StickShift Problem!!!

[j_villines]

Holy crap man i was driving down the Highway and my stickshift just drops or falls through I thought my tranny dropped then I got to looking at it and it just fell through the hole. Is there some kind of butterfly clapm or pin to hold it in place. I need help it is really annoying to have to lift it up everytime I have to shift. Any help would be much appreciated. Thanks! <p>[ October 23, 2002: Message edited by: Custommx3 ]

[ProtegeSTS]

replacing it from the dealer is ~100 bucks. You can use a metal strap and bolt it up there to hold it up if you want.

[THStrumpet]

I had exact same problem. Evidently its a known problem. The thing is only held up by like suction. Anyway, we just used something to tie it down so it wouldn't fall back out...also put in a short shifter too.

[ProtegeSTS]

yup, its a known problem...<P>And its not held up with suction, its held up by the little rubber pieces that deteriorate after years.

[cjthor]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by jvillan:<BR><STRONG>Holy crap man i was driving down the Highway and my stickshift just drops or falls through I thought my tranny dropped then I got to looking at it and it just fell through the hole. Is there some kind of butterfly clapm or pin to hold it in place. I need help it is really annoying to have to lift it up everytime I have to shift. Any help would be much appreciated. Thanks! </STRONG><HR></BLOCKQUOTE><BR>Fix it the right way the first time.. you will be better off.

[THStrumpet]

Yeah, thast what I meant, but like the rubber thing is just stuck up there, nothing really holding it on good....i guess friction was the correct word

[sneaker]

I know that this is an old and common problem, and i had the same thing happen to me... so I thought I'd share a possible solution I found. The shifter does hold only by friction... but it falling through the floor is not really a big deal after all. I fixed it over a month ago, with no problems so far... and here is a cheap solution:<P>- Remove the complete centre console around the shifter<BR>- Pull the shifter back up into place<BR>- You'll see that a black steel ring protrudes through the floor/tunnel... the rubber friction sleeve slides inside of this. When the shifter is pulled all the way up, the top edge of the rubber is actually higher than the floor (inside the ring)<BR>- Drill a hole on the driver side of the black steel ring above the floor through the sleeve and into the rubber. Add a ± 1/2'' long screw, it should go through the black ring and into the rubber... but NOT into the shifter ball. <BR>- Repeat on the passenger side<BR>- Reassemble<P>The way I see it, if friction was 'almost' enough to hold it in place, two little screws should make it better than new.<P>Later...<BR>Rob B.<p>[ October 23, 2002: Message edited by: sneaker ]

[voltaire]

Screws into rubber? Why not just some silicone or some other rubber sealant to hold things together?<P>Damn, I haven't had this problem yet but I'm wondering if I'm about to. I noticed something the other night when I had the windows open and it was quiet since there was no other traffic and my tunes were down. I could hear pretty loud metalic "clinking" whenever I shifted. Maybe it's just the linkage, and not the shifter though.<P>I never realized that the shifter was only held up by friction. I guess pushing down hard on the shifter would be a bad thing then. That's good to know!

[sneaker]

I tried glueing it up... but it didn't really work. Maybe the wrong type of glue. It actually fell through due to a constant (but light) pressure on it, from frequently leaving my hand on it. It's a hard habit to break, and i'm sure i'm not alone.<P>I don't think that is your noise though, as the surround is all rubber, and it'll rattle only once it's fallen through and onto the exhaust line... <P>later...<BR>Rob

[Paragon]

yep, i drive with my hand on the shifter too. i was stopped once, and i had to take off FAST so some idiot didn't t-bone me...i threw my hand from my visor (getting a CD) to the shifter and punched it through. still got out of the way in time, gotta fix it tonight though (this happened last night)

[ProtegeSTS]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by voltaire:<BR><STRONG>Screws into rubber? Why not just some silicone or some other rubber sealant to hold things together?<P>Damn, I haven't had this problem yet but I'm wondering if I'm about to. I noticed something the other night when I had the windows open and it was quiet since there was no other traffic and my tunes were down. I could hear pretty loud metalic "clinking" whenever I shifted. Maybe it's just the linkage, and not the shifter though.<P>I never realized that the shifter was only held up by friction. I guess pushing down hard on the shifter would be a bad thing then. That's good to know!</STRONG><HR></BLOCKQUOTE><P><BR>the sound was likely the deterioration of the bushings within the linkage.

[sheldon]

how hard is it to replace the bushings ?? my stick moves around almost as if it was in neutral when it is in gear and my buddy said that if i replaced the bushings that it would help ??? [img]shrug.gif"%20border="0[/img]