Bad night, need tech help

[Shotokan1509]

Driving home from a friends Superbowl party, following someone waaaay too slow. They pull off so I speed up a bit, right past a cop. Get pulled over, DUI test, and receive a warning. Cop says "have a good night, drive safe". I put my truck in drive.. only get reverse and almost back into the cop car. Shut it down and now it won't even start, reverse lights are stuck on. All power seems to work but won't even try to start. Cop gives me a ride home. Get the parents to go out there to atleast push it off the road. We pushed it off, I try to start it for the hell of it and now it starts but will not drive in forward/reverse. The shifter feels like jelly, do not feel the different gears. Ideas on what the problem is? I doubt I totally fried the trans because it was fine until pulled over. My guess is electrical (why it wouldnt start) or something to do with the shift linkage? Throw ideas because I'd really rather not drop the dough for a tow, diagnostic and fix.

Edit: Cop said I can leave it there overnight but move it in the morning so I need to look at it early in the morning before work, and then call in the tow if I can't get it going.

 

[Seabiscuit]

You talking about this one?

95 Ford Ranger ext cab 4.0V6 4x4 auto trans

 

[Born24wheel]

Did it at least crank the first time you tried to start it, sounds like the linkage is jammed, a car wont start in gear like D or R. Just a thought.

 

[86ford]

depends on how mechanicly inclined you are but i would pull up the carpet and unbolt the plate were the shifter is and see if you can find something that looks wrong and bandaid it together to get it were it needs to be to get fixed properly. all you have to do is start it and get it into drive once and go. it does sound like the linkage broke. if you have another person(holds the brakes down) OR a GOOD parking brake along with 2 cinder blocks to hold the tires start the truck and try to mess with the linkage under it till it goes into gear.

86

 

[predator]

depends on how mechanicly inclined you are but i would pull up the carpet and unbolt the plate were the shifter is and see if you can find something that looks wrong and bandaid it together to get it were it needs to be to get fixed properly. all you have to do is start it and get it into drive once and go. it does sound like the linkage broke. if you have another person(holds the brakes down) OR a GOOD parking brake along with 2 cinder blocks to hold the tires start the truck and try to mess with the linkage under it till it goes into gear. 86

yeah thats smart!!!!! nothing like jacking up the back till the wheels are off the ground huh?????

 

[reno]

Hey I know what 86ford is saying, and if linkage is broken, then that is a quick fix to get it home only. Using 2 people is far better though, one holds the brakes while the other crawls underneath, grabs the shifter on the transmission and puts it into drive. Should be 3 clicks and that would be drive.

 

[monkey19]

Play it safe. Just get it towed to a garage or back to your house then look at it. Roadside safety is important...

then let us know what it is.

 

[dogboy]

I would mess around with the linkage that shifts it.

Word of wisdom, if you have a truck capable of towing a car trailer, go to U-Haul and rent a trailer. I found that it is MUCH cheaper than a tow truck. I had to have my truck towed from an auction to my house and it costed 150 bucks. U-Haul trailer, 50 for a day.

 

[snake]

I think some of the above posts are on the money- sounds like linkage either at the shifter or down at the tranny. I don't remember what all that looks like under the truck, but in the old days there used to be an adjuster down there to slide the shifter apparatus forward or back. I've seen these get loose and you would have the problem you are describing here because it would slide around instead of shift into the proper gear.

With the engine off and key on, have someone slide under the truck (get it off the highway first) and watch as you go through the gears and see how far anything is moving. If this works off of a cable, I'll betcha it slipped out of whatever holds it in place. My guess is it is not the tranny but something screwed up between the shift lever and the transmission. If you manually shift it into drive you should be able to get it home for proper repairs. The "no start" was the clue, because the neutral safety switch is apparently still working. This means you'll have to get it started in whatever gear (park or nuetral) you can and slip it into a gear while it is running. Dangerous, so have the e-brake locked down TIGHT if someone slips under there while it is running. Might even consider jacking it up off the ground (jackstands!) to pop it in gear and then let it down to drive it home for the permanent fix. Let us know what you find out.

 

[lil_Blue_Ford]

I can't believe everyone is suggesting that someone get under a running vehicle, rear wheels jacked up or not.

Have it towed or got to U-haul and rent a tow dolly to drag it home. Please don't get run over out there!

 

[metalmacguyver]

get a friend with a truck, a tow dolly for 50 bucks at taylor rental or uhaul, and fix it the safe way at home.

 

[cocoasranger]

Is it floor or column shift? That may make a lot of difference in diagnosing the problem. On column shift the adjuster is plastic and kind of rickety and prone to slip out of adjustment or plain snap.

 

[CopyKat]

On the column shift the shifter is a cable.

1. the cable poped off the tab for the trans.

2. the cable poped off the end of the column lever.

3. the cable snapped

 

[86ford]

yeah thats smart!!!!! nothing like jacking up the back till the wheels are off the ground huh?????

i mite be retarded but you myfriend are equally as retarded. what do you do once its in drive and you need to let it down of the jackstands and the tires are spinning? still requires a person to hold the brakes or a working parking brake! now who is the jackass?

86

 

[Shotokan1509]

Ok, went out this morning, got it started and the shifter was all over the place but I did manage to find first gear (maybe second?) and got it home. Hope to look at it after work.