Very Loose Shifter...

[rrankin]

My shifter has become very loose and I've been missing gears over the last week. I am pretty sure it's the shift coupler.

Before I go pick one up, I wanted to ask the collective brains here if there is a better one to get and is there anything else I should check while I'm at it...


Thanks,
Rob
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'74 Thing [Fritz]
Austin, TX

[Zylinderkopf]

could be the coupler, but check to see if maybe the stop plate at the bottom of the shifter is loose or not aligned.
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1963 Beetle
1966 Beetle 1300
1970 Karmann Ghia Coupe
1971 Super Beetle
1974 Thing


"A lot of people never use their initiative because no one told them to."

[rrankin]

I took off the access plate and the square bushings are basically gone.

How do I get them apart? Is there a tool to hold the tube end I'm missing?
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'74 Thing [Fritz]
Austin, TX

[doublecanister]

Hey rrankin,

I replaced my shifter coupler about 1yr ago with a polyurthane one
but honestly dont think anything was wrong with the orginal.

the shifter bushing (the small clear plastic sleeve) was the source of my slop and I did readjust my shifter plate during the process.

much tighter/less slop in shifting.

using a stock shifter.

Hope that helps!

T
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2020 - Mustang Eco Boost [High Performance]
1973 - Thing
1966 - Mustang GT- Fastback
1951 - Ford F1 pickup Flathead V8

[doublecanister]

[rrankin]

its how to get it out I'm worried about... I'd like to use as much of the original as I can... and I don't want to have to disconnect it from the hockey stick if I can avoid it...

So the self tapping screw... is it going to be a gonner?
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'74 Thing [Fritz]
Austin, TX

[rrankin]

Ok I got it with a pair of channel locks.

This is what was left of the original bushing ... Getting the Red nylon ones in was a bit tough, but I managed to get them in the original coupling and only used the bushings from the empi kit... Though I like the idea of the original rubber ones with the metal in the middle. They seemed to last 41 years.

Thanks for the help.

-R
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'74 Thing [Fritz]
Austin, TX

[doublecanister]

Hey rrankin

I'm not sure if I have photos of this job when I did it but I believe I used all my orginal parts/screws etc and just added the red urathane bushings and pulled the rubber ones. It did make it all a bit tighter on shifting.

as far as rubber verses urathane, who knows , I've heard stories of folks
that other urathane parts are getting brittle/crumbling but it could be just cheap parts, i've got Urathane suspension bushings on my 66 Mustang and it's been over 20years no problem, no squeaks no crumbles.
As far as the THING i've only had the shifter bushings in for maybe 2years.

you'd probably be fine either way but as they say, it's your THING do what ya wanna do! LOL

Hope ya got it fixed ok!
T
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2020 - Mustang Eco Boost [High Performance]
1973 - Thing
1966 - Mustang GT- Fastback
1951 - Ford F1 pickup Flathead V8

[rrankin]

After a test drive and my morning drive to work, it sure is nice to have a tight shift pattern... Although I got use to it being slightly sloppy and I keep missing second gear...

I can really feel when the shifter clicks into and out of the gears now. I like the feedback in the shifter that I don't recall ever having. I did read the polyurethane bushings were stiffer and therefore transferred more vibration.
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'74 Thing [Fritz]
Austin, TX