Started my car up to go to work this morning and lo and behold, they shifter was not working. It moved freely but would not shift the trans. I figured my shift linkage was broken. Took my girlfriends car to work and while there I hopped on the Forum. A quick search pulled up this thread. When I got home I jacked it up and sure enough, the plastic bushing that holds the cable to the linkage was gone. Ran to Autozone and picked up the part listed in this thread, and a couple hours later i was up and running.

Man I love this forum!! Saved me another couple hundred dollars!! You Guys and Gals rock!! Keep the good info flowing!!

 

My C5 1999 corvette coupe snap the rear shift cable. This is the one that connects to the rear automatic trans link. Checked end of it, and saw plastic joint broken. Can anybody give me the part number so I can order the freeken cable. Dealer don't want to give me part number so I can order it from G.M. direct because I get it at a better price. I am so pisssssssst off My weekend is grounded. And if any body has a new one, "please" I will pay with pay-pal.(This is want happens when you please girls, next corvette 100% STANDERD)

 

GM p/n : 12561688

 

The cable broke on my 2000 and I had GM replace it. Wasn't cheap. Sorry.

 

I had the same problem. I took my '98 to the dealer too. Not a big hassle and it was done "relatively" inexpensively. Works great now.

 

If its just the bushing, buy one from autozone. I've had both ends break

 

Another thread that won't end...... started in '07

 

I replaced mine a few months ago. It was pretty easy but time consuming. The cable was about $80. All I needed to was drop my xpipe and remove the torque tube cover. From their the shifter was easily accessible. It just snaps in place easy at both ends. Any one that knows how to use hand tools can easily handle the job. Or pay a dealer $1000. Lol

 

I came across this thread as I am wondering why my shifter will only shift into drive and I can't move the lever into 3,2, or 1st . This thread continues to live .

 

Time to get out your service manual, get under the car, and do some investigating.

 

First time poster, just joined up because I had same prob tonight. Got off work stopped to get dinner, no worries car acted just great. Came out and guess what, shift lever went slack ,wont go into gear. Now I leave my baby in a parking lot untill tomorrow when I can get someone to come get it for me, and worry about what will get wrecked when it gets towed. No place to work on it where I live and there goes some savings. Oh well beats having to get a new tranny. Thanks to everyone for their stories and fixes , it doesnt look like it will cost too much to have it fixed. Still love my c5!

 

Tore console apart last night, cable came off at shifter . Made it in to work with a pair of pliers to shift car , bought new cable 74.00 from dealer. So far not to bad, hope to have everything buttoned up tomorrow. Thanks again for all the advise on here.

 

Well.... It's seems time to bump this thread.

My shift linkage went today when I was leaving work. Backed out of my parking spot, shifted into drive, the car continued to roll backwards. Lots of play in the shifter, so I'm thinking it's the shift linkage.

I was able to turn the car off and remove the key, so I'm assuming that somehow I got it back into neutral. I pushed it back into the parking spot and there it'll have to sit overnight (breaks my heart). I work on a military base so I'm not worried about anyone trying to mess with it.

Fingers crossed that it's disconnected at the shifter so it'll be an easy fix til I have the shifter cable replaced.

Here's my question, how do I go about removing the shifter console/modling around the HVAC/radio to get to the shifter? I don't wanna eff anything up. I tried searching for the instructions, but haven't found it. Would someone with superior searching skills point me in the right direction? Thanks in advance! Now it's time to drink some beer, it's been one of those days.....

UPDATE: I removed the console, didn't see anything appear to be loose though. Jacked the car up, didn't see anything loose on the tranny. I shifted the car back into neutral, got it started, then put it into drive. Any ideas on where I should start looking? I'm going to try to post some pictures later today of the console torn out. I have a feeling I'm not looking at the right spot on the shifter....

Thanks in advance, this site is freakin bad ***!

 

Alright. I replaced the broken bushing that connects the shift control label to the shifter. The shifter feels a bit firmer, but I noticed almost a 45 degree bend in the shift control calble, right before it disappears into the car.

I'm guessing this is not supposed to be bent? So I'll have to replace the shift cable?

 

Thanks for the information posted in this thread. Saved it for future reference.

 

Parked the car in Anderson University's athletic parking lot and when I went to go to lunch, the car would not shift out of park.

Had it towed home and will begin the search tonight...

 

Looking from underneath the car, the transmission linkage looks fine. Connection is intact. Time to begin removal of the console...

And there it is. Disconnect between shifter and cable end. Appears a new Dorman plastic grommet should do the fix.

 

Here are a few tips I can suggest after replacing the grommet on my shifter:

1) I purchased the Dorman "Pedal and Shift Linkage Bushing Kit" (p/n 14041) from Advance Auto for about $7. There are 4 different sized bushings in this kit and I used the one which was 2nd smallest.

2) When working thru the top cavity after the shifter ***'y is removed, it is a very good idea to place a rag down under the end of the shifter linkage to keep from losing anything that may accidently drop down. I dropped a small screw driver and had to use a magnet to retrieve it. If you lose your grommet/bushing down that hole you may never see it again.

3) Before you begin removing what is left of the old bushing or inserting the new one, the job becomes easier if you get under the rear of the car and advance the link on the transmission from "PARK" to "Drive" or "2nd" gear. This moves the shifter end of the linkage (under the console) forward and allows you to pull it more toward the top of the cavity. otherwise, I don't believe I would have been able to install the new bushing or snap the linkage onto the bottom of the shifter's ball.

It is now installed and working correctly. Thanks to everyone who added detailed information to help me with this repair process!

 

Vettenutts.com // ask for marc

 

That would have worked for me but for two limiting factors. Mine came loose at the shifter end and my wife was in the car at work while I was 600 miles away in Alabama!
So I had USAA tow the car home They didn't use my pucks to jack the car up! Damaged all the jack points! So when I got back to Florida I tried to remove the shifter for inspection but couldn't because one of the studs is spinning freely. Can't weld the stud without pulling the torque tube! So I spent an hour pushing the car uphill into my shop by wedging the front tire with a tamping rod and sliding a push broom against the back tire, using my foot, to keep it from rolling back while I repositioned the tamping tool Then I jacked up all four corners using one fifteen hundred pound jack and a piece of four by four and placed all four corners on jackstands. I removed the Corsa exhaust center section (none of the posts mentioned the cursed o2 sensors), and removed the pan. I found the cable had popped off and the plastic bushing had failed. Now I have to go to town and get the Dorman replacement bushing! Good thing I spent all morning rolling into the shop - it's raining cats and dogs in Eustis - I already scooped up two Labradoodles and a Maine Coon! I worked on it from 7AM to 1PM to get THIS far along with the project. I'm 70 years old, too dang old for this kind of abuse. I miss my air-cooled VW's!!!