Shifter Install Part III

Decided to tackle the removal of the shift rod before it got hot.  Yes, it does get hot - 90.  Anyone from AZ and Nevada complaining yet?

You can see my previous post, removing the transaxle, to get an idea of what it takes to remove the shift rod coupler in the back.  It went smoother this time because I had done it before and was ready to go with my magnetic telescoping picker-upper.  Trust me you will drop something in the tunnel, a wrench, a bolt, etc.  This time I had one of those Geeky hat lights - I'm sold on that!

As previously mentioned, I had to remove the front battery pack, box and frame.  Needless to say I disconnected the power with the two quick disconnects on the console thereby reducing my risk from 156V to 72V.  I always put down a rubber mat on the batteries I'm next to so there won't be any accidents.

Here comes the fun.  Accessing the tunnel.  Mine only had two 10mm bolts in front.  A ratchet wrench with an extension is the way to go.

Once the panel is off then it's a matter of getting your fingers into the shifter hole and inching the rod out.  Actually it came out easy but OMG was it ugly!  Talk about 30+ years of dirt, grease and grime.

I used some PB Blaster to penetrate the the crud on the rod and wipe it clean.  There were only a few spots that had to be wire brushed.

Nice and clean.  You can see the retaining ring on the rod.  I wasn't able to get the old bushing pieces out.  Oh well.

The good news I found a parts store about an hour away this will be faster than waiting 7 days for an internet order.

The shifter bushing goes in first!   That means it fits into the support bracket just past the shifter hole in side the tunnel.  This is before you insert the shift rod into the tunnel. Careful, you don't want to drop this bushing in the tunnel.  The bushing simply pops into place.  The ring clamp end is on the shifter side of the brace. One source on the internet said to place the gap toward the driver's side then lube the inside real well with lots of fresh grease.  I noticed that my rod had gathered some dirt on it so I wiped it clean then put on new grease.  This will be a tight fit.  I can see where a second set of hands would be very helpful but I was able to use a wire coat hanger to lift up the rod from the bottom of the tunnel and then line it up in the bushing.  I then carefully got out of the car and went to the front lifted the rod and gave it a steady pressure until it went through the bushing.  From this point I used some needle nose pliers to grip the rod in the tunnel and pull it back toward the transaxle.

Putting the coupler back in is always a pain in the @##!  The worse part is I bought a new coupler by EMPI (#@$% You EMPI!!!!) and once again I got screwed.  The gap where the shift rod goes into the coupler isn't wide enough.  So I used the original coupler with the new urethane bushings.  I think next time I'll get smart and figure out a different, easier way to connect the rod to the coupler - the lag bolt and weird cover sleeve is a pain.

I just tested the shifter.  WOW!!! Huge difference, I'm 99% sure of hitting reverse every time without an ouchie!

Mission accomplished.