Loose Shifter

Hey does anyone by chance know how to tighten the shifter on the 2.0L, 5spd Man? It shifts fine, but just seems kinda sloppy. Is it just the shifter selector bushing? Are those pretty easy to replace on our trucks?

Pop the boot, 3 screws, and then there are 3 10MM Bolts holding it in place, those could be loose also. Shifter lifts right out. Evaluate the condition of what you see.

Sweet, looks like i have something else to do after work!

Last i checked (about 3 years ago) the Bushing that goes on the ball end of the shifter was no longer available.

It was made from some kind of PVC Plastic, so i made my own from a piece of clear PVC Tubing. (The Off-white/semi clear kind) That was about 6 years ago, it was still in the truck when it died. I popped the shifter out and installed it in my diesel (with some mods to the shifter to make it longer), still no wear on the Bushing.

Originally Posted by 74Dusted

Last i checked (about 3 years ago) the Bushing that goes on the ball end of the shifter was no longer available.

It was made from some kind of PVC Plastic, so i made my own from a piece of clear PVC Tubing. (The Off-white/semi clear kind) That was about 6 years ago, it was still in the truck when it died. I popped the shifter out and installed it in my diesel (with some mods to the shifter to make it longer), still no wear on the Bushing.

ahh, well thats gonna suck! Im not talented enough to make my own.

Originally Posted by Ram50Man

ahh, well thats gonna suck! Im not talented enough to make my own.

Got a pair of Wire Cutters and a Lighter? heat the tubing with the lighter (or a small propane torch) to soften it up a little. Slide it over the ball while it's still warm, remove it, slide it back on, remove it and let it cool (it'll retain it's shape, shrinking slightly for a tight fit)... Slide it over one more time and cut off the excess with the wire cutters (or whatever you have at your disposal). That's pretty much the easiest way to make one of the bushings, i'm still searching (off and on) to see if i can find something similar to the original ones, to see if anything might be available.

Also the Transfer Case Shifter has a similar bushing on it, and it wears out too.

That's great information. You should remake that into a "how to" in the tech section.

I bought a short throw shifter from fuel injection specialties that had a ball you installed with a pin like the stock shifter. It was for a starquest and it had an adaptor plate that goes between the tranny and shifter - 30% shorter throws. I will be pulling the shifter to add a 15 degree bend in it to make it closer to me and away from the dash - with my shifter handle I punch the dash in 1,3 and 5.

I might need to get a picture of this. Do they still make that shifter?

Yeah I am curious to see how the new one looks, how much did the entire set up cost for the short throw? I hate the distance between my gears right now i might as well be touching the windshield, then touching the tailgate!.... lol

Not sure if he still has it; pics to come shortly after I fix my brakes.

I was missing the bushing as well, so I just went to the junk yard and pulled a couple bushings out of some trannies they had in a junk pile.The first one I tried to install broke but the second one popped right in as is working great.

Yeah i need to find a junk yard near by that i can just walk around and do some salvaging.... the big yard here wont let you in the yard.... you tell them what you want, and they see if they have it, if so they bring it to the front office for you... kinda sucks.... i like walking around.... cause sometimes you find some great stuff you can use on vehicles that are no where near what your is... lol

Originally Posted by 74Dusted

Last i checked (about 3 years ago) the Bushing that goes on the ball end of the shifter was no longer available.

It was made from some kind of PVC Plastic, so i made my own from a piece of clear PVC Tubing. (The Off-white/semi clear kind) That was about 6 years ago, it was still in the truck when it died. I popped the shifter out and installed it in my diesel (with some mods to the shifter to make it longer), still no wear on the Bushing.

The part is still available through Mitsubishi only! You will not find ANY parts from Dodge. So go to your mitsu dealer. The bushing is like $5

Sweet, im gonna have to find my local Mitsu dealer.