87 Ranger 5 speed Sloppy Shifter

[Mr.Hotrod]

I have an 87 Ranger with a 5 speed tranny but not sure of what model. I was going up a bumpy road in the mountains and all of a sudden my shifter went from being fairly tight to really loose and sloppy... If i move the stick all the way to the right where it's not supposed to be it gets stuck in 5 and then i have to move it around to get it back in neutral. The stick rattles now and trying to find gears is kind of difficult, especially reverse.

 

[adsm08]

The teflon ball broke.

 

[Mr.Hotrod]

The teflon ball broke.

Would it hurt to drive like that if i'm careful? I have to drive for an hour and a half to see a concert and i really don't feel like waiting for a year or so for them to come again.

 

[Mikel89us]

It will probably be fine, but if it has already stuck in a gear once it will probably do it again. If you are careful I dont see why you couldnt drive it.

 

[Mr.Hotrod]

It will probably be fine, but if it has already stuck in a gear once it will probably do it again. If you are careful I dont see why you couldnt drive it.

The only reason it got stuck is because i moved the stick where it's not supposed to be so yeah im guessing ill be fine so ill be careful shifting

 

[scotts90ranger]

either that or one of the alignment pins broke, happened on mine, after a couple wheeling trips it ended up on the magnetic drain plug.

 

[Mikel89us]

I have seen those pins back out too. You just hit em back in then stake it in with a punch. I havent seen a pin cause that kind of a problem though, maybe both happend....

 

[Mr.Hotrod]

So where can i get a telfon ball from and is there a kind i need to get?

 

[adsm08]

Heh, I am aware of no source for a NIB unit. Junk yard is where you find them these days.

Pull the shift lever out and check the ball. If by chance it is ok pull the pan off (before you put the shifter back in) and check for the pin. Then you can pour the fluid back in through the shifter hole.

 

[scotts90ranger]

I've heard that the ball is the same as the one in the tranny for an old RX7, so if you find an old race shop that worked on the rotary's they might have them...