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Shift cable end fail. How to fix?

DangerCell

NAXJA Forum User
Location
Cape Cod
New XJ owner
1998 4.0 6 cyl with 128k miles, AW4 automatic trans (me thinks), NP231 transfer case, 3" lift

Half mile into my ride home from picking it up the shifter cable failed (luckily stuck in D...would have been a looong 60 miles home if it was stuck in 2nd or, gulp, reverse). And luckily I did not have to take a piss too bad on way LOL

It failed simply by cable popping out of the plastic end/terminal that attaches to the shift lever on the transmission.

Thought easy fix...circlip or something. HA! That plastic thing snapped when i attempted to just push it back in...

Apparently I need to buy and install a whole new shift cable???? Not terribly expensive...just assuming major PITA taking out console and routing new cable through firewall...

Is there no other solution?

Perfectly good cable. Is there another fix anyone has done???

Was thinking of threading the cable end, drilling a tiny hole through "nipple" on shift lever, then going to hardware store and getting a lil L bracket, a lil cotter pin, a washer, and nut to rig something up to attach cable end to the shift lever.

In Summary:
1. Has anyone found a good way to fix this problem?

2. Anyone out there ever install a new shift cable that can give a noob the step by step???

Help greatly appreciated.
Thanks in advance!
 
Fixed...for now....with a finish nail.
Just made an "8" shape bent so the "o's" are 90 deg to each other. Meticulously sized so it just sorta snapped on then crimped a bit with vice grips.
Works good for now after a week of driving. More permanent fix coming involving threading cable end and using spent brass .45 casing as cable end :)
 
i think the nail is a more suitable fix for a jeep. my cable end kept popping off on the transmission side from being worn out. it popped off shifting from drive to reverse. i had some zip-ties with me and in 30 seconds it was fixed. the more permanent solution was that i forgot it was fixed with zip ties.
 
I'm having a really hard time visualizing what's actually broken. If you just need a new end on the cable, you can find a suitable replacement and braze it on. I actually welded new ends on my parking brake cables when I switched to disc in the rear so that's an option too if you don't have the soldering tools.
 
Plastic peice on metal...brazing? Nah...no braze :) Unless a metal replacement for plastic piece is available...but it is not, unless ya make it, but then ya can just arrange a mechanical attachment rather than prolonging the design flaw which is having a single unit (the cable) which should really be 3 (a cable, a trans end, and a shifter end).
 
Hence the reason I'm looking for a picture. I still have no idea what plastic piece is on a cable end down there. If you wanted to make that nail permanent, I would at least braze that onto the cable.
That cable is super easy to replace. The center console removal is a five minute job and from there you can get to the hold down on the transmission that keeps you from pulling it through.
 
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