Hi guys,

Need a little help again. I noticed that my shifter seems to slide to the right about an inch after running hard through the gears.

For example, sometimes when going into 5th it is directly in front of the 'A/C' button on the dash but after running through some of the gears it goes in to the right of the same button. The only gear I've really noticed this in is 5th and it doesn't happen every time.

I searched and couldn't find anything even remotely the same but it seems like something may be loose and needs to be tightened up. Any ideas?

Thanks.

 

Your shifter should be mounted ROCK SOLID and NOT move side to side or forward to aft at ALL!!

You need to remove the center console and inspect the shifter box/torque tube mounting bolts.

I will attach some pictures of my shifter box BUT,,,,its a ZO6 box and will NOT have any rubber bushings like a coupe or vert shifter box. Inspect your bushings (if you have a NON ZO6 box and then make sure that the faterners are proper tightened after the inspection/replacement. I recommend using BLUE LOCKTITE on the box fasteners. The shifter to box bolts can also come loose. If you have a stock shifter,,,,make sure that those bolts are tight. If you have an aftermarket shifter,,,make SURE that you have the CORRECT screws (longer than stock) are installed and tight.

While you have everything a part, lube up the shaft and shift ball with lithium grease

The stock shifter removed and inside of the BOX.





Difference between a stock shifter and aftermarket shifter. You can see why you need longer screws. Ask me why I know!!!:



Make SURE your shifter is properly secured to the stock BOX and the BOX secured to the Torque tube!

BC

 

Thanks Bill. It's a Z06 shifter box, and I believe it's still the stock shifter.

I'm keeping my fingers crossed that its just the shifter box being loose, or something stupid along those lines. I can't afford too many more issues this year.

 

Unfortunately, everything is nice and tight. I'm not sure what else could be causing this. If it was a torque tube failure I would imagine that the symptoms would be much more pronounced and constant. I may end up replacing the stock z06 shifter just to err on the side of caution.

For more information, it goes into every gear with no problem including 5th. Everything shifts smoothly, and the only reason I even noticed it was because it seemed like I had to reach to get the shifter. Maybe I'm just being paranoid.

Any other ideas please let me know!

 

Here is what I would do! Leave the console out and remove the rubber shifter close out boot that covers the shifter and shifter box. Take the car for a spirited drive and monitor the torque tube, shifter box and shifter handle.

All that should be ROCK SOLID!! If the drive train is moving around,,,you have some serious issues. Could be a bad engine mount, bad rear end support etc....

I agree that you should replace the stock shifter. There are TWO types of aftermarket shifters that you should consider. One type is similar to the OEM design in that it does not have centering springs.

The other type has centering springs that add additional spring force to help center the shift handle in the 3rd & 4th shift gates. This centering force "HELPS" prevent shifting into second when you wanted to shift into 4th. Not good for the engine!

The transmission has a spring that does the job of centering the shifter in the 3rd & 4th gates. On the early C5 that spring was really weak. The later C5 had a better spring but it still leaves a lot to be desired.

I have a KIRBAN Shifter and it is the centering type. I really like it. Its also has shift stops which I use to enhance the feel of making sure that the tranny is positively in gear. With the correct shift technique (hand placement and hand usage "finger tips and the palm of your hand") and additional centering force, you will be able to shift lightening quick and lessen the possibility of selecting the wrong gear when rowing through the gears.

If you see movement of the torque tube under heavy torque,,,I highly recommend inspection the drive train mounting components for defective parts.

Let us know what you find. If you can take a short video of the issue.

BC

 

Thanks for the help Bill.

Everything is tight, nothing loose at all. I'm not almost banking on it being the shifter, which also gives me an excuse to upgrade. I'll look into your suggestion below as anything that helps guide the shifter into gear is a plus.

Is there any piece of the shifter that could be "loose"? Keep in mind that this only happens after hitting gears pretty hard/fast. It may even be the shifter handle but it felt solid when I put it on.

 

If you examine the stock shifter shaft, you will see that it is TWO pieces. The top portion of the shaft is isolated from the bottom with a rubber bushing. They have been known to separate and become soft.



The shifter mounting plate encloses a BALL in a bearing. If you pull, push and twist on the shifter shaft while the plate is held steady in a vise, the shaft and ball should NOT have any lost motion between that plate enclosing the shifter shaft ball.

Theres also a black plastic insert that snaps onto the bottom of the shifter. That plastic isolator fits inside the shift box fork and transfers exact input from the shift handle to the shift rod. There should be little or no play between that black bushing and the fork.





BC