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Where did my shifter go?!?!?!?!

3K views 20 replies 9 participants last post by  MauiV 
#1 ·
Pulling off from a stop sign I shift into 2nd (in a school zone, so I wasnt on it). When I left off the clutch I feel the shifter disengage from gear and move forward and then all the sudden it DROPS about 3-4" into the transmission. I yank on the shifter and suddenly I am holding the whole shift knob, boot and plastic trim and the bare shifter is exposed. I manipulate it into 3rd and pull into a parking lot.

I get all the pieces reattached and immediatly call the closest dealer to see if they have a loaner available and they do (a 07 Gran Prix but thats a different story). I get it in 3rd then 4th (having to lift up and back to get it into 2nd and 4th) and make the 15 minute drive to the dealer. Its a VERY small service dept and this is the only V they have EVER serviced but they do see quite a few Vettes.

Sitting still it feels normal but as soon as it starts rolling the shifter is all over the place.

My only speculation is the bushings failed and hte dealer says they will install upgrade bushings and shifter that I buy if that is in fact the problem. I havent heard back yet as to what the problem is but hopefully it is something simple like the bushings/shiftere and not the transmission.

Anyone else have anything like this occur? I dont recall reading anything about this anywhere.
 
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#2 ·
Re: Where TF did my shifter go?!?!?!?!

wow. I'd say it'd have to be more than the bushings, almost like these bolts with the blue arrows had fallen out:


I don't know that the bushings could even fail like that.

Get a new shifter anyway!
 
#3 ·
Re: Where TF did my shifter go?!?!?!?!

They are the ones that actually are holding the shifter assembly up, if I remember correctly. (I had this all apart two or three weeks ago)

At the same time, I can't imagine how the bolts would have come out on their own.

And don't worry, it didn't drop into your transmission!
 
#5 ·
Re: Where TF did my shifter go?!?!?!?!

They are the ones that actually are holding the shifter assembly up, if I remember correctly. (I had this all apart two or three weeks ago)

At the same time, I can't imagine how the bolts would have come out on their own.

And don't worry, it didn't drop into your transmission!
thats right, it just rubbed all over the drive shaft :p
 
#4 ·
Re: Where TF did my shifter go?!?!?!?!

Thanks. 1st and 3rd seem to be almost normal but 2nd and 4th seem to drop directly down when they are engaged.

When its in gear you can pretty much move the shifter around without engaging the clutch but it I could shift into a gate once the clutch was engaged.

Ill probably call Luke in the morning and have him FedEx them directly to the dealer.
 
#6 ·
Re: Where TF did my shifter go?!?!?!?!

If the bushings flattened out and slid out of place, shifting the car could work the actual shifter right off the support plate. I can see it happening. The plate might still be bolted up.
Now would be a good time to get a UUC shifter and bushings!
 
#9 ·
Well the service rep just called and looks like 510 nailed it, the 2 bolts fell out. How the hell does this happen?

Looking back, I was thinking the previous owner had installed a short throw because it sat lower than I thought it should and the boot was totally concaved into the hole. Guess it was just the bolts working themselves loose.
 
#11 ·
The bolts that gave out are the ones that need to be removed and tighted when installing an aftermarket shifter...sounds like you already have one.

Looks like your fix was minor...good deal.
 
#12 ·
After looking at the pics on the FAQ I do believe I in fact already have a short throw. I cant imagine it would get any lower into the console than it already is and I have never had any complaints about the way the shifter performed.

How high above the shifter trim does the stock and short throws sit? Im about to go measure mine to settle this.

BTW. Anyone that has an aftermarket shifter I would recommend checking those bolts out. For the past couple of weeks I kept grinding 2nd and thought it was just me letting off the clutch to early but apparently it was the shifter itself moving.

I just picked her up and she runs like a dream and the shifts are smooth and crisp.
 
#13 ·
OK, the top of the shifter knob sits at 4.5" above the trim rail next to it.

Any idea how tall the stock or the UUC sit?
 
#16 ·
Thanks. I guess all indication is a short throw. I have only driven 1 other V and it was a couple years before I bought mine so it isnt really easy to compare.

The previous owner took meticulous care of it and other than chromed stockers it all appeared stock. Guess not. I need to go check under the hood again and see if maybe I overlooked a Maggie somewhere. :D

Thanks again.
 
#17 ·
Not much of a difference between the height on the UUC vs stock. Just enough to make it work better.
The real difference is underneath the shifter plate.

Those bolts didn't come loose on their own, someone had them loose for something.
Has the trans ever been out?
They don't just work themselves loose... not to mention they are like over 2 inches long.
 
#18 ·
Thanks Will. They ony trans service I have had is fluid change durring my 50K service about a month ago. They also did the clutch at the same time so Im not sure if they would have touched those bolts or not. There is no trans service on my sheet so I dont personally know if its ever been dropped.

Like I said though, my shifter does look like the lower on in hte FAQ photos. I guess I could pull out the boot again and see if there is any mrkings. Does the stocker have any specific markings on it I could look for?

After all the reading over the past year about the short throw shifter I did want one (other than the recent problem I had no shifter complaints), but I dont want to buy one if I already have one. Duh. The tech also said the bushings looked fine. At 55,XXX miles would the stock bushings still be in good shape?
 
#20 ·
I am sure you could tell the stock from the UUC by looking but I haven't stared at them long enough to tell you how. I can tell 2 ways from under the car, 1 is the rivets are gone and replaced with bolts when the shifter is replaced. The second is the through bolt for the shift linkage, the stocker has a nylon bushing insert, the UUC has bearings and steel inserts.
I can tell by grabbing the shifter and changing gears too. The stock shifter cars we have make me crazy.
So hard to drive sometimes.

You might be better off without one. Most guys that put a UUC in get excited and start putting more mods in.
I consider the UUC to be sort of a "gateway drug" :lol:
 
#21 ·
Im thinking it is the Mallett shifter that is in the pics in the FAQ.
 
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