Counterclockwise only shifter issue

[Habitatxskate]

Hey guys, just got myself another ranger work truck, couldn't pass it up for the price..95 ranger 4.0 auto 2wd

I didn't have a problem until my friend followed me back home in it on the way home from purchase, of course.

I'll start by saying I immediately tighened the two hex screws found under the dash (the more hidden one was extremely loose) and it tightened things up but didn't fix the problem.

I went under the truck and found that I could manually move the shifter bracket going into the transmission to properly engage P, allowing me to again start the truck. I can go into R D, anything, but it's when I go to return to park or R from D that I get no response. Got back under and manually moved it into park, and then from there, fine..

Tl;dr: can get into drive from park but not into park from drive.

 

[RonD]

Besides the shifter hex bolts another common issue is the shift rail/tube bushing.
Good video here on fixing that: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LP6RQ-MVX_0

Also check the cable where it comes out of the firewall and bends down and back to go to trans shift linkage, if it starts to split it shortens the cable travel.

 

[Habitatxskate]

Besides the shifter hex bolts another cnommon issue is the shift rail/tube bushing.
Good video here on fixing that: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LP6RQ-MVX_0

Also check the cable where it comes out of the firewall and bends down and back to go to trans shift linkage, if it starts to split it shortens the cable travel.

The bushing in the column is definitely shot, it's there, but not seated where it should be. Is that really enough to not engage counter clockwise gear selections?

There's a heat shield of some sort around the cable where it goes past the exhaust, and has fraying of the heat shield, but the cable itself seems unaffected. There's some gunk built up at the trans near where the cable runs, I am going to jack it up and spray it down with some pb blaster to see if it helps movement.

If I wiggle the shifter from inside the cab it seems as if the cable isn't being pulled straight from the firewall grommet but kind of starts to take the path of least resistance and kind of turns itself in the grommet.

There's a cable bracket between the firewall and exhaust that is intact, or so it seems.

I'm wondering if I can grease the cable or if there's a spring in the linkage that could be replaced? The reason I'm wondering this is because when you go toward drive you're pulling the cable, and when you go towards park (where my problem lies) the cable is being pushed.

If I had to go off of feeling alone I would put my money on the parts underneath the truck more so than within the cab