The transmission shifter is loose on my 1993 Ford Crown Victoria LX. It moves freely between park and neutral, and will not engage into park or reverse. It does engage into the forward gears, though. What could be the problem?

Question edited for clarity, maker name and full model name.
Question moved from Misc to model category.

https://www.google.com/search?q=2007+ford+crown+victoria+replace+freeze+plugs

https://www.google.com/search?q=2007+ford+crown+victoria+remove+transmission

..

check for a broken selector cable of the fitting on the box is loose.

ford does have their own type you can get it at any parts store just tell them what it's for also at Ford

Bad PRNDL switch(park/reverse/neutral/drive/low).May be adjustable,but most likely the switch is bad.As a temporary/free solution,try starting in Neutral(USE YOUR PARKING BRAKE!)

drent44,

Your shift-lock actuator works off of your brake lamp circuits. Check your brake lamps. If your brake lamps are not working, then there is a very good chance that fixing your brake lamps will fix your shifter.

To work around this so you can move the vehicle, turn the key just far enough to unlock the steering wheel, but not far enough to make all the dash lights come on. You should then be able to shift the transmission to NEUTRAL and start the engine. Everything will work ok with your shifter until you put it back in PARK.

The bolt tens to loosen up on the shifter. Look up from the floor board at the column. You will see the shift cable attached to a metal shift arm. Where this arm is bolted to the column with two bolt, tighten the bolts they should be loose, You will need a torx bit. I think T30 or t40

There are two screws under the steering wheel that are attached to the shifter. take a look under there and move the shifter and you will be able to see the part that im talking about. there are two star head screws on a plate that keep everything moving smoothly. If they are loose this may be your problem.

The weld on the manual lever is known to break loose. First, with the wheels off the ground, with the lever in the park position, does the drive shaft lock in park? If yes or no sometimes, drop the trans pan. I bet the nut on the lever camd loose.

Check to make sure your brake lights are functioning properly. The crowns vics of that year have a neutral safety switch that links the shifter to the brake lights.

If the brake lights don't turn on = it won't come out of gear

If they do turn on = it could be that the neutral safety switch is out of place or malfunctioning.

I do believe that the neutral safety switch in that model should be located near the firewall attached to the upper side of your steering column.

You can easily get a manual for your car or look it up at the library to find it's exact location. Or try asking at your local auto parts store.

No band for reverse,sounds like you have a trans. in need of repair.