couple of questions

[03F150ESCB-Bob]

My son really scored this week i think
he came into a 1997 Ford Explorer fully loaded eecept leather with 114K on it for $500..Apparently the guy got all upset cause of a couple fo quirks that i think are related

#1 the truck is really hard to move into gear.. it takes alot of effort to move it from park into drive.. Im thinking either a cable or the linkage but i remember another guy with a taurus that there was a problem with the cable..
#2 sometimes on a hill, like in the driveway. the parking pull doesnt grab and it seems like its not fully engaged and the truck sort of bangs down the driveway. so he just uses the emergency brake

any ideas of simple fixes without tearing apart the whole truck?

 

[89frankenford]

i would defintiely check the cable first. i replaced one on a ford van that was very hard to shift and it worked great after that

 

[CowboyBilly9Mile]

97 should be the first year for the 5R55E, in which case it's all electronic (no shift cable). I'd be looking in the steering column for something binding.

 

[RangerPilot]

The parking pawl is another issue though...it's inside the tranny and I don't know of any way to get to it without dropping and disassembling it.

In light of the binding issues, I'd recommend working on it first to see if it fixes the issue (truck may not be quite getting in gear).

And please make sure the cruise control recalls have been performed and are up to date. Don't need his brand new truck burning to the ground.