SOS cable adjustment selector lever position

Selector lever adjustment..
I finally got my tractor back from the mechanic
after steering sector leak repair (I could write a
book on that transaction) Ended up being a tear
in the seal which was determined after 2 wrong
parts and replacing sector with another still
leaking etc etc etc...$ 1200 labor parts $ 200.00

Anyway now when control is in P the transmission
is in 10th When lever is in R tractor is in P

The gear lever has been reassembled improperly.. I
DO NOT want to take it back to this mechanic since
they would probably break something else....

I have the ford shop manual which states the
selector lever should be taken off in 10th
position... since being reassembled after the
steering sector repair the transmission 10th is
the selection sector P I do not want to screw
this up any worse than it is... SO any advice..I
think I can fix this myself but do not want to screw it up worse.. I can use the tractor just not too safe when P is 10th an R is P and to shift to 10th or fast gear I would have to come to a complete stop then crank up RPMs to " take-off"

There also need to be 2 3/4 inch in lower selector cable...not sure I understand this but maybe will be clear when I actually take cover off transmission if I even need to do that Not sure if PTO is connected corectly

thanks for your input

Sue

You should not need to take the cover off of the transmission. You should put the transmission selector into whatever position it needs to be in so that the transmission is actually in park (in your case is that R2 or R1? You only said R, and there are 2 reverse speeds), and then follow the procedure to remove the gear selector housing from the dash and make sure that the transmission itself stays in park. Once the upper cable is disconnected from the lower cable and you know that the transmission is still really in park, you can follow the procedure for adjusting the length of the lower cable and put it all back together and it should be fine.

Thank you I will have to look but I think it was
R1 for P then lower cable should be 2 3/4 inch and
reassemble ... I think I can do this Also seems
like a mechanic at a ford dealership charging
75.00 an hour would be able to read a shop manual
and follow specs but hey guess I expect too
much..I'll let you know how it goes gonna try and
change transmission hydraulic fluid and repair
the control lever issue

Thanks again
sue

My guess is that your mechanic simply mis-adjusted the lower cable stub. Make sure the transmission is actually in park, as has been stated and follow the procedure as Sean stated.

only because ive been working on this exact thing for a week, and the transmission filter, i can tell you with the sos, you have to have it in 10 to get the cable off, so if you unscrew the cable head and shift the gears you will see the conector come down to wear you can disconnect the cables from each other seperating the one going in the transmission and the one going to the selector box. the come apart like hooking your fingers together thats the best way i can explain it

(quoted from post at 08:16:13 06/01/13) only because ive been working on this exact thing for a week, and the transmission filter, i can tell you with the sos, you have to have it in 10 to get the cable off, so if you unscrew the cable head and shift the gears you will see the conector come down to wear you can disconnect the cables from each other seperating the one going in the transmission and the one going to the selector box. the come apart like hooking your fingers together thats the best way i can explain it

Click to expand...

Sue Metz & twiggy,

As Sean shared, it is NOT necessary (or desireable) to remove the transmission cover plate.

Sean and Larry won't steer you wrong here, follow their comments. Twiggy is correct that the shifter must be in 10th to separate the cables, [color=red:a5016053a7]but the transmission needs to stay in Park[/color:a5016053a7]. This is acheived by removing the shift housing from the tractor and allowing it to move up vs. the shift cable moving down (and shifting). Thus the tranny stays in Park, your long cable sticks out the bottom of the shifter conduit and you can get things apart. Follow the book, but it should be as simple as adjusting the short cable that is in the tranny (by spinning it like a screw) in or out until you have 2-3/4" sticking out above the cover plate. Put the shift housing back on loosely, see what you have and go from there (a turn or two may help the gear selector line up better and is adviseable). I love my 971, but the biggest safety concern for me (and it's surprised me a couple of times) is throwing the tractor in Park and going to jump off, only to find I didn't quite get there and the tractor is still in R2. High speed reverse and it will get your attention as you are trying to climb off.

Chris

PS - If you find things changing on you, some here have described the attachment location for the lower cable wearing to the point the cable "jumps" on them a tooth or two when they shift and it comes out of adjustment. Likely not to happen, but it has been reported.

These can really be frustrating, especially if your " repair joker" actually took the shift lever mechanism apart instead of just remove it from the dash. The earlier SOS had a detent disc inside on your valve body that was semetrecal , and could be rotated past 10th and back to Park. Later detent wheels were changed with a lug stopping at either 10 or P. All the info you have received is correct. Be patient and get it right so it does not hurt someone. The correct single turn on that lower cable makes all the difference.

ok I Loosened the 9/16th cable from the
transmission then took off the adjustment selector
from the tractor I moved the selector to 10th and
took apart the funky cables then noted that the
bottom cable was exactly 2 3/4 " so hooked it back
up then put in P after all back together no
change still P = 10th and every gear one off from
where it should be... So was my error in moving
the selector lever to 10th instead of some how
moving the whole housing until the funky cable
thing comes down so I can see it ?? but since the
bottom cable is set correctly at 2 3/4" whats the
problem...My next fix may be to get a magic marker
and re-label the P=10 R2=P
However since I am about as old as this tractor
I'll probably forget and crash into something..
Really does not seem like that funky cable
connection is very strong. I could go to the
trouble to look up exact mechanical terms but
"funky" cable thing is what it is. I'm just glad I
got it back together again... I do not think it
is the transmission band adjustment etc... cause
everything was ok before the steering sector was
worked on

Any ideas
Thanks Sue

There is a section in the manual that tells you how to adjust the dial so that when the transmission is in Park the dial indicates P.

Thanks for the info page 86 paragraph 228 about how the pointer needs to be directly under the gear the tractor is in. My problem is that when the selector lever indicates the tractor is in P or park the transmission is really in 10th and R2 is really Park R1 is really R2 N is R1 etc.....
I tried doing exactly like the manual instructs...

1)loosen the conduit nut securing the cable to the trans cover.

2) Remove screws holding the selector assembly to the tractor hood. (They were so rusted I actually had to saw thru them so I am pretty sure the mechanic DID NOT EVER REMOVE THE SELECTOR BODY ASSEMBLY FROM THE TRACTOR EVER so I am unsure how he removed the selector speed assembly as instructed on page 18 section 40 paragraph 234 which states the selection assembly needs to be removed to remove the steering gear assembly

3) move the selector up to 10th ( This puzzels me cause I actually move my lever physically DOWN to go into 10th from P or in my case R2???

4) Then I disconnected the two flex cables.

5) I measured the lower flex cable and it was exactly 2 and 3/4 " top of the fitting to the upper side of the notch as indicated in Fig. FO178.
6) I then moved the lever UP to P and re attached the selector assembly to the tractor with new screws or bolts or (whatever)

Still same problem P on the lever assembly puts the tractor into 10th gear.....

Why do the instructions say to move the selector lever UP to 10th when really I have to move this one (physically) DOWN to 10th Page 90 section 234 2nd paragraph...

Hope I'm not too annoying but I'd like to fix this myself
but I am at a loss right now the tractor transmission was in P or in my case R2 when I started then I moved the lever to the actual 10th gear maybe I needed to move it to my P since that is the actual 10th but I do not think the flex cable will be exposed to unhook

Anybody confused yet

Thanks SUe

I ran in to that last year! Assuming your shifter is on the r side, carefuly remove the left dome cover. With a 1 1/8 or 1 1/4 deep well socket lossen the nut and move your indicator to P. Tighten the nut by holding the shifter in lock. Make sure it is in P.

I'll have to purchase the socket next week and I'll try that
Thanks a lot for the help
Sue

(quoted from post at 17:55:08 06/01/13) I'll have to purchase the socket next week and I'll try that
Thanks a lot for the help
Sue

Click to expand...

I had essentially the same thing with mine. I had to make the adjustment that Murn described. Be careful applying torque to that nut. That cast part that it is on is aluminum and you could twist it off. Best to put on a breaker bar and hit the bar with a heavy hammer as if you were using an impact wrench, in order to break the nut loose.

Thanks
I was thinking I would spray some WD-40 or
something like that on it let it set a while I
need to purchase a deep socket to fist. Do you
know the correct size that hex nut takes ?? I know
its larger than a 1 1/16 the largest I have

Thanks Again for every ones help

I still keep thinking about the way that flex
cable fits together and how anybody designed that
To me-- kinda amazing
Sue

Sue Metz,

I may be wrong, but it seems to me, if you leave the cable installed as it is now and try to reconcile by changing the gear indicator, you may not be satisfied with the results.

First, that cast aluminum is often seized and not easy to take apart or adjust.

Secondly (and more importantly), it would seem if you adjust the dial to P is Park, you will loose the use of 10th gear. Worst cast scenario would be if 10th was still available "above" Park and the situation could become quite dangerous.

If things aligned well before joe mechanic removed the shifter, I would expect proper adjustment of the short cable to be the more appropriate solution. I don't know where my shop manual is currently so I can't tell you which way to try first, but turn your short cable "in" or "out" two or three turns. Then replace the shift housing and see what you find. You should be able to make the proper adjustment from there to align your shifter (gear indicator) and keep all gears.

Chris

(quoted from post at 14:12:02 06/01/13) ok I Loosened the 9/16th cable from the
transmission then took off the adjustment selector
from the tractor I moved the selector to 10th and
took apart the funky cables then noted that the
bottom cable was exactly 2 3/4 " so hooked it back
up then put in P after all back together no
change still P = 10th and every gear one off from
where it should be... So was my error in moving
the selector lever to 10th instead of some how
moving the whole housing until the funky cable
thing comes down so I can see it ?? but since the
bottom cable is set correctly at 2 3/4" whats the
problem...My next fix may be to get a magic marker
and re-label the P=10 R2=P
However since I am about as old as this tractor
I'll probably forget and crash into something..
Really does not seem like that funky cable
connection is very strong. I could go to the
trouble to look up exact mechanical terms but
"funky" cable thing is what it is. I'm just glad I
got it back together again... I do not think it
is the transmission band adjustment etc... cause
everything was ok before the steering sector was
worked on

Any ideas
Thanks Sue

Click to expand...

What gear was the transmission itself in when you measured the 2 3/4"?????

It must be done with the transmission itself actually in Park!

Yes, you must move the selector handle to 10 when removing the upper cable and selector housing to get at the lower cable to make the adjustment, but you're supposed to start with the transmission itself in park before you remove the selector housing, not with the selector indicator pointing to Park, especially if you know that the transmission itself is not in park when the selector is in that position. Start with the transmission itself actually being in Park, no matter what the selector indicator is pointing to, and make sure that the transmission itself is still in Park after the selector housing and upper cable have been removed. You can do this by using an ohmmeter to see that the safety switch reads zero ohms. Once you are sure that the transmission itself is actually in Park, then you can measure your 2 3/4".

im sorry if there was some confussion there, i was just trying to explain how to seperate the cables from each other, not to take the trans. out of park. i thought that was well understood.