Good Morning,

I know this is a subject that has been beaten to death, however I think my issue (04 Z06) is different than the normal shifter issues. This is probably normal for the car, but I just wanted some feedback on what is annoying me and potential fixes.

Problem: The shifter and gearbox feel fine, just as a 19k mile car should. Driving the car, I have no trouble finding gears, and there is no play while in gear. However, there is a little play in the shifter while in the neutral position. Obviously, the shifter should be able to move freely in neutral, but the "static location" of neutral seems to be a LITTLE sloppy. By sloppy I mean that sometimes it is in the correct spot between 3rd and 4th gear...straight up for 3rd, straight down for 4th. But there is a little wiggle so that you could actually get it to be static in a position that is slightly off from the normal N position between 3rd and 4th, so that it will not be a straight up for 3rd, straight down for 4th movement. While in this "off" position, straight up and straight down movements will result in hitting the shifter gates between 1st and 3rd or 2nd and 4th.

Action/Inspection: While installing my ipod interface last weekend, I inspected the shifter linkage to investigate the issue and see if I could remedy the issue with a shifter adjustment. Inspecting the linkage, I found that everything was in line and every minute input into the shifter directed translated into linkage movement...therefore I determined that performing a shifter adjustment wouldn't yield any benefit.

Am I correct in this assumption? Has anyone else experienced this? What could possibly remedy this situation? My guess is that there is a little slop in the shifter spring, so that it is not returning the shifter to "perfect" Neutral every time.

Also, any suggestions for a different shifter? I am leaning toward the C6 shifter, because I would rather have a decreased shift effort rather than an increased effort with more notchiness. Ideally the shifter would be a little lighter (going to try the anti-venom mod), a little shorter, and the shifter itself would be a little shorter but similary weighted. Please feel free to contribute.

 

If you have a stock shifter, then there should be a lot of play in N. Most aftermarket shifters are spring loaded and greatly reduce the side-to-side play (OEM shifter has no springs).

As for your last suggestion for a shifter....based on your requirements - I'd say the Core-Hurst shifter would be ideal for you. It's a bit shorter, it isn't notchy, and it's lighter. There's no need for the anti-venom mod with this shifter. Also, the TPS-427 and RDS shifter would be ideal.......both of these shifters are based on the C6/C6Z shifter

 

Thanks for your reply. The stock shifter should have side to side play in order to shift the range of gears from 1st all the way to Reverse.

Maybe I need to describe this symptom differently. When releasing the shifter from a gear, and letting it snap back to it's natural Neutral spot, it should snap back to a spot between 3rd and 4th gear ("true neutral"). In this "true" neutral position, 3rd gear should be a straight throw forward, and 4th gear should be a straight throw backward. Sometimes, the shifter snaps back to a spot slightly off from this position. We are talking millimeters, but it's enough to cause slight misalignment. This is noticed because a throw straight forward will hit the gate between 1st and 3rd, and a throw straight backward will hit the gate between 2nd and 4th. While in neutral, you can move the shifter a few millimeters in every direction and it will come to rest in that position, instead of correcting itself back to "true" neutral. Has anyone else noticed this with the stock shifter?

 

While I haven't noticed that particular symptom, the cause is likely the shifter box alignment. You can re-align the box to fix it.

 

Well, it's not like the shifter is loose or out of alignment. Every movement on the shifter directly corresponds to a movement in the linkage. I checked this a couple weekends ago, so I didn't see the benefit of a shifter alignment.

I can reproduce the symptom on demand, so I think I'm going to see if I can capture what I'm talking about on video.

 

I just put in the C6 shifter, and the improvement is amazing. Feels much better with a shorter throw.

 

Thanks for the input. Did you just buy it? I think I tried to buy the same one you got a few hours too late! How much did it run you? And also, what's involved in the install? Do you have to replace that rubber NVH insulator between the boot and the torque tube?

 

I bought it from Gene Culley at GM Parts House. He's a great guy to deal with and very helpful if you have any questions. The shifter is very easy to install. You have to remove the center console and then the rubber insulator. the shifter box mounts with two torx bolts and the adjustmemt collar with one more torx. There is a good installation write up on the forum, but I can't find it right now. Hopefully someone will post it.

http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c5-g...rts-house.html

 

Oh ok. I was about to buy a used one, and missed it by a couple hours. I read a few installation threads. It seems that the rubber insulator has to be modified for the thicker shifter. http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c5-g...tallation.html
Did you run into this at all? Was it as easy as plug and play? Did you have to modify the shift boot?

 

Here's a couple more links. The MGW instructions are the same for a
C6 shifter also.

http://www.mgwltd.com/corvette_short...allation.shtml

Here's a link about modifying the C5 boot to fit the C6 shifter.

http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c5-t...hift-****.html

 

Did you have to modify your shift boot or your rubber insulator? Like I said, I know the procedure and it looks like both of these need to be cut. I'm not interested in cutting up any of my stock pieces.

 

I installed it a few months ago, but I don't remember having to trim the rubber isolator. I think I was able to stretch the isolator over the shift lever. All you need to do to the shift boot is cut a few threads where the lever goes through to open up the diameter a little and use a small zip tie inside the boot to hold it in place. You can always get an aftermarket boot also. Here's a better explanation of the mod.
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c5-g...fter-****.html

I'll try to post a picture of mine later today.

 

Stiching cut and opened up to fit C6 shifter. Zip tie to hold boot in place. No need to cut rubber isolator.



Pic of installed C6 shifter

 

Thanks for posting those pics! That's good news if that rubber isolator can be reused. I drove my car a bunch this weekend, and was constantly aware of how long the shift throws were.

 

Your symptoms sound like an alignment issue. The centering spring is in the transmission. Spend 20 minutes and do the alignment procedure. It costs nothing but some time and you might find you solved your problem. Inspecting the linkage will not tell you anything about the alignment. The fact that you're indicating the shifter is not vertical is an indicator that there is an alignment problem. Especially if it mis-aligns to the same side each time. If it mis-aligns in both directions, then you might have a weak spring. Still worth trying the alignment procedure.

Remember, the shorter the throw, the less leverage you have and the more effort needed to move the shifter. I upgraded to a C6 shifter and like the feel better. I also did the anti-venom mod.