Trans Selector Pops out of Park

[farmtruckman]

On my 67 LWB, with a Mercomatic trans, the selector tends to occasionally "pop" out of Park into Reverse. Just had seals replaced and the trans guy talked about a spring in the steering column that either has broken or not in place, which causes that.

Always thought that the selector was out of adjustment since in each gear selection, the indicator is slightly off. Can't find any reference to a spring in LMC catalog or any of my service manuals.

Any suggestions before I tear apart?

FTM

[fordman]

that is kind of almost normal. for these truck column shifters to do that. some adjustment can be made to the linkage to not make it so tight.

[70_F100]

First, adjust the shifter linkage so that it's aligned properly in all of the gears. Like Fordman said, that may help some.

Of course, if your cab mounts are rusted out, it's not going to help. You'll need to repair/replace them before you'll ever get it adjusted.

If everything is good, and you've got it adjusted right, there's a plate inside the column that holds the shifter in park. Either that could be worn, or the pin that locks it could be worn/damaged. The plate is # 7A216 (near the upper left corner) in this diagram: http://www.fordification.com/tech/image ... column.jpg

[farmtruckman]

70_F100,

Thanks for response. Your description looks right on! Now, to find the plate, but at least I know where to look. Now that the trans seals are all tight and no leaks, I can drive it around more

Thanks again!!!

FTM