Shift cable replacement...
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Actually... you have to remove the dash, airbox, and airbag controller to get to the firewall to replace the cable. Anybody interested in pics of the process? There doesn't seem to be any Fusion/Milan specific info out there, the process is the same for the Mazda 6... Here is my inspiration ;-)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S-eK5fH9f3s#
This is an 05 Mazda 6, so the heater box is different, but every other bolt to remove the dash is the same...
The 6 guys claim 3 days to do this, I'm 3 hours in and I have the airbox out and am taking a break...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S-eK5fH9f3s#
This is an 05 Mazda 6, so the heater box is different, but every other bolt to remove the dash is the same...
The 6 guys claim 3 days to do this, I'm 3 hours in and I have the airbox out and am taking a break...
Anybody considering changing their shift cable with a high-degree of technical knowledge or AC tools should think twice. The entire process takes about 12 hours from start to finish with one person, being careful.
Steps:
1.) Remove front seats (this should set the tone for the entire job... prepare yourself)
2.) Remove console (knob, cover, 6 screws holding base in)
3.) Strip dash (pillars, kicks, glove box and cluster)
4.) Remove Column (remove 4 bolts on trim [one is torx] and 4 nuts holding column to underside of dash)
5.) Remove Dash (various 10mm bolts)
6.) Unhook and drain heater core (self-adjusting factory hose clamps)
7.) Recover R134-A from AC system (you've got the equipment, right? Doesn't everybody?)
8.) Disconnect AC condensor line block (10mm bolt)
9.) Remove heater box assy (10mm nuts on firewall studs)
10.) Pop retainers loose on rear-zone ducting on the console hump at the front
11.) Remove airbag control module (3 10mm bolts)
12.) Remove firewall insulation (10mm plastic retainers on firewall studs)
13.) Unclip cables from shifter (if they aren't broken loose already like mine)
14.) Remove 10mm nut on holder keeping cables away from manifold under hood
15.) Unclip cables from trans and linkage bracket
16.) Remove 2 10mm nuts from firewall plate on shift cable
17.) Feed shift cable through to the inside of the car
And... my favorite FSM caveat...
18.) Installation is reverse of removal...
I didn't want to evacuate the AC system since I'd just vacuumed it down and recharged it last year when I bought the car, so I put a bottle jack in the car on the pass side and used it to lift the assembly slightly with a block of wood. I didn't put stress on the condenser block.
Then, I used a utility knife to slit the sound-deadening on each side to get to the cable. Don't worry, this is only for sound-deadening, the heat insulation is under the hood between the engine and firewall.
Lastly, if you opt for this method... be prepared to get cut, scratched, and scraped while dealing with positioning the cable ends to come out and go back in. It really takes less time to disconnect everything, but it can be done without. With enough beer, you can accomplish anything.
just for reference, here in Indy, I had one dealer who quoted me $950 as a bare minimum in labor (I bought the cable months ago) to change it and another who quoted $1274 (parts not included).
I no longer have any love or even like for my fusion. Designing a car where common wear items cannot be changed without extensive amounts of labor is dishonest. If you think I'm jumping the gun on this one, look at the procedure for changing the clutch master cylinder. Disconnecting and bleeding the entire brake system should NOT be necessary for a job like this unless you're trying to increase revenue from repairs by increasing the amount of labor.
Steps:
1.) Remove front seats (this should set the tone for the entire job... prepare yourself)
2.) Remove console (knob, cover, 6 screws holding base in)
3.) Strip dash (pillars, kicks, glove box and cluster)
4.) Remove Column (remove 4 bolts on trim [one is torx] and 4 nuts holding column to underside of dash)
5.) Remove Dash (various 10mm bolts)
6.) Unhook and drain heater core (self-adjusting factory hose clamps)
7.) Recover R134-A from AC system (you've got the equipment, right? Doesn't everybody?)
8.) Disconnect AC condensor line block (10mm bolt)
9.) Remove heater box assy (10mm nuts on firewall studs)
10.) Pop retainers loose on rear-zone ducting on the console hump at the front
11.) Remove airbag control module (3 10mm bolts)
12.) Remove firewall insulation (10mm plastic retainers on firewall studs)
13.) Unclip cables from shifter (if they aren't broken loose already like mine)
14.) Remove 10mm nut on holder keeping cables away from manifold under hood
15.) Unclip cables from trans and linkage bracket
16.) Remove 2 10mm nuts from firewall plate on shift cable
17.) Feed shift cable through to the inside of the car
And... my favorite FSM caveat...
18.) Installation is reverse of removal...
I didn't want to evacuate the AC system since I'd just vacuumed it down and recharged it last year when I bought the car, so I put a bottle jack in the car on the pass side and used it to lift the assembly slightly with a block of wood. I didn't put stress on the condenser block.
Then, I used a utility knife to slit the sound-deadening on each side to get to the cable. Don't worry, this is only for sound-deadening, the heat insulation is under the hood between the engine and firewall.
Lastly, if you opt for this method... be prepared to get cut, scratched, and scraped while dealing with positioning the cable ends to come out and go back in. It really takes less time to disconnect everything, but it can be done without. With enough beer, you can accomplish anything.
just for reference, here in Indy, I had one dealer who quoted me $950 as a bare minimum in labor (I bought the cable months ago) to change it and another who quoted $1274 (parts not included).
I no longer have any love or even like for my fusion. Designing a car where common wear items cannot be changed without extensive amounts of labor is dishonest. If you think I'm jumping the gun on this one, look at the procedure for changing the clutch master cylinder. Disconnecting and bleeding the entire brake system should NOT be necessary for a job like this unless you're trying to increase revenue from repairs by increasing the amount of labor.
Joined
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156 Posts
So, did your shifter cables fail, or were they just sloppy? I'm real easy on the shifter as far as pressure and speed because from day one it didn't feel very precise or durable. How many miles do you have on yours? Do we have that retarded A/C sensor as well? About the clutch master cylinder, is there a clutch fluid reservoir? When I bled my brakes a while ago, I didn't see one out in the open like you normally would. I did peek at the trans to confirm that these things have a hydro clutch, but that is as far as I went.
I never checked the clutch master's source of fluid. I'd assume that it feeds off of the brake master like every other mazda/ford shared-platform car. I'll look tomorrow.
We do have a temp sensor of some kind in the airbox (you can see the cabling entering between blower and condensor)... although I'd guess it differs on S and SE as the entire airbox is different.
To answer your first question, Ford is using the same cables as Mazda has in the 03+ 6. The shifter itself is really sloppy (which is where your play is coming from).
The problem with these cables is that the portion that clips into the shifter housing under the console is brittle/thin plastic... and they frequently break in the 6's after 2-3 years of abuse. The plastic is so brittle in fact, that it is nearly impossible to remove them from the shifter without breaking them in many cases. Many people have fabricated a metal bracket to hold them in place after the retainer snaps as the cable itself is a solid steel wire (not a flexible braided cable like you'd imagine) just like an automatic transmission would commonly have and I would be shocked to see one EVER actually wear out.
Mine was broken when I bought the car, but I didn't do it any favors because I drive aggressively. There are actually 2 cables (sold as one assembly because of firewall grommet/plate); one cable controls side-side movement and the other controls Forward-Backward movement (like shifting from 1-2 or 3-4 or 5-R or the reverse of each). The latter is the cable that breaks because of the force you need to apply to it when your clutch master rod cylinder is out of adjustment (you need to lengthen it by holding the nut and turning the rod (or holding the rod and turning the nut). This increases pedal travel and helps open the pressure plate fully when the clutch is depressed.
Shifter cables are a normal wear item for most cars since the late 80's and I was shocked to find that it was so hard to change. In the previous cars, the firewall was accessible by removing the console (or they used a 2-bar shifter that actually hung under the car... which was a great linkage setup as long as you kept good bushings in it and had a stiff rear motor/trans mount).
We do have a temp sensor of some kind in the airbox (you can see the cabling entering between blower and condensor)... although I'd guess it differs on S and SE as the entire airbox is different.
To answer your first question, Ford is using the same cables as Mazda has in the 03+ 6. The shifter itself is really sloppy (which is where your play is coming from).
The problem with these cables is that the portion that clips into the shifter housing under the console is brittle/thin plastic... and they frequently break in the 6's after 2-3 years of abuse. The plastic is so brittle in fact, that it is nearly impossible to remove them from the shifter without breaking them in many cases. Many people have fabricated a metal bracket to hold them in place after the retainer snaps as the cable itself is a solid steel wire (not a flexible braided cable like you'd imagine) just like an automatic transmission would commonly have and I would be shocked to see one EVER actually wear out.
Mine was broken when I bought the car, but I didn't do it any favors because I drive aggressively. There are actually 2 cables (sold as one assembly because of firewall grommet/plate); one cable controls side-side movement and the other controls Forward-Backward movement (like shifting from 1-2 or 3-4 or 5-R or the reverse of each). The latter is the cable that breaks because of the force you need to apply to it when your clutch master rod cylinder is out of adjustment (you need to lengthen it by holding the nut and turning the rod (or holding the rod and turning the nut). This increases pedal travel and helps open the pressure plate fully when the clutch is depressed.
Shifter cables are a normal wear item for most cars since the late 80's and I was shocked to find that it was so hard to change. In the previous cars, the firewall was accessible by removing the console (or they used a 2-bar shifter that actually hung under the car... which was a great linkage setup as long as you kept good bushings in it and had a stiff rear motor/trans mount).
Joined
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2 Posts
Hey, I know that this is a really old post but I’m hoping someone might be able to give me a little bit of insider help with my situation. I have a 2012 Ford fusion SE and my transmission shift cable had failed due to a plastic retainer piece that had cracked on the engine mount side. Well, this past weekend I went ahead and replaced the entire trans shift cable, and everything looked to be put in correctly. I went to start the car and shifted out of park and immediately I had realized that something happened or it felt loose on the shifter again. I pulled the consul apart below the shifter, and took a look to find that the braided cable that wraps around the metal rod had shared apart and was broken in that area. This was a brand new OEM replacement cable though. Why would this happen? Can anyone think of anything that I might’ve done incorrectly with the install that would’ve caused this?
Joined
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2 Posts
Here’s a picture of the failure I’m referencing on that braided cable that wraps around the metal rod - which has the connected bushing that snaps onto the shifter selector between the drivers seat & passengers seat. Hopefully that all makes sense as for the what part of the cable I’m referencing too in this picture.
Also, would anyone happen to have a diagram or photo of the cable connection at the engine side for my model/year - 2012 Ford Fusion SE. I mainly want to very the exact positioning that the cable is ran from the firewall to the actual shift lever on the tranny. Thanks a bunch!
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Also, would anyone happen to have a diagram or photo of the cable connection at the engine side for my model/year - 2012 Ford Fusion SE. I mainly want to very the exact positioning that the cable is ran from the firewall to the actual shift lever on the tranny. Thanks a bunch!
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