93mark8rules
Active LVC Member
I have a 94 Mark 8 and like most 1st gen Marks the button flew out of the shift knob. Being that there's less of these cars in the junkyards now a days I was looking for a way to fix it. First I tried a Pep Boys universal wood shift knob. That wasnt worth the plastic it was made of, it spun all the time and felt loose and honestly just didn't look like it belonged. Then someone said use a 2nd gen knob theyre the same. Turns out they're not. First Gens are secured with a clip where as second gens are secured with 2 set screws that thread into the shift lever. When I found that out I bought a 2nd gen shift lever which didnt fit my shifter base. Then I bought a whole 2nd Gen shifter set up to put in my car, and started asking about compatibility. Someone on here said they had seen the original shifter button online and that a Fiesta also worked. So I got on google and found the old Ford Part # and ordered it off ebay for about $20. I put it in the shifter and found out it looked the same but didn't fit.But once you open the wrapper you cant return it. SO took out a file and sand paper and shaped it to fit.
After an hour or so I found out the ramp is a different angle from the original and it wasnt pushing the little white peg down enough to release the shifter. So at this point I realized even Ford had forsaken my poor Mark VIII...
Finally I was mad So I grabbed my old shift button and heated up a finishing nail on the stove and made to small holes in the knob where the strap that held it on the shifter used to be.
Then I started looking around the house for wire of some sort to make a new strap. I found some CAT5e communications wire in the basement. SO I stripped it and used one pair of wires to make the loop.
I test fit it on the shifter and it worked well. So the next thing to do was I squeezed the 2 ends that were sticking out with a pair of pliers to make them flatter, and dribbled some crazy glue into the holes just in case the wire decided it was going to move. Here is my finished product.
So if anyone's button breaks don't waste money and time just get a foot of cat 5 from Home Depot and use it to fix your button, so far its been on my car 2 weeks and has given me no problems...
After an hour or so I found out the ramp is a different angle from the original and it wasnt pushing the little white peg down enough to release the shifter. So at this point I realized even Ford had forsaken my poor Mark VIII...
Finally I was mad So I grabbed my old shift button and heated up a finishing nail on the stove and made to small holes in the knob where the strap that held it on the shifter used to be.
Then I started looking around the house for wire of some sort to make a new strap. I found some CAT5e communications wire in the basement. SO I stripped it and used one pair of wires to make the loop.
I test fit it on the shifter and it worked well. So the next thing to do was I squeezed the 2 ends that were sticking out with a pair of pliers to make them flatter, and dribbled some crazy glue into the holes just in case the wire decided it was going to move. Here is my finished product.
So if anyone's button breaks don't waste money and time just get a foot of cat 5 from Home Depot and use it to fix your button, so far its been on my car 2 weeks and has given me no problems...
