Good to know if you drive a F53 chassis

[TomAndLindaRogers]

While backing into a RV site, our Hurricane 29M gear shift hung up in “Drive”. I could move the lever to any gear, but it was still in drive. When I shut the ignition off, not the smartest thing to do, I could not restart the engine because it will only start if the transmission is in “Park”. Did I mention we were partially blocking campground traffic?

I removed the steering column top cover. On the left side of the steering column behind a wiring bundle, I found the gear shift cable. As I moved the shifting lever the entire cable moved. That shouldn’t happen. Just below the cable I saw the bracket that the cable was supposed to be fastened to. I put the cable back into the bracket, shifted the transmission into park, started the engine, shifted into reverse, and backed into our site.

Then I canceled the tow truck. That’s right, I wasn’t as cool and calm as I made it look above. The first thing I did was call roadside assistance. I was looking at an 80-mile tow to a Ford dealer and then, of course, an undetermined wait time for the repair. The point of this thread is, if you drive a F53 chassis and you can’t shift the transmission, there may be a simple repair.

I did go back in to secure the cable to the bracket with a zip tie. I figure if it slipped out once, it could happen again.

[Long & Winding road]

Wow, this is great information.

It might even apply to the e350 / e450 chassis..... Many of the same things are used in both E and F53 Rv's (Steering wheel, dash cluster, HVac system etc).

[vegasruv24.1]

this is a brand new unit,... maybe wasn't installed proper to start with????

[Bob Denman]

Nice save!

https://www.thorforums.com/forums/at...1&d=1593545253

[TomAndLindaRogers]

Originally Posted by vegasruv24.1

this is a brand new unit,... maybe wasn't installed proper to start with????

It’s a 2018 with 32000 miles. The cable and bracket are Ford parts held together by a rubber bump and hole. Not an infallible design.

Long & Winding road
I agree the E350 & E450 class A chassis are probably the same. We owned an Axis before the Hurricane. The dash on our Axis and Hurricane are very similar.

[powerboatr]

Originally Posted by Bob Denman

Nice save!

https://www.thorforums.com/forums/at...1&d=1593545253

DITTO good info

[MRichaud]

One other related item. When we picked up our brand new SOB, I noticed that the indicator for the gear selector was off a bit - so that if you were in, say, Reverse, it was pointed about halfway between "R" and "P", and also felt a bit sloppy when moving it. There's a cogwheel adjustment that, once you get to it, is quite easy to move.



One of those "little" annoyances that seem like would necessitate a trip to the dealer/mechanic, but is pretty easily fixed. YouTube is your friend...