LincolnDriver
Active LVC Member
For all the manual 5 speed owners.
The shifter boot is held in place with 4 rather flimsy plastic clips that will break over time. One person here has had theirs replaced under warranty 4 times already. When I fixed mine, I could tell it had already been replaced when I found additional broken clips under the center console.
It is obviously a flawed design, and you don't want to spend $177.00 from Ford, for something that will eventually break again.
To fix it, you might try this.
Remove the shifter knob. The shifter knob on the manual, is not held on with any screws, it just pulls straight off. Take off the shifter boot. Pry the cover plate off from around the ashtray, (from the top). Once removed, pry the center column cover plate off starting near the ashtray. On the shifter boot and you will see on the back, the plastic ring that the plastic clips have broken off from. Where each clip broke off, and using a drill press, I drilled a 5/32" hole at each corner, (2 holes per clip, 8 total), completely through the plastic ring. I put a metal feeler gauge between the plastic and the leather boot prior to drilling, so that I did not mistakenly drill through the leather. I then simply put the boot back in place, and using 8 cable ties, I threaded the ties through the holes I had drilled, and through the four plastic slots on the center column cover plate, and tightened them. It only took me 1/2 hour to do this.
The boot is now anchored securely.... permanently.
The shifter boot is held in place with 4 rather flimsy plastic clips that will break over time. One person here has had theirs replaced under warranty 4 times already. When I fixed mine, I could tell it had already been replaced when I found additional broken clips under the center console.
It is obviously a flawed design, and you don't want to spend $177.00 from Ford, for something that will eventually break again.
To fix it, you might try this.
Remove the shifter knob. The shifter knob on the manual, is not held on with any screws, it just pulls straight off. Take off the shifter boot. Pry the cover plate off from around the ashtray, (from the top). Once removed, pry the center column cover plate off starting near the ashtray. On the shifter boot and you will see on the back, the plastic ring that the plastic clips have broken off from. Where each clip broke off, and using a drill press, I drilled a 5/32" hole at each corner, (2 holes per clip, 8 total), completely through the plastic ring. I put a metal feeler gauge between the plastic and the leather boot prior to drilling, so that I did not mistakenly drill through the leather. I then simply put the boot back in place, and using 8 cable ties, I threaded the ties through the holes I had drilled, and through the four plastic slots on the center column cover plate, and tightened them. It only took me 1/2 hour to do this.
The boot is now anchored securely.... permanently.
