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Gearshift boot!

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Old Jan 15, 2012 | 09:48 PM
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Default Gearshift boot!

Hello I have always had trouble with my shift boot not staying up. I have a 6 speed 99 c5. Any suggestions to remedey this problem would be appreciated. Thank you.
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Old Jan 15, 2012 | 11:19 PM
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Take off the shift **** and boot. Turn the boot inside out. Reinstall the boot upside down, and slide it down the shifter lever where you want the top to be. Put a zip tie around the top of the boot and shifter lever and secure it tightly. Trim off the excess zip tie. Now pull the rest of the boot down over the shifter lever, turning it back right side out. Reinstall your shift ****. Now your boot will stay put.

That's what I did when I installed my aftermarket boot and ****...

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Old Jan 15, 2012 | 11:21 PM
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Remove the **** and boot. Get an o-ring that fits tight on the shifter shaft. If it's large enough that the boot won't slip over it, just position it where it will hold the boot up and replace everything. If not, the top of the boot has been folded back into itself for about an inch and glued. Pull that glued part loose, put the o-ring on the shaft,turn the boot inside out and put the small end over the shaft. Put the o-ring over the boot where it will hold the boot where you want it. Pull the boot back down and snap into place and replace your ****.
This weekend I installed a C6 shifter and the C5 boot wouldn't work as it was. That is what I did to make it work and the o-ring has held the boot in place with no problems. I have a hard time explaining and hope all that made sense. This is a picture of mine. The o-ring is holding the boot onto the shaft and is pushed up against the ****.


Last edited by Suthunman; Jan 15, 2012 at 11:24 PM.
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Old Jan 16, 2012 | 09:23 AM
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What FYRARMS suggest should solve your problem. I did that on my '00 when I installed an aftermarket shift boot.
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Old Jan 16, 2012 | 09:38 AM
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Originally Posted by FYRARMS
Take off the shift **** and boot. Turn the boot inside out. Reinstall the boot upside down, and slide it down the shifter lever where you want the top to be. Put a zip tie around the top of the boot and shifter lever and secure it tightly. Trim off the excess zip tie. Now pull the rest of the boot down over the shifter lever, turning it back right side out. Reinstall your shift ****. Now your boot will stay put.

That's what I did when I installed my aftermarket boot and ****...

That's how I installed mine. Actually I think that was in the instructions as well.
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Old Jan 16, 2012 | 09:40 AM
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Originally Posted by Vetteman Jack
What FYRARMS suggest should solve your problem. I did that on my '00 when I installed an aftermarket shift boot.
He would also need to remove the console and radio bezel to reach the bottom of the boot to lift it out. It was not mentioned before.
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Old Jan 16, 2012 | 09:43 AM
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Originally Posted by corvettezman
He would also need to remove the console and radio bezel to reach the bottom of the boot to lift it out. It was not mentioned before.
You don't have to take out the bezel to replace the shift boot. But if you did it would eliminate any chance of breaking the ring.

Last edited by RetiredSFC 97; Jan 16, 2012 at 09:49 AM.
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Old Jan 16, 2012 | 10:07 AM
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Originally Posted by RetiredSFC 97
You don't have to take out the bezel to replace the shift boot. But if you did it would eliminate any chance of breaking the ring.
Not sure how you would so that unless the manual is different than an auto. Mine is an A4 and it came with an elastic bottom that had to wrap over and below the lip of the shifter assembly.
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Old Jan 16, 2012 | 11:06 AM
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(Assuming a manual transmission), there is no need to remove anything but the **** and boot.

Get a rubber grommet with an ID which is just smaller than the OD of the shifter lever. Install the grommet on the lever and slide it down. Install the the boot. Install the ****. Adjust the grommet to any position you like to hold the boot closer to the bottom of the ****.
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Old Jan 16, 2012 | 11:31 AM
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Originally Posted by corvettezman
Not sure how you would so that unless the manual is different than an auto. Mine is an A4 and it came with an elastic bottom that had to wrap over and below the lip of the shifter assembly.
These you just wrap around the retainer, staple or glue, and insert back into the bezel. At least that's how mine was installed originally and how I installed my custom boot.

You just have to be careful not to break the retaining ring which is plastic. Mine was already broke from the shifter install by the PO so I repaired it and reused it.
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Old Jan 16, 2012 | 10:41 PM
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Wow that was simple. Great idea! Thank you!
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Old Jan 16, 2012 | 10:45 PM
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Originally Posted by hotwheels57
Get a rubber grommet with an ID which is just smaller than the OD of the shifter lever. Install the grommet on the lever and slide it down. Install the the boot. Install the ****. Adjust the grommet to any position you like to hold the boot closer to the bottom of the ****.
That's actually what I wanted to do, but had the zip ties in the garage, so...
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