Shift cable disconnected from shifter

[rustedcutlery]

A couple nights ago, I couldn't get my pickup to come out of park. It has always been very firm when shifting between gears. So I tried to pull on it harder, and broke something in the column. A piece of pot metal and a white plastic pin came out the bottom.

I have not had the chance to take the column apart, but I am assuming the metal has to do with the park lock, and the white plastic holds the shifter onto the cable?

If that's the case, and I can just get rid of the park lock, and hook the cable back onto the shifter, given I didn't break anything else That im not aware of?

I think it shifts firm because the cable sticks in the liner, in which I'll just replace the cable.

Any thoughts?

 

[SkyHighColorado]

Not sure about how 98's are set up, but sounds like you broke the neutral switch on the end of the column near the firewall. On a 94 there is a wire cable (small) that attaches with a clip to the column right under the start of the dash and it moves the gear indicator in the cluster. My truck does not have a shifter cable of any kind. The end of the column turns and pushes up and down a metal rod connected to the transmission to change gears.

 

[someotherguy]

I'm thinking you broke the shift assembly itself, most likely because the BTSI (brake-to-shift interlock) wasn't working, preventing you from taking it out of park. Cause for that may be the solenoid for it went bad, or your brake switch has a failed set of contacts in it.

Here's the mechanism, first pic still on the column with shifter attached:

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And here it is by itself, removable from the column with like 3 torx bolts.

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Don't know anywhere that sells it separately, but my point in posting that pic is to let you know you can just replace that part instead of swapping the whole column. You could also buy that piece from any 95-98 (and 99 classic) fullsize truck and it will work, whereas a complete column swap would have to come from 98 (and 99 classic) since 98 is the year the Passlock antitheft system was added and portions of it are in the column.

Richard

 

[SkyHighColorado]

I'm thinking you broke the shift assembly itself, most likely because the BTSI (brake-to-shift interlock) wasn't working, preventing you from taking it out of park. Cause for that may be the solenoid for it went bad, or your brake switch has a failed set of contacts in it.

Here's the mechanism, first pic still on the column with shifter attached:

You must be registered for see images attach

And here it is by itself, removable from the column with like 3 torx bolts.

You must be registered for see images attach

Don't know anywhere that sells it separately, but my point in posting that pic is to let you know you can just replace that part instead of swapping the whole column. You could also buy that piece from any 95-98 (and 99 classic) fullsize truck and it will work, whereas a complete column swap would have to come from 98 (and 99 classic) since 98 is the year the Passlock antitheft system was added and portions of it are in the column.

Richard

lol scratch what I was saying, the 98 is a lot different.

 

[someotherguy]

Yeah, 95-up is way different. Totally redesigned column, and instead of a string moving a physical needle in the gauge cluster to indicate the gear, with a separate switch down on the column for park/neutral/reverse, it's got a range switch mounted on the side of the trans on the shifter stud and it handles park/neutral/reverse and also the gear indicator which is LED's in the cluster.

Richard