IndianaMcTexas

Hello!

I have a 1997 F150 XLT 4x2 4.6 with the 3 door extended cab. I had to swap out the transmission last winter and when I jacked up the replacement I broke the plastic guide tube on the shift cable. Yay for flat backin' it in a barn in Indiana! This left me unable to go into park so I adjusted the cable and have been driving without park and with P=R, R=N, and N=D.

I've finally decided I'm sick of this and wanted to order a replacement. Every parts site I checked lists 1 cable for the 4R70W trans I have and 2 others(differing lengths) for the 4E0D. My cable looks like the 4E0D with the yellow sliding adjuster but I DEFINITELY have a 4R70W. Is there any body code, VIN decode or anything that will tell me which is a macth for sure or do I have to pull the old one and measure it first? Minor gripe, but curious.

jstockert

I went through the same crap with my truck. Same as yours but mine is a 4x4. I bought the one for the 4r70w and it was too long I believe. Anyway i ended up buying the one with the yellow slider piece, same as old. That was the correct one. Be super careful not to bend it any odd angle or it will not work. BTW I bought mine from advance auto parts.

IndianaMcTexas

Thanks for the answer. Which length did you happen to buy? I recall seeing a 52.5" and I think a 56"? This seems to be a murky area with these trucks.

jstockert

If I remember correctly it was the shorter of the two. Do you have your old cable?

IndianaMcTexas

Yeah, it's still up under the truck. I just wanted to try and see if there was some way to pinpoint which one so I can just make one excursion under that bastard. I'll be doing this on stands so it's kind of a pain to raise her up and remove the thing just to measure it! It is what it is though.

IndianaMcTexas

I think I may have just put 2 and 2 together. If you bought the one listed for the 4r70W and it was too long(lists as 55") I think I need the one for the 4E0D that's 52.5" as the other lists for 56" Oddly enough Rock Auto doesn't list the 56" at all. I think I'm going to chance it from Amazon since I have prime and returns are free. Same brand everywhere. Thanks for the help, you at least helped me "talk" it out.

Red-Ford

You can look up the TR code on the door sticker and go from there. Your truck is 18 years old, They might have changed colors for replacement parts, who knows. If your TR code is E, then it is a E4OD, if your code is U, then your trans is the 4R70W.

IndianaMcTexas

It's definitely the 4R70W. I changed it myself. The problem was that the parts listings show a very different shift cable than what I actually have and list two different lengths for the ones that do match mine. The one that doesn't match has no slider adjustment and looks quite a bit different. jstockert above you ran into the exact same thing.

jstockert

Yep. Mine is 4r70w for sure. But the one listed for the 4r70w transmission was wrong.

Holicori

Are you sure you installed the cable in the right place?

I know you said the bracket broke...but can't you still just put it on differently?

When I install mine, I put the truck in neutral with the shifter near the driver wheel. Then I rotate the shifting pin on the trans (4r70w) all the way to the back of the truck...then forward 2 clicks...that puts it in neutral. So now the trans and the truck are both in neutral. Then just put that metal bracket on that is attached to the cable.


If it doesn't seem right, my apologies, I may not have understood the OP correctly.