help ,getting in gear?

hi all, i have a 2002 ford windstar 3.8 engine.i need to put a new shift cable on it. and reconnect it to the transaxel range sensor or the netural safety switch. not sure what i have on my van.but what i need to know is how to put it into park by hand to start the van, then how to put it into drive to drive the van. don,t have the money to get the parts i need to get the van running the right way. next month ,i,ll get them. but need to get around now. so if anyone know how to shift the gears by hand, let me know. thanks

I'm not sure how you can even get to the TRS without removing the airbox or at least and disconnecting a few connectors, so I don't think your plan is very feasible. Nevertheless, in some cases there is a mark for the neutral position, so you could line that up and then count the clicks (two up to PARK, one down to DRIVE), etc. But I certainly wouldn't recommend that. I'd suggest getting on ebay and ordering yourself a new cable. It's not that expensive.

The switch is on top of the transmission. On my '96, the intake plenum runs over that spot, so you'd have to remove the end of the air box to move it out of the way to access the switch.

However, I don't think this is a safe practice, putting people in jeopardy if there is a sudden need to re-start the engine, move in reverse, or select the park position.