clogan

I have the common C6 shifter **** rattle. I tried the silicone under the **** - no good. I tried the tennis ball under the boot - no good.

Today, I was riding around, with the shifter **** just sitting on the shaft, without having re-installed the set screw, and, surprisingly, there is no more rattle. (fingers crossed here).

So, all you C6 owners who have been plagued by the rattle, just remove the set screw, and put it on the console. Leave the **** loose on the shaft. It just might cure the rattle!

clogan

outnumbered

Does the **** stay on ok?
Is it loose and moves around?

stano

What brand of tennis ball were you using...? Jus' kidding
Maybe plumbers tape on the set screw would help...?

clogan

The **** stays on OK, unless pulled vertically, when of course, it comes off the shaft. Normal shifting motions would not appear to result in the **** coming off the shaft.

I previously tried the teflon plumber's tape also; no improvement was noted.

I believe the tennis ball is a Wilson, LOL.

clogan

Zred06

Sorry, but that is not a fix that I am going to try.

Blitz_

Agreed - if you have some spirited driving you might pull it off.

clogan

I can re-insert the set screw to hold the **** to the shaft, and, as long as I do not tighten the screw all the way, I can still avoid the rattle. Problem now is the rattle of the washer on the not-all-the-way-tight set screw. Now I need to find a way to secure the washer...maybe a dab of silicone between washer and head of set screw?

I'll keep y'all posted.

clogan

Zred06

I noticed the rattle in 2nd and 3rd when the engine was cold (i.e. oil < 120 F) and the temperature outside here was around 45 degrees. After the engine oil was at temperature of +150, I couldn't get it to rattle anymore, I am convinced that it is a temperature related issue.

KRAYZ308

I have a mig welder, LOL

vetteship

It's a combination of different material frequencies (metal shifter rod and a wooden ****). As the car warms up (tranny worms up) the metal shifter shaft expand just enough to make a better seal between the **** and the shaft and then the rattle is gone. Drive around without the **** and a pair of work glove on the right hand, you will feel the shaft's vibration which translate into the wooden **** and hence the rattle. Not acceptable for a car at that price, specially an American icon. The frustrating part is GM's taking forever to fix this issue.

Foosh

Perhaps it might be useful to think about this relatively minor transmission vibration issue along the following lines. Like everything else in engineering, it's about fulfilling a certain "mission."

In a Lexus, silky smooth is the mission. In a high HP and torque car, it's about being able to handle the stresses of those forces without breaking. The trannie in our cars is relatively bullet-proof in serving that mission.

Be careful what you ask for when you rant about, and demand that, GM fix this issue. It may not be all that simple, and may require a complete transmission redesign/replacement with other large potential negative consequences.

The trannies in purpose-built race cars are not known for being silky smooth and vibration free either. Just a thought.................

dollarbill

Foosh has a point in the post above, Many years ago we all wanted the 'Rock Crusher' 4 speed tranny because it was bullet proof. It was rough and always whined but it never broke.
Bill

1HOT427

I must be lucky, mine doesn't rattle at all but it appears that many have this problem. The only issue I have is that the
1-2 shift is fairly notchy when the powertrain is cold.
Just like that M20 in my old Chevelle!

vetteship

Fosh: How about if GM chamges the **** from wood to metal ? Or make the "gap" between the shaft and the **** less. My "Sparco" metal shift **** solved the rattle, as yours did

kelp

Hmmmm. Sounds like a bad screw. Did not think possible.

Exterminator

Foosh

Sorry Vetteship, just saw this.

Even though we both "solved" (as have several others) our "vibration noises" with the Sparco metal ****, I guess the point is the vibration is still there (just now masked and not audible). I think many people are demanding a fix to the vibration, period. That's why I said, it may not be that simple and to be careful what you ask for.

vetteship

I know what you mean, GM might reduce HP or Torque and that is not desirable. I realize there are undesirable mecahnical harmonics, but the metal **** seem to silence the vibration created by this and hence eliminate the rattle **** sound. I think it's a selection of the materials (shift shaft and shift ****)and their frequencies that might resolve this issue. In addition, I think better tolerances between those two will help reduce the sound. The frustrating part, to me at least, is that you don't hear the **** rattling in a Viper, Porsche, Lambo, Ford GT, and other high performance cars. So how can these other manufacturer get a handle on this and not GM ?

Foosh

I dunno, the C6/C5 set-up has always been a little unique with the transmission in the rear and engine up front (obviously done for desirable weight distribution reasons). If l'm not mistaken, the other cars you mention have the trannie bolted directly to the engine block, but I'm not familiar with Lambos and other exotics.

raj

Valid point. However, the Ferrari 550, 575, 599GTB and Scaglietti are all front engine rear transmission layouts just like the C5/C6. However, those cars are also classic GT cars that are built with a certain level of refinement which implies added weight to improve road isolation and quell undesirable cabin harmonics, etc. As single minded as the Z06 is in its intent, some degree of NVH may just be inherent to its construction.