How to fix the 2005 Ford Focus Shift Tower for 2005-11/ST(Episode 5)

[@sarihn]

I just have to say: Your video was pretty instrumental for me to fix the dreaded pin break (more like shatter, that thing was in about 10 pieces when we got it out) in my 07 ST. You were clear, concise and your insights were genuinely helpful. Especially since I have very little experience working on anything in my vehicle, but I'm not afraid to get into things. So seriously, thank you for the video.

[@FocusedHands]

Awesome!!

[@jfunk526]

Was debating on tackling this job until I watched your video. Watched and executed it perfectly. Thank you ! I was especially grateful for you telling me bolt sizes so I wasn't guessing. Very informative and detailed. 5 Starts !!

[@FocusedHands]

Glad it helped! Glad another Focus was saved!

[@danmatthews3102]

You win the internet my friend. Great Job documenting this. I'm partially into mine now, and even my electric impact won't break those nuts loose. Will need a long cheater bar, and maybe a flame.

[@swartzrobert1197]

What a video! My Son has a 2009 Ford Focus SE with a five speed. That year and model with manual is rare! We checked the bushings and they were good , So I figured the linkage pin broke. The 2009 has slight differences, but this video made the repair possible!! Dude you saved me About a Thousand bucks!!!! Thanks for taking the time to make the video! Don’t ever stop slapping the camera lens between scenes, that is like your trademark!!! You Da Man!!! Thanks!

[@FocusedHands]

Glad it all worked out! Another Focus saved from the yard!

[@joewallman2664]

Thanks to u. I have just extracted broken roll pin on my nephews 10 focus. Gratitude to u for being the only video out there to steer me toward the fix!

[@FocusedHands]

!!! Super cool! Glad you were able to fix the issue! Not to bad right, once you get the tower out?

[@jameskirk5629]

Nice work. I may need this demo to get to the shifter cable ends for inspection. Have you determined whether the stock upper transmission mount is interchangeable between the automatic and manual 2005-2007 Focus? I found some conflicting information on various Ford sites... (FYI, I use the poly dogbone mount from Massive Speed on my 05 manual and it helps the car get up and go from a stop - and no vibration).

[@FocusedHands]

I don't see a difference between them. They both look the same/ size/location. I may retry the fswerks mounts driver and passenger as well as the torque strut mount from fswerks. Only issue with this is.... they are very expensive.

[@jameskirk5629]

@@FocusedHands I'm stock on the passenger and driver side for smooth idle but the poly for the torque strut (dogbone) mount makes a good difference on the MTX. I'm using a the softer street version too. It should last longer and pay for itself.

[@FocusedHands]

@@jameskirk5629 hmmm send me a like with these please

[@FocusedHands]

Just got my torque strut in! I will be installing it in the morning!

[@matthewgarth1384]

Great video my wrench turning brother. You did the best job walking me through the process before I tore into my 07 Focus. Indeed that was the culprit. 3 pieces and some shards in the middle. Thanks Focused Hands!

[@FocusedHands]

You saved so much money!

[@matthewgarth1384]

@@FocusedHands I can't imagine what the shop would have billed me for that fix. I went down to Napa and bought a $0.77 1/4" roll pin and was back in business.

[@FocusedHands]

@@matthewgarth1384 they would have billed you for a new transmission.

[@meeeeee575]

Yo you've saved my ass, my tower had 2.5in of play in neutral and in gears. Found my pin was broken in 2 different places. You da man

[@FocusedHands]

Go ahead and smash that subscribe button! And check out more videos on the channel you might find useful!!

[@kiloplayzz6533]

So my shifter is in neutral but car is in reverse could this be the problem

[@FocusedHands]

Yep could be! Also check your shifter. At 1 point mine was broke

[@kiloplayzz6533]

Took the tower out looked good put it back in and it's still in reverse even when the shifter is in neutral any ideas?

[@FocusedHands]

@@kiloplayzz6533 what gears will it go into?

[@FocusedHands]

I would look at your reverse switch

[@FocusedHands]

Its either a sensor on the transmission, your reverse switch or an issue within the gear box

[@walkrightministries]

Hey Bro, Thanks for the video. What if I only lost third gear tho? Clutch seems fine but just won't go into third. When I got the car I found paperwork stating they just installed a new clutch kit on the vehicle as well.

[@FocusedHands]

If the tower is fine... then you might have an issues with the 3rd gear fork/and/or synchro. For that repair...you will need to drop the trans

[@walkrightministries]

@@FocusedHands dang it, man, lol. I hoped to get around that, but I'll try the tower first and inspect it. If not do you recommend rebuilding trans or just getting a refurb?. just an everyday driver. 2005 MTX75 trans zx4? Your help is appreciated highly. The car runs like a top just grinds into second and won't go in third.

[@FocusedHands]

@@walkrightministries A rebuild may not be needed... if it is just the fork. A rebuild is going to be expensive for the parts... you can do the work yourself. The MTX-75 is super easy too work with. If you have a shop do it... the price will be 4 too 5 times the value of the car lol. At that point... I'd just get a refurb/ or buy 1 off ebay with lower mileage.

[@walkrightministries]

@@FocusedHands went pricing last night and got a new one on the way... I paid 375 dollars for the car with literally no other issues. It's almost mint! I just bought a rebuilt one and bit the bullet... I'll install before Christmas some time as I really don't have the time, but I sure want to stay profitable.... a lil lol

[@FocusedHands]

@@walkrightministries Smart Move!!

[@AntonioGarcia-zc9hp]

how can you tell if the shift tower is the problem for sure?

[@FocusedHands]

You would have to pull it/ check the pins. If the pins are good... the issue is the transmission. I have videos about the transmission already!

[@AntonioGarcia-zc9hp]

@@FocusedHands is there anything i should check before doing that? It dosent go into gear, but the shifter isnt floppy like the one you showed

[@FocusedHands]

@@AntonioGarcia-zc9hp check the shifter cables inside and in the engine bay

[@FocusedHands]

If the cable is turned left or right... it will not go into gear. I had this issue with the 1st short throw shifter

[@Bermudezroberto]

hey man good video i have 2007 focus st. i shifted hard into third and it did a grind noise maybe clutch wasn't fully pressed down. now first gear wont work(like if it was neutral) unless i push hard on it and go to 2nds before (maybe i bent something). all other gears work fine . neutral feels funny like not centered.. what do you think??... the square on the batt rack with 8mm bolts is the cruise control i believe.

[@FocusedHands]

Hmmm hard to say from birds eye view. If the gears are working it will likely not be the shift tower. You mentioned clutch... did you smell the clutch burn? Check the fluid levels for the transmission... if ok... you may need to pull it to inspect the gears ands synchros

[@Bermudezroberto]

I took it apart like you did pushed the pin back in (what was weird is it ended up deep in there) It worked but after some hard shifts problem came back all gears except 1st .. you know where i can find that pin? Or any could work ?

[@FocusedHands]

@@Bermudezroberto you will have to get a bolt and nut to fit in there. I don't remember what size bolt I used to fix mine... but you can take the part to home depot and test fit it... it's a M series bolt and nut

[@mulletsquirrel]

Thanks for the video! Lost ability to shift gears and this was super helpful getting things working again! You're the best! *subscribed*

[@FocusedHands]

Ayyyyye another Focused Saved! Thanks for the sub!

[@stevefewtrell1453]

Mate, brilliant video. 👍 Much appreciated that you put it up to help us. My son's Focus 2nd Gen 2010 (Australian model LV, LX, Mk1 with the 2L Duratec motor) that he has just bought this week, has just lost all gears, with the gear stick completely 'floppy' in the forward back direction. Checked the gear stick linkages at the gear stick end and they are good, so hoping that it is the linkage end attached to the gearbox that has come off. If it is not that, then your video gives me the knowledge to quickly get the gearbox turret off and hopefully replace the roll pin that is a common fault on these gearboxes. Good luck fixing up the rest of the car. Looks like a decent project for you. Thanks again.

[@FocusedHands]

Yea I ended up solving this issue by pushing a bolt through it and tightening it with a nut on the other end. It is difficult to do cause of the space... but with patience you can get it done. After that you should not have anymore issues with the tower.

[@av8r77]

Where do I buy the shift tower?

[@FocusedHands]

It is a ford direct part unfortunately... runs about 250 ish USD. And the new ones have the roll pin which will fail again

[@FocusedHands]

Im actually going to reuse my old as it has the stronger internals

[@av8r77]

@@FocusedHands Im sorry I meant the shifter lever! At 20:00 you have a new one and your old one side by side! Where did you source the lever? Local Ford dealer said it was obsolete. =(

[@FocusedHands]

@@av8r77 I bought that 1 new off ebay. You can also check fordpartsgiant.com

[@danvitous1085]

I did the same fix on my son's '05 last year. Watched another vid on this fix, decided I didn't want to try it. Had it towed to a trans shop, and the dude tells me the trans is shot - $3k for rebuilt. I told him (the professional) what to do, and what to look for. Sure enough... broken pin. $400. 2 weeks later, the pin he put in sheared. This time, I did it myself. Hardened steel cap-head bolt, red loc-tited nylock nut. What brings me here today? His shifter now only moves up/down, not side-to-side. When the pin broke, the shifter moved in all directions if I recall. Not sure if its broken cables/linkage or not, but the downside is... looks like I need to get it every bit as disassembled to get to the cable ends.

[@FocusedHands]

Yea I had multiple broken pieces in mine! I also ended up running a grade 8 hex bolt with a locking nut on the end... ill post a picture on Instagram... but that solved the loose rack issue instantly. My shifter cables had also seen better days... so I replaced them aswell. The car shifted butter smooth afterwards

[@TheWolfeleven]

It’s hard to explain, but if you don’t put the pin in the shift tower back in a certain orientation, you don’t get the full range of movement. You may need to take it out and try again.

[@rrandolph63]

where did you get a new shifter assem?

[@FocusedHands]

You have to order it from the Ford dealer... if they still have any! You will likely have to call around multiple states.

[@bradyhuff9679]

Wait i think I have the same problem cause my 05 forces zx3 has no gears at all i was told you need to align the shifter to nuteral is that true

[@FocusedHands]

Not sure if it is true or not... but i did align mine to neutral! Seems to make everything much easier to work with

[@danmatthews3102]

Update: Finished the job. My roll pin wasn't broke, but may have moved position. It also looked like the bearing set had slid out of the race (may have happened during removal?). Once I pushing it back in, all worked as it should. I replaced the roll pin with a two dollar bolt. Your vid was excellent. How can I send you some $? PM me. Thanks!

[@FocusedHands]

I have a venmo link in my about section! Glad you got it done! You saved a large amount of money!

[@onlycodered]

Appreciate the video! I have the same MTX-75 in my 2012 Focus and I'm getting an oil leak around the shift tower. Did you see any kind of gasket underneath that shift tower? Seems to me like I might need to use some RTV or something to prevent leaking. Scoured some Focus forums and found I'm not the only person with this issue.

[@FocusedHands]

In my rebuild... I used grey rtv

[@mrb3888]

Check your valve cover gasket. The duratec 2.0 is notorious for gasket leaks. It’s more than likely oil.

[@Ericsiebecker]

Thankyou so much! helped me out alot!

[@jlrockafella]

Thank you bro, very good details.

[@FocusedHands]

No problem 👍

[@bobengelman1937]

Well done video !

[@BriansAutoService-wd3oe]

THANK YOU, SIR!

[@Bi9Clapper]

Man that's interesting. I got a 09 Manual Focus and mine has this issue where it absolutely refuses to go into reverse unless i first put it in a different gear. If the car is off i can put it into reverse no problem but when car is on it won't go into reverse unless i put it into a different gear and then reverse, it's like reverse doesn't know the clutch it down

[@FocusedHands]

Maybe the reverse switch is going out?

[@christavares1751]

Thank you for your efforts and time putting this video together. You exhibit quite a bit of common sense and presented the material quite well - not sure what you do for a living but you'd do well 'teaching' mechanics or the subject of your choosing. Godspeed brother.

[@FocusedHands]

I'm in Healthcare! Active in pursuing a medical degree

[@FocusedHands]

Hope this fix works out for you

[@j.g.miller4737]

It's the hole in the very middle of screen @12:35 it's where the vent tube goes.

[@FocusedHands]

@@j.g.miller4737 ahhh I see... yea my 05 didn't have the hose... ill have to check this out.

[@j.g.miller4737]

@@FocusedHands I'd be concerned about debris and moisture getting in there or fluid leaking out

[@bobbyhandley5581]

Yo excuse me if this is random or rude... But by any chance did you use to be in the marines?... Tank mechanic in the marines?

[@FocusedHands]

Not at all lol

[@bobbyhandley5581]

@@FocusedHands not at all rude or not at all in the marines... You just look and sound like my dude i knew from Detroit. Like its insane.

[@FocusedHands]

Not at all for both lol though im considering join currently

[@bobbyhandley5581]

@@FocusedHands well its a fun experience. And it becomes a part of you for life. But its not a life for everyone. Like as for me. 4 yrs was enough. But definitely wouldn't change that choice no matter what... If you do, good luck! And go for 2146 mos.. you'll do well!

[@leroykennedy6644]

Dude you are turning into a guru!!

[@BernieJr89]

Did this and my pin was 3 pieces. I replaced it with a bolt and lock nut. Wanna say m5 x .75. $5 from lowes

[@FocusedHands]

You save alot of money in this!

[@luckent47]

Extra info: pin is a .23 of an inch 15/64? I heated a 21 and mushroomed one side of it then heated it up in a stove and dropped it in oil. What could go wrong? Trans vents behind the engine mount, that hole is ok? Your car will feel weird because you changed the mount. The smaller cable hold to a rod that has a fork, there is a white clip that goes on it. Don't lose that. Draw the plate of the tower on to cardboard and punch holes with a screwdriver then put the screws in order around the drawing. Best explanation is that roll pin operates a charging handle on a rifle bolt that is drilled through the bolt line a Mauser. The roll pin shears instead of your gears grinding. Going into third in this gearboxes is ass. Fun cars but you really have to baby this shit pattern until you can afford an m3

[@ya_boi_zak5927]

Great stuff bro turns out i had the same problem! Might order a shift tower if i can't fix it myself.

[@FocusedHands]

Dang! But aleast now you know!

[@ya_boi_zak5927]

@@FocusedHands I managed to find a bolt that fits the hole. All i need now is to find a nut to secure it in place. Your video pointed me in the right direction much appreciated bro looking forward to more vids!

[@TheKocksmanArchives]

God bless your soul

[@kenwebb9841]

Map sensor

[@ryanbianchi6582]

I appreciate the video, but why are you fixing such a trashed car? lol

[@FocusedHands]

When it is done... you won't have the same comment

[@FocusedHands]

You look at rust buckets all the time.... and when someone restores it... it becomes a work of art. This is no different