help removing shifter 2003 ford ranger
 

alright, so I have to replace the slave cylinder, I read up alot and also got a manual for it.
one of the first few steps, remove the shifter from transmission

so, my ranger is 2003, and its got plastic molding trim, so I remove the 2 screws with ease and then theres a threaded bolt and a nut
i take the nut off the passenger side onto the drivers side, thread it, then get stuck, try as hard as i can, very very slowly turning but it just keeps getting harder, i take off the nut and see i started damaging it, try a few more times and nothing, there is noway it will thread on, the previous owner must have put lock-tite on it or something, it is physically impossible, only thing i have yet to try is my 4 foot long breaker bar (already thought i broke the shifter twice when the thing just jumped off)

so i need some help or tips what to try next, there must be a way of removing it off the transmission

Re: help removing shifter 2003 ford ranger
 

go down the road at oh idk, 40-50 mph then jam it in reverse a few times, after a few times doing that the whole tranny should fall right out.

on a serious note, idk, maybe pb blaster or just yank it off and look for the part at a junk yard when it comes time for it to go back together.

Re: help removing shifter 2003 ford ranger
 

you can't just yank it off....

for now the only thing i can think of is drilling out the bolt which i don't want to do

Re: help removing shifter 2003 ford ranger
 

You sure your not cross threading it? That nut should thread cleanly on to the opposite side it came off of to extract that stud and allow the shifter to be removed.

Re: help removing shifter 2003 ford ranger
 

try this as I had the same problem. there should be a rubber boot thing underneath the shifter ball and bolt your talking about.

remove this, you might have to slice a little bit to get it past the bolt. Then there are 3 star bolts on the round cap. remove those and take the whole shifter out. Make sure it is in nuetral before taking the shifter off. Otherwise it is difficult to get back in.

Re: help removing shifter 2003 ford ranger
 

got the 3 torx bolts off, thanks

I am sure i was not cross-threading it, it just wouldnt go any farther. Just taken off the driveshaft and exhaust too