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Can't shift lever into Low (1)

5K views 11 replies 5 participants last post by  03griz 
#1 ·
Man I have really been using this site - so many helpful and knowledgeable people. Hopefully someone can help me on this too.

99 F350 SD.

I cannot physically move the shift lever into Low. With foot on brake and emergency brake on, I move lever out of P into R and trans engages revers. Then N and it goes into neutral. I put it in D and the truck engages into drive. Move lever to 2. Lever will not move any further.

I had my wife shift it while I was under the truck and can watch and hear the shift mechanism at the transmission shifting into each of the positions - there is an audible sound in each position. There is nothing visually binding the shifting at the transmission.

Is it binding in the column or in the transmission itself?


The mechanism at the transmission looks to be adjustable, but I am not going to mess with that without guidance.

Thanks.
 
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#2 ·
Update... When I drive it in D I can detect shifts from 1 to 2, 2 to 3, 3 to OD.

When I move lever to 2, it will not shift out of 1st.

I unhooked the trans cable under the dash from the shift lever. Shift lever can now move through all positions freely even pointing the number 1.

From underneath, I move the transmission shift lever itself from park, it will move and go into 4 positions toward the front of the vehicle. That is it will go from P to R N D 2, but I can feel no 5th "position". So actually, when I move the lever on the transmission, it is really going from D to 1 and 2 is never actually "hit" even though the shift indicator is showing that I am in 2 - really I am in 1 and can never just go to 2.

When I am driving in D, there are occasions when I think, man it really should have shifted by now and the speed keeps going up as do rpms and then finally it will go ahead and shift.

What is that black box on the transmission that the shift cable goes to called? Maybe that is broken? How can I tell and how about how much would one expect to pay for the part?
 
#3 ·
Found problem, but now that reveals more problems.

I started to take that black box off and to my surprise, there were some rocks on the top side getting in the way of the shift lever, so the transmission lever couldn't go into 1st. I could not get the box off the trans shaft.

The new problems revealed: Electrical connector was hard to get off the black box (and now after reading, I know that is the Manual Level Position Switch - MLPS). There was dried mud at the bottom. The female connector had a pin at the very bottom and above that were green and had a bit of "stuff" on them. The pins on the MLPS same position, were a bit corroded. It is a square connector. I sprayed with brake clean and put some electric grease on it and plugged it back in. Since I could not take it off the trans shaft I just put the two bolts back in. It looks like the sensor could be rotated because the holes for the bolts are oblong. I just got it about in the middle and tightened the two bolts.

Next problem. The shift lever will now go into 1 - yeah... but how will it drive - if the rock was there causing it to not go into 1, then that means it was in 2 but would never shift into 2. So lets drive it and see...
In 1, the truck stays in 1
In 2, the truck also stays in 1
In D, the truck will shift from 1, to 2 to 3 to OD as it should.

So... should I rotate that MLPS one direction or another or something. Should I replace it due to the corrosion? Could the MLPS be causing this or is it in the transmission?

And lastly... could the MPLS cause the truck to intermittently loose power under a load - meaning I can't get up to 60 pulling my camper? Only way is for it to shift out of OD and into 3rd and even then the RPMs are way high and then can barely get past 60 and then it shifts back into OD and then speed and power drop and then it shifts out of OD and we start the cycle over and over until I bring vehicle to a stop and idle for a bit. Other times it will pull that camper like it isn't even back there. I think this is a different issue, but checking just incase.
 
#5 ·
Replace the mlps, they give lots of problems.
Before you install the new mlps, make sure the trans is in neutral, install the mlps and look right above the center hole where the shifter shaft goes through the mlps. You'll see 2 slots, on moves as you rotate the mlps and the other does not. align the 2 slots and tighten the mlps.
 
#6 ·
still won't shift into 2 when in 2

ipz2222,
I replaced the MLPS which on the 99 they are now called the Digital Transmission Range Sensor.

No change. Although I can physically shift into 1 now (that problem was because there was a couple small rocks jammed by the lever.

I shift into 2 and from a stand still, it will only stay in 1 and will not shift into 2.

Why do you think that the transmission won't shift from 1 to 2 when in 2?

Thanks for any help.
 
#7 ·
Isn't it with ford, That when you put the lever in 2. It is in 2,and never goes to 1. In that case you wont feel a shift. I know this is helpfull for snow and other slick situations.

My old GM would start in 1st but not ford. Atleast how I understood it..
 
#8 ·
Yes, ford is 2nd only when 2nd is selected.
Put it in 2nd, speed up to 20 mph, keep the throttle steady and move the lever to 1. You should feel the trans downshift.
If it does not down shift<< stuck 1-2 accumulator shift valve, burnt 2nd clutches or defectic 2nd one way clutch.
 
#9 ·
Thank you - you two were right!!! It really was in 2. Now my mind is at rest on this matter.

I was so intent on watching for a shift on the Tach, that I never even realized that I was able to go twice as fast or more when in 2 than in 1. Should have dawned on me that I really was in 2. Probably states that is how it operates in the manual - Jeeze.

Thanks again!
 
#10 ·
Glad it wasn't any thing bad. I started a savings account that is labeled tranny.
So I under stand the feeling.
 
#12 ·
Man, you have just saved me a big piece of mind, I just bought an 02 and when I went to flush the tranny found no 1st. After searching hi and low I found this site, and this post, and just went outside in the dark, layed in a puddle, and took two rocks out of my linkage. Works awesome now! Thanks a million!
 
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