2002 F-150 automatic transmission linkage issue
Asked by BobbyG1944 Aug 24, 2015 at 12:07 PM about the 2002 Ford F-150 Lariat SuperCab LB
Question type: Maintenance & Repair
My 2002 F-150 with 205,000 miles (all mine), has an automatic transmission linkage
issue. When in any position even park the indicator is off to the right resulting in not
being able to manually select 1st. how do I go about adjusting the external linkage to the
transmission?
Bob Grinnell
Kingman AZ
2 Answers
I suspect what you are saying is when you place the vehicle in park (P) the indicator on the dash would point to the neutral (N) position, right? Then you will have to remove the cowling on the steering wheel to access the indicator to make adjustments. Not sure on your particular vehicle but an internet search would probably point you in the correct direction. This was an issue with vehicles manufactured in the 50's and 70's.
You also may be able to remove the plastic cover on the bottom of the dash, above the brake, to gain access for another frequent problem which results in your problem. ONce removed, look underneath and you should see the steering column. Looking back toward the interior of the vehicle you should see a device which holds the shift cable. Move the shifter up and down and you should see it rotate with the cable attached. Make sure the two screws holding the plate in place are not loose, or one missing. Tighten screws, if loose, should solve the problem. Be careful, you may be dealing with aluminum parts. If screws are loose, no gorilla strength to tighten them or you will strip them.