Does anyone have this shift ****:

http://storesense.megawebservers.com...ail.bok?no=269

Has anyone had trouble with it making a tapping, grinding noise when accelerating? It is driving me nuts. If I keep my hand on it while accelerating, the noise goes away, but then I have to drive with one hand. The car has some aftermarket short throw shifter (not sure which one) and didn't seem to be a problem with the stock shift ****.

Any help would be great - thanks

-Aubry

 

You can try to reajust the shifter box with the shifter. If you don't know how let mem know so i can find the link, or you can do a search.
Worth a shot.

 

I doubt that it's the **** making the annoying noise. It may amplify noise, but most comment that such ***** actually tend to lessen the vibrations and noises that come from (some) after market shifters.
I have the same type of ****, mine being a HURST 2.25", on the oem 3/4" shortened C5/Z06 shifter. Mine doesn't make noise of any type at any rpm range. My car only has 5,200 miles on it, maybe that will change with more miles.
The fact that the noise goes away by keeping your hand on it may indicate that there's something wrong with the shifter mechanism, ie, adjustment as suggested above or something loose or worn.
You state you have "some after market short throw shifter (not sure which one)".
I've seen some really cheap C5/Z06 "short throw" shifters being sold on EBAY for less than $40. They usually have a black base and polished lever w/o any sound dampening. They're not HURST, KIRBAN, B&M, BPP, MTI or any of the well known brands...they're cheap off shore knock offs.
Is it possible that your "short throw" shifter may be one of these?

 

Could be, I may have to pull it apart - if the guy who installed it didn't put down any gasket material, I suppose that could make it noisy? Another test would be to put the stock shift **** on and see if that solves it.... Some ideas, thanks guys.

 

If you go to the effort of pulling it apart, clean it, lube it with a quality synthetic grease at all pivot points (including the plastic bearing cup at the bottom of the lever) and adjust it. I've done this process with TREMEC 3550 five speed transmissions with similar symptoms.
Adjustment consists of installing the cover absolutely square to the box and then tightening the bolts to the correct torque, basically. I doubt if leaving the gasket off would cause your issue unless the mounting bolts have loosened. The holes in the shifter base allow for some "slop" and might cause poor shifting symptoms as well, but you didn't mention that...

 

If you are going to disassemble it might as well try this steps, it definitly improved my shifting.
How to adjust the six speed shifter in your C5
A search of “corvettemechanic.com” revealed the method to adjust the shifter on a C5. Some more searching provided a step by step of how to get to the adjustment bolts from another corvette forum. The following, then, is a composite of the instructions from the two websites, plus my own narrative and additional pictures that I took to complete the specific instructions on performing this adjustment:
Tools Required
1 Small screwdriver
2 Large screwdriver
3 ViseGrips
4 Small block of wood - about 1x3x2
5 Torx T15 driver
6 Torx T40 Bit
7 3/8" Ratchet, extension, 10mm socket, 3/8" socket
8 Torque wrench
9 Plastic mallet
10 Small length of dowel (suggest 3/8” dia. X 4” long)
11 Optional - Flashlight, inspection mirror, magnet, claw type pick up tool, strong language... (only needed if you manage to drop anything in the tunnel – not that I did of course)
1. Start by using a small screwdriver to pry the appliqué from the shift ****.
2. Next, use vise grips to lock onto the metal "T" retainer.

3. Use the block of wood in conjunction with the large screwdriver to easily pry the retainer up and out. Unscrew and remove the shift ****.
4. Open the console and carefully remove the two plastic covers with a small screwdriver. Remove the two 10mm nuts.
5. Gently pry out the center module housing the traction control button. (As an optional recommended step, disconnect the negative battery cable before proceeding.) Disconnect the connectors to the air bag indicator light, traction control button and accessory power receptacle and remove module. Then remove the two 10mm nuts that retain the rear and front consoles to the floor tunnel.
6. Next carefully remove the cover of the inside air temp sensor beside the ignition switch. Remove the Torx screw.
7. Locate and remove the two other Torx screws located beside the cig lighter and behind the ashtray.
8. Slide the rear portion of the console back and tilt up to locate and disconnect the fuel door switch connector.
9. Remove the console and set aside.
10. Carefully remove the front/dash portion of the console -- don’t forget to reach behind and disconnect the cig lighter connector. This reveals the closeout boot covering the shifter. Remove the four 10mm nuts that secure the boot and lift off the close out boot.
11. Put the shifter in neutral. Then, slide the positioning pin at the front of the shifter down into the hole at the front of the rod housing. This may take some jiggling of the mechanism and use of the 3/8” dowel to push down on the pin – don’t force it as it will slide into place easily when you find the correct position. Do make certain that the pin is fully seated down to the small cutout you’ll see at the front of the shifter base. (If you don’t fully seat it the first time, you can use the vise grips to pull the pin back up and start again.)
12. Use the T 40 Torx bit, ratchet and extension to loosen the two mounting bolts and the shifter rod clamp bolt.
13. Confirm that the positioning pin is fully seated. Then torque all three Torx bolts to 22 ft. lbs. IMPORTANT: Torque the two mounting bolts first and then the clamp bolt. Withdraw the pin.
At this point you may want to temporarily re-install the shifter **** and close out boot only and road test. If you do, I suggest you also reconnect the traction control switch to avoid setting any codes. I simply rested the module on the center tunnel with appropriate padding.
Once satisfied with the adjustment, reassemble in reverse order of the above instructions. Some additional notes on reassembly: Do not over tighten any of the fasteners --- you don’t want to crack any plastic components; use the dowel and plastic mallet to gently tap the metal “T” retainer back into the shifter ****.

If anyone wants a copy of this with pitcures pm me and i will e-mail it beause it in word.