flightcancled]

In a fit of absent-mindedness I just did something has screwed up my shifter and now I can't get my E-250 back into park.

I turned the engine off while still in drive, went to remove the key, couldn't, turned the key to get it back to Park, and then realized something is wrong. The lever will move to where Park should be, but I can't get it to engage past reverse. Same problem going towards 1. I can't make it past 1. I tried moving the cable around a bit and fiddling around, but I can't get this sorted. Any ideas?

 

[flightcancled]

Umm I'm going to go on a limb here and say that that string is the problem/all that is left of my shifter cable???

It's definitely linked to the shifter arm itself somehow. Wiggling the shifter arm moves the string.

 

[Bbasso]

String? That's the shifter indicator for the dash.
But it seems like the key cylinder is the culprit for not being able to move the shifter...

 

[Jb1rd]

Key cylinder is my guess, youtube removing it, it is much easier when you see it done properly, trust me, I fudged up my Airstream big time and once I saw the proper way to do it, literal palm to face moment!!

 

[broncobowsher]

I've fixed ford trucks before (sure the vans are about the same) where some of the linkage bults under the dash got loose and the throw of the shifter wasn't going into the cable.

String is for the shift pointer only.

 

[Bikersmurf]

1) The shift lever attaches to a tube that goes down the column. If it's not the key cylinder, it could also be that the bushings are worn out, or that the torx screws that screw a piece into the bottom end of it have come loose.

2) I recently had a similar problem. It wouldn't go into 1,2,R,P. Ice had built up, after a lot of driving in the snow, on the side of the transmission. It was preventing the cable from moving the shift lever on the transmission. Once it was knocked free, it was shifting properly again.

 

[flightcancled]

So after investigating all that and finding nothing I took it into the shop.

Apparently one of the brackets further up had snapped off and was flopping about. They had a spare column they could scavenge the part from, and I was all set in a few hours.

Thanks for all the help guys!

 

[Bikersmurf]

Good to hear you are back on the road.