1989 shifter manual transmission

Looking for some expert advice. Took my tranny in and had it rebuilt, winter was a little cold so didn't get it put in until last month, it was leaking and broke my plastic shifter bushing on the test drive. I drove it back to the tranny shop shifting with my 12mm socket on a socket extension for them to fix the leak and clear the rtv out of the two rear shifter bolt holes. They called today and are telling me I have the wrong shifter. I've pulled a few at the junkyard looking for a plastic bushing and one that didn't have a broken ball in the shifter and they all 'looked' like the one I have, but I didn't take any measurements.

What are the chances that I have the wrong shifter or that there is something else going on? Basically the transmission keeps locking up and has to torn back down to fix whatever is getting locked up. Pretty sure they've pulled it twice now (glad I'm not paying for the labor). This last time he told me it locked up on a bench test.

Any help or feedback is greatly appreciated.

All second gen shifters are the same. As for it locking up, how is it locking up? 2 gears at one? If so tell them to measure the de-tent balls. If there in the wrong place you can put it in 2 gears at once. 1-2,, 3-4

Thanks, Camoit. I'll ask about the detent balls.

Not sure how it's locking up, but I know they have to open it up to fix it. Went to look for a new shifter this afternoon and lucked out as there was a new truck in the local yard. Seems like my original shifter was missing the 'shift gate'? The one I pulled had a plate between the shifter and the transmission with a rectangular cutout. I'm guessing this keeps the shifter from moving too far in any one direction. I'd think the transmission shop would have known this. Just this morning, I took some printouts to them and they told me they had all that information. That being said, the transmission manual I downloaded didn't show the part in any of the diagrams I found.

Yes the shifter gate is a crucial part of the shifter - it keeps you from over extending the shifter rails and jamming gears. Wonder where yours was from the old shifter?

Wish I knew. Don't know any history of the truck. Tranny was stuck when I got it. Everything has been an uphill battle on it. Hopefully that's about to change or there will be a truck up for sale.

Question: is it possible I have a 1st gen truck transmission in my 88?? Would the ball going down into the tranny have a longer throw on it?? Tranny shop swears the shifter I have is too short even after I pulled one from another truck. I'm getting the truck back this weekend and will be able to maybe pull some numbers and take some measurements.

On the top of the trany at the top of the bell housing there is a stamp code on the Right side near the bolt. Get that and we figure out what it is. I know the first gen shifter gate has a bent tab on it to keep you from hitting Reverse by pushing down on the shifter. If it's upside down then you can have problems.

Short version - I can't get my truck this weekend but crawled all over it trying to find a stamp or number. Couldn't find anything near the top of the bell housing on either side. The only number I could find was a stamp just above the fill plug inside a circle with a line through the middle, 76 over 15.

Long version - went to go get my truck and the shifter and my spare tranny were locked in the repair shop... Not only that but the tranny shop put a bronze sleeve in to replace the plastic bushing and now my 12mm socket and extension won't work as a shifter, so I just left it. Probably try and get it Tuesday evening.

Update: transmission shop must have a bunch of morons working there. Finally had time to look at my truck and the parts I got back. My original shifter WAS shorter than the shifter I pulled from the junkyard and took to the transmission shop. BUT the transmission shop started to disassemble and destroyed the replacement shifter I took them. I'm still FUMING. And the brass sleeve they installed to replace the plastic boot was too small for the ball of the shifter to go into properly.

Used my dremel and a small carbide bit to carefully cut out the brass insert. I just cut a small groove down it like you would with a small saw blade. Used a rag and then a Q tip to clean it out. Also used the Q tip to look for any rough spot that could catch or cut my plastic shifter bushing. Used some fine wet dry sandpaper wrapped around a pencil to clean things up. Cleaned out everything again and went to the junkyard and amazingly found another shifter with intact bushing. Put a little motor assembly grease in the shift boot in the hopes it will help the plastic shifter bushing last longer (good or bad idea?). Put things back together and the left rear bolt is stripped!! One of the two holes that were full of RTV from the original rebuild that I took back for them to fix.

I feel bad for the owner of the tranny shop. He's a super nice guy and I'm sure he lost money since they pulled and reinstalled the tranny twice, BUT what a BUNCH OF NIMRODS. Took the truck for a short test drive less one bolt and seems to be working.

Any ideas or suggestions for the stripped out bolt on the shifter??

You're talking about where the shifter bolts into the tranny? Get a helicoil kit and drill it out and install the helicoil, good as new.

Thought about that but was worried about getting shavings in the transmission or somehow breaking something else. I supposed if I stuffed a rag in the top of the tranny and used a vacuum while I drilled it should be safe. I swear this truck is cursed. My brother suggested cutting the head off a bolt or getting a piece of all-thread and jb welding that in, then just putting a nut on top. Thought that was a pretty decent idea if it would hold.

Lmk how your going to seal that part of the shifter. I git a trans fluid leak around that plate between the shifter and tail shaft.

That is one thing the tranny shop left me was a gasket. If they hadn't I was just going to rtv it. I've had really good luck with Permatex's 'the right stuff' gasket maker on many different applications.

Ordered the correct gaskets from the dealership. There is supposed to be one above and one below that gate thing. Less then $4 total. When they come in I'll try to remember if a paper style gasket maker sheet and a razor blade is an alternative.