Need technical advice for the rod shifter on my 90.

[drdave]

Just got a beautiful 90 about two weeks ago. Seems stock with the exception of the rod shifter upgrade.

While driving, the shifter went limp on me. I found that the base of the shifter became disengaged from the rod. Upon closer inspection, I noticed that the sleeve that rides on the end of the rod broke in two.

This leads to a couple of questions.

How do I remove the shifter rod so that I can attempt a repair or replacement, and where would I get a replacement? I tend not to shop at Ford!

I also have about 3/8 inch play in the rod which makes/made the shifter feel pretty anemic. Is this normal? If not, what should I be looking at? I almost remember reading in one of my old Registry mags an article referencing something like this.

My 93 shifter feels rock solid, so I assume that I should not have any play.

<small>[ May 27, 2002, 12:13 AM: Message edited by: drdave ]</small>

 

[RStalveyARFF]

to remove the shofter rod, you simply disconnect the linkage at the transmission. It is a 10mm bolt, and then the rod will slip out. I believe Josh T at shonut performance carries the part in question. Send him an email and he should be able to help you out.

 

[drdave]

Can you send me his email address please?

<small>[ May 27, 2002, 12:13 AM: Message edited by: drdave ]</small>

 

[RStalveyARFF]

sure. It's [email protected]

good luck!

 

[jthomas68]

Actually,it`s not a 10mm bolt,it`s a 12.5mm.I`m one of the unlucky one`s that has had the bolt come loose and strip out the threads in the tranny.It took me all day of shop-hopping to find the damn 12.5mm threadded rod

 

[Shoman94]

jthomas68:
Actually,it`s not a 10mm bolt,it`s a 12.5mm.I`m one of the unlucky one`s that has had the bolt come loose and strip out the threads in the tranny.It took me all day of shop-hopping to find the damn 12.5mm threadded rod

Yea, I had the same thing happen to me. I had to repair it with a heli-coil. Now it has blue loctite and a lock washer on it. No problems ever since.

Jason

 

[RStalveyARFF]

he was asking about the shifter rod, not the stabilizer rod. And I'm talking about socket sizes

 

[drdave]

Well, closer inspection has yielded some interesting findings, but I still a little confused.

Since this was a cable to rod conversion, I don't know if it's a little bit different. The play in the shifter seems to be at the linkage point of the transmission. At that end of the shifter rod there is a square plastic piece with a round center. It encompasses a small metal ****** that is part of the tranny linkage. Except the hole in the plastic piece is ten times larger than the metal piece, hence the play. Seems like there should be a sleeve in there.

The whole shifter rod assembly seems to be one complete unit that runs from the shifter base to the tranny. I can't find an easy way to remove it. It seems to snake under a heat shield under the car. It attaches to the transmission linkage with two bolts, and is held in place near the shifter with large c compression ring.

I don't want to try and take this all apart until I have the complete picture. Should I look at my 93 for guidance, or will this setup be too different?

 

[luigisho]

Well, it's the same tranny and motor so it should look similar. That is of course if it was assembled in the same manner or if they ran into trouble and tried to rig it in there.

 

[drdave]

I can say that it looks nothing like my 93. The whole setup is completely different in regards to the shifter linkage on the tranny. The rod shifter conversion on the 90 looks professional and very straightforward. I would have to say that it is not rigged, as I see no other way that it could have been setup.

I do have it operational now, just don't know for how long. Feels as good as my 93 right now.

<small>[ May 28, 2002, 01:04 AM: Message edited by: drdave ]</small>

 

[SHONUT91]

I hate to be the one to tell you this.But I have two 91 sho's and one is rod style the other is cable style and you have been describing the cable style to the letter.I have had the linkage problem as well I fixed mine with a lock ring and allen head set screw so that the plastic sleeve you refer to fits tight.The rod style has two distinct rods under the car running to the tranny (hence the name rod style).The cable style if you pull your console off the shifter you will notice two cables that actuate the shifter.I hope this helps.you with your problems.