Ford Falcon BA interior automatic gear/mode selector failure - bodgy fix to get you home
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- Опубліковано 1 жов 2024
- The Ford Falcon BA is a pretty decent car but they're getting to the age now where various bits of plastic are breaking and one of the more common failures is the bushings in the gear selector cable ends, both on the gearbox itself ( easy enough to fix, exposed underneath the car, $25 kit fix ) and a few years later the bushing on the other end of the cable which is tied to the actual mode selector.
Replacing the interior/center-console end requires a lot of car interior disassembly work and not something you can really do on the road side, however if you have a stick, wedge, or pretty much anything, you only need to pull off the plastic bezel around the selector assembly and jam it between the sheathed cable and the driver's side wall of the center console ( might take some trying to get the cable ring back on the selector pin ).
Many thanks to the people who contributed on last night's live-stream to help me get the car home (I'll still be having to spend the $ to get it fixed properly! )
Pretty sure this screwdriver will appear in pl daniels tools section :)
Glad you got the car home Paul. You have had a tough few months and this is just one of those things that pops up in life to challenge us. Some cave in and abandon the car or pay for a tow truck, people like you put their thinking hat on, get support from their friends around the world and find a way.
Hat off to you sir.
I was prepped the night before to fix the transmission side, so I was a bit thrown off when I arrived only to find that the transmission side was A-OK with the previous fix still; fortunately 10 minutes of googling and finding the exploded diagrams of the assembly gave me the knowledge I needed to tackle the top-side / selector fault.
Until the "proper" repair kit arrives I can at least get around town and will even be taking a trip to Townsville (140km each way, highway), with the screwdriver keeping us going :)
Wow paul outside the lab
Happens occasionally, sometimes I have to go out finding spare parts for computers, or food apparently.
Nothing is more permanent than a temporary solution.
If this was Aussie gold hunters, you would have nearly died without your bush craft fix...
Too right.
Like the rest of the people mate thankyou so much, got me out of a jam. Australia you little pissa
It's a great car but it's starting to get a bit annoying now to keep it going - AC looking like it's finally giving up on the exchanger :|
Glad you got home.
Thanks mate, I was in the ikea carpark with my 5 month old and felt the plastic snap when putting it into gear, had no tools but a snub spanner that I was able to jam in there to get home. Legend.
Good to hear you got it home; now to see how long that spanner stays there ;)
An inexpensive repair thankfully ... sad fact that such a kit exists shows this is a common issue 😔... glad you will get everything sorted.
Thanks for sharing this with us, my Ford ute had the same trouble 🙌🏼
Great stuff; nice when a bodge fix does the job without too much pain. Tomorrow I have a long trip and lo behold, still not fixed. I suspect this car will go to the wreckers with the screw driver as a bonus.
Mate I can’t even find the hole where you put the screwdriver !! Could you please tell me how did you make the hole in the first place? 🤲🤲
Good luck with the repairs. I have no doubt you'll get it fixed. Thanks for the update.👍
Yes, it'll require taking out the driver seat, pulling apart the center console, and possibly having to make up a replacement bushing ( they sell 3rd part fix kits for the gearbox end but not the interior one afaik )
@@pldaniels I know over here one can get all the necessary parts. When I use to work on all types and someone couldn't afford new one's and I didn't want to fabricate them I would go to a junk car yard to find them.
@@barrywest3758 I'm thinking worst case scenario, a bit of delrin and a hole for the pin. I've not seen it yet but I suspect the retainer pin/clasp/clip is likely still on the selector pin.
@@pldaniels It may be there. That will work. When I didn't have brass handy I would use nylon polymer type for the bushings. I used an outside drill bit that I used for drilling holes for a small birds nest.
Don't forget to cover it with some _green goo._ It works on the boards so why not the car. 🤦♂️
You bloody legend. Sitting in wivenhoe car park waiting for racq. Thought I'd have a look on UA-cam. Fixed it instantly. Thank you for uploading
Good thing you had a screwdriver with you to do the job! Glad it worked out - now see how long it takes before you get it properly replaced ( took me a bit over 18 months :D )
Absolute legend mate same thing happened to me randomly
Car drive fine stoped at Car park turned off done a few things went back started in park then couldn't select drive in a panic i reversed into a spot and then luckily found your video fixed my selecting issue and drive car home saved tow truck cost
Thanks for your upload mate
Still driving around with the limp-home fix here.... one day I'll fix it properly :-o Glad it saved you the cost of the tow truck!
Hey mate you are a true legend I just finished work 50 KMs away from home my ba gtp did this and roadside assistance wouldn't came out because I couldn't move the car to a spot for them to tow so I stuck a pen init and it worked drove it home ....thank you very much ...much love I owe you big time
Glad you got it fixed up enough. Real dead-in-the-guts feeling when you're away from home and it happens.
@@pldaniels thank you again mate you saved me big time ...I can't say thank you enough
i know what is wrong, the steer wheel is on the wrong side.....
Nope, it's on the,,,, Right side 😁
Was there a bushing that needs to be replaced that you can buy on that linkage there? Mine has come off and unsure if there's something worn on it causing it to pop off
It's an inner plastic bushing that breaks; the kits are commonly available, just google / ebay for them.
Ausie engineering! Beautiful!!
Did yours show up flashing
Will I find the broken part inside the housing if it is the internal failure? Had headphones in when I parked up so didn’t hear whether the breakage happened internally at the selector or on the gearbox end of the cable.
Heading back to the car later today to find out if I can permanently apply a bodgy fix, or if I need a tow to install a kit on the gearbox side.
Is yours still bodgy fixed equipped?
Thanks so much for the video mate. Parked car after school drop off aok. Went to leave and car starts ok but nothing happens when I change gears….Panic - something is totally broken. 😱 Half an hour of google YouTubing and I had managed to diagnose problem. Up pops your vid and within 5 mins I had popped the cable back into place and viola, it works. I’ll keep the screwdriver nearby just in case it pops off again while I wait for new bushing. 🥇👍 I totally love you guys and your old car vids - you’ve got me and my BA Falcon back on the road a few times now and saved me from spending/wasting money I didn’t have anyway. Really really appreciate you taking the time to upload it. 🥰
Dude just saved me a lot of trouble. Wish I found it earlier.lol
Good luck getting it to the "fixed" stage... mine is *still* utilising the screwdriver.
The P,R,N and D symbols on the instrument panel flash off and on for my ba ford falcon 2003 ute then my car suddenly cuts out and wont turn over.. I dont know what it is or what to do. Any ideas mate? Cheers.
Sounds like you've got some major electrical issues there. Possibly a dangling short somewhere if it's killing the engine outright ; if you're *really* lucky it's just a bad battery ?
@@pldaniels thanks mate for the reply the battery is solid green all the electrics inside the car work aircon,radio, lights etc.. the thing I don't understand is when the car actually starts and the gear I'm in appears on the instrument panel P = Park D = drive etc.. if the symbol stays solid the engine runs perfect and sounds good but, as soon as the gear symbol flashes off, on, off, on that's when the engine tries to stay on running but then just starts acting up and finally cuts out and finally the car wont start over again after awhile waiting then the whole thing just repeats.. I was thinking maybe it could be the starter motor or like you said something electrical maybe it could be a faulty neutral safetyswitch. I'm really not sure and I'll have to wait 3 weeks to find out what's going because all the mechanics in my town are booked and I just passed my driving test yesterday and this happens.. 🙁
Wish I knew more about cars.
@@kasn452 congratulations on passing the driving test - that at least is out of the way.
The blanking out of the letter indications tends to make me think that either the system is shorting out momentarily (causing all power to be lost for a split second ) or it could be as you said, something in the gearbox pickup going haywire.
Maybe someone who has a lot more experience can weigh in here. Other option is to join up to a Ford forum here in AU and ask
www.fordforums.com.au
falconforums.com.au
Cheers uncle 🙏
Nice work
Thank you for taking the time to share this! You got me out of a bind.
dodgy Bros Inc
If it gets me home I'm happy :) Now to do the real fix. Good to have stocks in the DodgyBro's corp :)
@@pldaniels it's Australia - we all have shares in it lol
@@lexitechlab My old Corolla was the primary shareholder back in the day :)
Lexi, everones a critic :)
Owe you a beer for that one.thanks for sharing.
It worked for me you are the man.
You're welcome! Hopefully you get it "properly fixed" sooner than I do... I'm still driving around with the screwdriver in there :-o
Pretty sure it's what's happening with my car its currently stuck in reverse and can't even start as it's a auto will this work and how easy is it to fix install a new cable
Could be either the internal one in the selector, or it could be the one under the car on the exterior of the gearbox. If you can get your head under the car take a look and it'll be obvious if the selector has broken off from the gearbox.
Bro you’re a legend. You just saved me 🙏
Great to hear. Old video now but I figure many people in their Falcon's are needing it. Glad you made it home... now to see how quick you replace the screwdriver ;)
@@pldaniels haha yeah mate. I’m going to see how long I can go with just the screw driver. Thanks again legend 💪
If Louis were here, he’d tell you to buy a Tesla.
...and I would concur :D
@@pldaniels make sure to have current bush supply mapped out ;)
Where's Russel Coight when you need him? 🤷♂️
Na, Russell is an arse-hole :)
Nice idea lol 😆
Thank you mate
Nice!
Ooow how bodgy he he , just a joke :-D
Sometimes a bit of re-engineering is possible, jubilee clips or large cable ties can be handy.
I've been told by a local group that there might be a 3rd party replacement for the interior bushing now, so I'll chase that option first, otherwise, yes, more bodgy work to be done.
@@pldaniels Cable ties have done sterling work for a good number of years for me, and also for a few others, because yes those selector bushes are a PITA to replace, and for some they are no longer even made any more. Cue a few cable ties in a balanced set of locations to take up the slack, and then a touch of grease to get the friction down, and it is better than new again.
For some parts the official fix kit is just a single cable tie to put in either in place of the broken plastic clip, or to reinforce the clip. Ofcourse, if you get the official kit it comes in a cardboard box, containing the inner plastic bag, with a single tie in it, and costs $30, when you can buy 100 ties for $2, and get change.
@@pldaniels I take it this is the trouble: officialsix3seven.blogspot.com/2013/04/doesnt-look-right.html
@@zx8401ztv that's the gearbox end in the picture, yes; I've had that one repaired before ( still holding thank goodness ). This failure was the same cable but other end, but same problem, the internal bushing between the pin and the eyelet cracks like most plastics and falls away
@@pldaniels hmm make a new one with hot glue and two washers plus a greasy pin lol.
Sorry sorry bodge mode jumped in :-D
should’ve got an AU
Those headlights just don't do it for me, but I do miss the EF's luxurious seating/room feel; the BA is a bit too squished and you feel like you're being pushed to the side :( That said, still a good highway traveller.
👍
Jeez, just fix it!
Dipshit - it's to get home so it can be fixed.
EDIT: October 20, 2022, the proper fix is done; no more screw driver in the console. Only took a year and a half ( though for some reason feels longer ).
Found a nice kit here in AU with fast delivery for it;
powerwin.com.au/shop.html#!/Ford-Transmission-shift-cable-end-bush/p/126051165/category=22992345
Is this kit for the interior fix? My Ba ute is all fine outside but I'm afraid it is doing precisely the same as yours. I had to crawl under the car and manually shift it into drive so I could get it in my garage. I just watched a video on how to remove the center console....looks like an awful big job but hey you gotta do what you gotta do hey? Thanks so much for this video, it has saved me a lot of dicking around trouble shooting and looking at diagrams etc.
As I understand it the exterior and interior use the same kit.
I *still* have not fitted mine.
@@pldaniels if you still haven’t installed the replacement part, this guy managed to loosen the housing and get faceplate off without taking everything out. It looks like it MIGHT be possible to access the end of the cable to install the new bush from there. Just in case it helps.
ua-cam.com/video/mT4RejabYYM/v-deo.html
I’ll give it a go once I get the replacement part. Thanks for the fix.