louie83814

Just bought my truck. It is a 1998 F150 xlt auto tranny. I wanted to know how to fix the shifting lever so it matches up correctly. When it is in park it says "N" and when in drive it is in "2". How do I fix this problem? It doesnt have any sort of shifting problem is just not lining up where it needs to be. Any help would be appreciated.

mpbball2332

From what i hear its something with the shifte linkage. I hear you hav to tighten a wire by the tranny. Mine does that but it dosent really bother me because it shifts and runs amazing.

lostin90s

Most have adjustment on them Now . In late 80'and 90s they had small dial on cable to adjust right where went into cluster

louie83814

I guess my problem is finding the dial. I looked all over yesterday and couldn't find anything. Can anyone post some pics for me? That would help a ton.

vikingotech

Easy fix. Shift indicator has nothing to do with transmission. Look under steering column/dash you should be able to see a small white plastic piece that holds a black thumb wheel. By turning thumb wheel you adjust the string that connects to shift indicator. Now, most of the times the small white plastic piece is broken, and can not be adjusted. Ford does not sale that part, you will need to buy the whole shift indicator assembly about $50 but you will need to remove dash and reinstall new shift indicator assembly. Dealer charges about $200. I fixed mine, went to junk yard, a lot of Ford vehicles use this part. I got only the white plastic piece, from a E150 van, got it for free. Installation: use pliers to remove string from gear lever, remove screw that holds white plastic piece, put thumb wheel and string inside new white plastic piece, install screw and attach string to gear lever. 5-10 minutes. some guys have been able to fix it using zip ties, or making their own device that holds thumb wheel in place.

louie83814

Thank you very much. I will look into that today.

Madlab7

I had that same problem on my old truck (97 F-150). Like Viking said, most of the times it is the broken plastic piece which will not let you tighten it. I got the whole shift indicator unit for 28 dollars + tax at my dealer.

Shawn5906

Hello. It is a very easy fix with the replacement part. If the retainer clip is only split and the piece that broke is still on the cable, a strategically placed zip tie can pull the two halves back together just above the thumb screw/cable assembly. The fix may be more reliable than the weak plastic original part. The adjustable thumb screw can be accessed without removing any dash parts. The downside is that you will have to lay with your head on the driver side floor and look directly up. If you gently move the shifter up and down without pulling it in to release the safety and change gear, you will see a very thin orange cable move slightly in conjunction with the shifter. Truck off, emergency brake on would be a good idea as you will be in a very vulnerable position to see it properly. I firmly believe that if you are somewhat mechanically inclined and overcome the challenge of locating the culprit, you will find it a cheap, easy, diy fix. Look for a white plastic bracket with a hex head screw attaching it to the under dash assembly below the steering column. The bracket will be supporting a black thumb screw on a threaded end of a black sheathed cable. In my case, the cable itself is orange. A light tug on the cable will move the indicator towards P. Good luck.

samhunter99

I have the exact same problem and found this online, I will probably do it sometime this week.

http://www.fordf150.net/articles/idx...djustment.html

desk0

i know this is an old thread but i want to know, where can i get the replacement? my dad has the 98 f150 and told me that the gear indicator wasn't moving so i checked the car and the wire that goes in the column was broken