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74 Cosa
Samba Member
Joined: June 06, 2006
Posts: 535
Location: The Midwest
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 Posted: Thu Aug 31, 2006 9:00 am Post subject: Thing shifter bushing assistance |
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Has anyone replaced the, I believe Nylon, bushing for the shifter rod? This is the one in the tunnel just behind the shifter opening. I was wondering if there are any tips to installing it since there isn't much space to get my fat fingers in the shifter hole. Any does or don'ts?? I've pulled the shaft out already. Also bought a new coupler for the trans.
Thanks
Tom |
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74 Thing
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Joined: September 02, 2004
Posts: 7394
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| Posted: Thu Aug 31, 2006 9:23 am Post subject: |
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| I did it by myself before. Make sure you have a new bushing and round spring. Lube up the inside of the new one with grease and install it back on the hanger (yes your fingers are going to hurt afterwards. Then just clean up the shift rod with some brake cleaner and then lube up the whole thing pretty good and start it back into the tunnel. What I did since I was by myself was to take 2- 10lb weights from a weight lifting set and tie some wire onto each and let it hang down in the tunnel. Then I lifted the shift rod onto the wire and went back into the car and was able to alight the shift rod using needle nose pliers and start it into the bushing. Go slowly and add more grease and you should be good to go. Make sure you put a new gasked on the front access cover or at least RTV it so water does not get into the tunnel when it rains. Your shifting should be a lot tighter afterwards. It would be a way easier process if you had a helper though. |
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74 Cosa
Samba Member
Joined: June 06, 2006
Posts: 535
Location: The Midwest
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| Posted: Thu Aug 31, 2006 9:30 am Post subject: shifter bushing |
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| Thanks for the procedure. I'll have help. I was looking around on the web and another site suggested tying a piece of thread on the bushing because I will drop it once or twice during the install. |
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amishman
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Joined: March 09, 2004
Posts: 3219
Location: California
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| Posted: Thu Aug 31, 2006 11:28 am Post subject: Re: Thing shifter bushing assistance |
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| 74 Cosa wrote: |
Has anyone replaced the, I believe Nylon, bushing for the shifter rod? This is the one in the tunnel just behind the shifter opening. I was wondering if there are any tips to installing it since there isn't much space to get my fat fingers in the shifter hole. Any does or don'ts?? I've pulled the shaft out already. Also bought a new coupler for the trans.
Thanks
Tom |
What I did is grabbed some electrical wire, a heavier gauge but very bendable, maybe about 1.5 foot long, and made a big letter U shape from it (with a bigger wider bottom of the U), small enough to fit in the hole where the stick shift is but big enough for the shift rod to slide through. I stuck the wire in the hole and and by myself, slide the shift rod in through the tunnel. I then went back insude and lifted the U shaped wire up and along with it came the shift rod. I held the shift rod in place with the wire and had enough room to just start it into the new bushing. Just enough to basically line it up and hold into place. I then went back outside and continued (slowly) pushing the shift rod so it went through the bushing all the way. Once it was through the new bushing, I went back outside and with a helper pole, like a broom stock, I stuck the end of the broom stick on the end of the shift rod and pushed it all the way back as far as it would go until it made it back to the coupler in back. I greased up the whole pole so she was slip sliding along nicely. I did use some wide pliers from the shift hole area and inched the whole shift rod back to the coupler area until things lined up.
It all worked nicely.
Be carefull not to lose the new bushing into the tunnel. I am sure many a bushings drop inside. I was able to stick mine on my middle finger and inch it back into the support that holds the bushing and lock it into place. Make sure the bushing is also grease up so the shift rod moves through easily.
Best of luck.
tj
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tj (the Amishman)
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74 Cosa
Samba Member
Joined: June 06, 2006
Posts: 535
Location: The Midwest
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| Posted: Thu Aug 31, 2006 12:07 pm Post subject: |
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Thanks for more helpful information. Tomorrow is the day.....we'll see what happens.
Tom |
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74 Cosa
Samba Member
Joined: June 06, 2006
Posts: 535
Location: The Midwest
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| Posted: Thu Aug 31, 2006 4:05 pm Post subject: 1 more "thing" |
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| Oh ya....one more thing all, should the shaft have a slight bend to it? Mine does. At another site I read yes to clear other lines inside the tunnel. |
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amishman
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Joined: March 09, 2004
Posts: 3219
Location: California
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| Posted: Thu Aug 31, 2006 4:39 pm Post subject: Re: 1 more "thing" |
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| 74 Cosa wrote: |
| Oh ya....one more thing all, should the shaft have a slight bend to it? Mine does. At another site I read yes to clear other lines inside the tunnel. |
Mine had bends also.
Other than sloppy shifting, do all gears work for you now? Just make sure to mark your stick shift plate you bolt onto the tunnel so you know exactly where to bolt it and tighten to. Otherwise, putting in certain gears might change and be harder. I marked all 4 sides of mine and marked the tunnel so the lines matched up, so I know the shifter was in the same area as before. If you have to later adjust, then do so in small steps.
tj
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74 Cosa
Samba Member
Joined: June 06, 2006
Posts: 535
Location: The Midwest
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| Posted: Thu Aug 31, 2006 4:59 pm Post subject: |
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| Thanks. I'll probably work on it in the AM. |
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74 Cosa
Samba Member
Joined: June 06, 2006
Posts: 535
Location: The Midwest
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| Posted: Fri Sep 01, 2006 12:22 pm Post subject: Shifter bushing install |
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FINISHED! What a job! Everyones tips helped but ran into my own issues. Took four hours to do it all. First tried to put the nylon bushing in the bracket then install the shifter rod. The bushing got pushed through the bracket and fell into the tunnel. Then tried to put the bushing on the rod and push the whole thing through past the bracket. The bushing is very distorted when mounted on the shaft and won't alow the bushing to clear the bracket hole. What is important is that the snap ring be placed on the bushing in the mid point slot. I took it all apart and push the bushing in the backet hole until in snaped into place. I pushed the rod back in and it worked this time. I used a lot of WD40 on the shaft but greased all the junction points after the install. What a difference in the shifting operation. Just like new!! Thanks all.  |
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amishman
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Joined: March 09, 2004
Posts: 3219
Location: California
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| Posted: Fri Sep 01, 2006 3:54 pm Post subject: Re: Shifter bushing install |
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| 74 Cosa wrote: |
| FINISHED! What a job! Everyones tips helped but ran into my own issues. Took four hours to do it all. First tried to put the nylon bushing in the bracket then install the shifter rod. The bushing got pushed through the bracket and fell into the tunnel. Then tried to put the bushing on the rod and push the whole thing through past the bracket. The bushing is very distorted when mounted on the shaft and won't alow the bushing to clear the bracket hole. What is important is that the snap ring be placed on the bushing in the mid point slot. I took it all apart and push the bushing in the backet hole until in snaped into place. I pushed the rod back in and it worked this time. I used a lot of WD40 on the shaft but greased all the junction points after the install. What a difference in the shifting operation. Just like new!! Thanks all. |
Maybe WD40 was the issue. I greased the whole rod so she was slippery wet. Made going through the bushing easier.
Glad you are all done.
tj
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74 Cosa
Samba Member
Joined: June 06, 2006
Posts: 535
Location: The Midwest
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| Posted: Mon Sep 04, 2006 5:13 pm Post subject: |
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| I did use grease (white) on every attempt. It may have been that all the stars were lined up just right that last time. |
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