MFM JOS (dcompton@no.spam.nocc.net) wrote on Wednesday 10 September 2003
07:37 pm:

>
> Ok, So I broke my shifter assembly. Just for the record someone left out
> the back bolt for who knows how long, and eventually It broke. Now, a
> very kind person whom I found online was willing to dig his old one out
> and send
> it to me. However, that one had been cut off and rewelded to fit some
> type
> of after market shift ****. So I figure I can just take the shaft off of
> mine and put it on the good assembly. HOW do I get this thing off? I
> understand that there is a rubber "grommet" and a spring steel "catch".
> The
> one I have simply will not budge. I've considered cutting it off (which
> should prove to be a feat in and of itself) then drilling it out (another
> feat). I've beat on it with a hammer and other heavy objects. Now what?
>
> MFM

MFM,

Mine was quite a pain in the butt too when I had to replace my shift plate.
First I broke off the little metal clips that supposedly hold it in place.
Of course, that didn't loosen it a bit (but you'll need to do that so they
don't catch). I then put the square recepticle on the shift plate (the
part that the shift lever goes into) into a solidly mounted vise on a steel
workbench. I connected the threaded end of the shift lever to a sliding
hammer (make sure you set it up not to stress the threads too badly).
After a mere hour or so of pounding, the thing finally popped free. Made
me glad I do this for a hobby, not a living :).

Be very careful where you put the shift plate in the vise. I was removing
my shift lever from a cracked shift plate, so it didn't matter to me if I
destroyed the shift plate or not. And if you don't have a sliding hammer,
they're about $60 or so for one made in Taiwan.

You'll have to buy a new grommet and steel catch. They're pretty cheap. I
got mine "free" with purchase of a remanufactured T5 :).
--
Michael White "To protect people from the effects of folly is to
fill the world with fools." -Herbert Spencer, 1891