how to remove gear lever extension?

[baltobernie]

According to the Hynes book, "a sharp tug should be all that is required to pull the upper lever from the lever stub." No luck. Twist it, or a couple of raps upward with a cold chisel at the rolled joint?

[mdrburchette]

Inside the chrome housing is a plastic clip with several prongs. I insert two small flat blade screwdrivers into the chrome housing to depress the prongs and work the housing off. You will have to give a tug once those prongs are released because of the rubber grommet inside. Alsowhen reinstalling, in order to lock the prongs back into place, I use a square of 2X4 on top of the lever and give it a little whack with a hammer.

[baltobernie]

[mbouse]

A Michigan SHORTER SHIFTER comes complete with a full set of instructions to disassemble that 7" chrome outer shifter. (not that i'd blatently or overtly advertise my product on this forum)....

1. remove your outer shift boot, or at least get it out of the way. you may find that removing the wood trim from the console will give you enough room to manuver around for this procedure.
2. with the shift knob ON the shaft (for better gripping) slip a long thin standard screwdriver up the inner shifter shaft to disengage one of the four tangs on the plastic fastener. with the screw driver still in place, turn the shifter 90 degrees and repeat with another screw driver.
3. if you are strong enough, step two may be skipped.....stand on your front seats, reach down with both hands and grab the shifter knob. bend at the knees for maximum leverage. take a deep breath and exhale loud enough for the neighbors to wonder if you have a hernia....and pull with all your might on the shift knob. straighten your legs as you pull with all your might from both the leg muscles and the back muscle.

if you disengaged at least two of those plastic tangs during step two, you should now find yourself laying in the back seat on your butt. your legs should be dangling over the front seat uprights, and your head should have bounced off the rear deck.

Cursing, you should be able to look down at your hands, and find your chrome shifter and knob in your tightly clenched paws.

seriously, step two can be ommitted, but you will need to stand on the seats if you skip the screw driver insertion. most folks with two screwdrivers can sit in the driver seat and pull the shaft off.

[ventura ace]

It's one of those things that once you develop the touch, it is a piece of cake. You really don't need to depress the plastic prongs, as Mike and Denise suggested. Someone taught me a while back, a simple prying motion with a couple of small screwdrivers or even a small hex allen wrench, working from opposite sides at the same time, is the trick. Just poke the tool in between 2 of the prongs (and do the same thing with another tool on the opposite side), and pull up on the tools, which is prying down on the plastic piece, and it will pop right out. Then the extension can be easily pulled off.

Then the tricky part is removing the plastic piece that remains on the lower shift lever. You'll need some toothpicks or something to spread the 4 prongs simultaneously while you slide the plastic piece off the lower lever, but it is easy since it is in plain sight. Notice the order and orientation of all the parts that make up this assembly, because you need to put them back in the same orientation when you reinstall.

To reinstall, load the shifter extension with all the parts, including the lower plastic snap ring. Slide the extension over the lower lever, then bonk it in place.

Alvon

[mdrburchette]

Mike, you really trip me out! Will you demonstrate step 2 for me at FFO this year.

[mbouse]

step two?
or
Step three?
honestly, i actually researched this procedure myself, in my vehicle. in fact, i perfected it, and have applied for a patent.
just one note, remove the wind deflector before performing this procedure.


quite honestly, if the entire removal process takes over 10 minutes, you are going about it completely wrong.

[Westlotorn]

I just did this today, I wished I had read up here first. I wasted 2 hours. The manual says pull it off. Mine did not pull off, I made a T handle and bolted it to the chrome top of the shifter. Pulled with both feet planted on the seat cushions.
It never released.
After reading the notes above I took my smallest screw drivers and tried to pop it off, no luck.
I took two very small allen wrenches, slipped them in on opposite sides into the slots in the plastic piece at the bottom of the chrome shifter.
I angled them up from the bottom into these slots then slid my fingers to the out side of the allen away from the shifter and lifted up. The extension popped off with no pull at all.
Now it came off but the internals stayed on the lower shift rod. I had to separate the upper plastic lock now.
It has 4 clips that become a circle when closed. I had to monkey around to get all 4 of these prongs pulled back to allow this piece to slip up and off of the shifter.
I pulled the tranny with the engine in the car. Very, Very tight fit. Getting the bolts out was hard, I don't know how I am going to get some back in on install. Now project creep. Pulled the tranny to fix a leak. Now I am thinking, clutch, pressure plate, throw out bearing.

[Exit98]

Do the pilot bearing too. Mine was toast.

You can do it all. It helps to have a helper.

Plenty of posts with DIY tips.