Does anyone have a hack for reconnecting the automatic transmission shifter to the cable without coming up from underneath? I replaced the worn out bushing but am having a hard time doing the reconnect through the console. I've read all the cautions about not bending the cable too much or the housing breaks so any suggestions would be appreciated. This is an '03 coupe.

 

What's needed is a way to hold the cable end to the shifter ball so the two can be pressed together in the limited working space. I loop some string around the cable end and hold both ends of the string from the drivers side with the cable end below it's limited upper travel, the shifter is placed in position so the ball end can be placed on the cable end and held there with a litlte tension on the string. While holding the string and shifter, a long screwdriver or bent piece of metal can then force the shifter end to seat on the ball end; once the cable is seated the string can be removed. This is done with the cable and shifter in a gear the gives the most room to work, they don't need to be in the same gear position. After the cable end is seated the shifter can be selected to the correct gear position so it can bolt to the tunnel. As always, don't lift the cable end too far or the fragile plastic cable housing will crack.

 

Thanks very much for the detailed response. I had envisioned the string idea to hold the cable up to the shifter pin but couldn't work how to get it pushed into the bushing. I was thinking maybe some long reach pliers but I'll try your suggestion first.

Again, thanks very much or your quick reply.

 

Moved to C5 Tech.

 

Its shown in you tube vids so I would search there..

 

I'll see if I can help.
It's somewhat difficult but doable, I've done it on jack stands supporting the rear end and without dropping the tunnel cover.
Be forewarned head of time that the '03 had a mid year design change to the cable housing the way it attaches to the mount in the tunnel at the shifter end! One style is the 'horseshoe' clip just like the one that holds the shifter **** on to the shift. The other has two little 'tabs' that stick out towards the shifter that needs to be pinched in together to pop the housing out. Either style is just over $100 from a dealership. Figure out which style you have. Use a small brush, a tooth brush would work great. Maybe a wet paper towel to wipe around the mount. Mine had 83,000 miles of fine dust coating it and with 'standing on my head' with a flash light trying to see why I couldn't pull the cable loose taught me this lesson. Here is a picture of the old cable before I figured out how to take it out. One of the tabs was already broken off.

Here's a picture of the new cable, you can see the tabs sticking off towards the front.

Here's the part number for what I used to replace my cable.

So now to reattaching.
if you have the car raised, jack stands or a lift, you can move the transmission quadrant (what the cable attaches to at the transmission end) by hand. Pull the quadrant all the way back, towards the rear of the car to make it easier to pop the end of the cable off. If you haven't changed that bushing, now is the time to do it before you put it all together and have to do this again later!!
With the cable off move the quadrant back and forth its full range of movement. Count the clicks it makes. Park is the position all the way towards the back of the car. Move the quadrant two clicks from park to put the car in neutral.
You have two choices on how to put the end on the shifter at this point. You can try to do it without taking the cable housing loose from the front or pop it out. I broke my housing and had to replace it when I pulled up on it to try and reattach mine after changing just the bushings. BE VERY CAREFUL if you don't pop it out, I recommend doing it! Either way, push the cable itself towards the front of the car as far as it will go, a few inches. If that is still not enough, you can take the bracket off at the transmission end of the cable and try to maneuver it forward some more. If that is still not enough, pop the housing off at the front, tie a long piece.of STRONG string to the front end of the cable to pull it back towards the front,, and the bracket at the back and pull the housing from the bracket. This makes the cable and housing completely loose and you can move it as you need to.
If your hands are small enough you can hold the shifter over the opening and GENTLY pull up on the cable end. NOT ON THE HOUSING! You might get lucky and pop the bushings on to the ball end at the shifter. It will be very tight to get your hand in there! If you can't get it on, pull the housing off! That will give you a few more inches of height to pop the end on. I had to use a pair of needle nose pliers to pop mine on.
Once the cable is on the shifter, push the cable housing back into place. If you have the tabs it just pops in and will stay. If you have the horseshoe clip, push the housing in place. Doing my research I read that you don't necessarily need to put the horseshoe back in, no idea how you could even do it at this point from above. I figure Chevy put it there for a reason, your call as to what you will do!
Place the shifter on the studs and put a couple of nuts back on, snug them but don't tighten then yet if the shifter needs to come back out. Put the shifter into neutral and reattach the transmission end. Have someone work the shifter back and forth to make sure it goes into each spot on the PRNDL321 as you watch at the transmission end that it moves into each detent correctly.
If it does, bolt everything up and it's test drive time! Hopefully it all works correctly, it not there is a way to adjust the cable. There is a red colored, push in 'clip' on the transmission end that you can use a small flat blade screw driver to pry up on GENTLY to loosen the end and move it by sliding the end forward or back to make the shifter location match the detents of the transmission. Push it back in to lock it in place.
Again another fair warning, I worked on my adjustment end for several tries and never got it right! It would go into drive and all the rest of the gears just ok, but wouldn't go into park. Got sick of doing it thinking I didn't know what I was doing wrong or didn't have the right tool to do the adjustment correctly...Hate to admit it but I had to take it to the dealership then. They had it adjusted and out the door in under an hour... and $125 later. I did get to talk to the tech that adjusted it to see what I did wrong or just how inept I was and he told me I had done nothing wrong! It took him three tries to adjust it and it was one of the worst ones he had done to 'get right! Made me feel a tiny bit better. I had originally been quoted four hours plus parts so over $600. I had right at $250 into it including the adjustment, so I still saved a considerable amount.of money!
Hope this helps and sorry for being so long, good luck!!!

 

Thanks everyone for your replies. With an overabundance of caution related to damaging the cable itself, I decided to go up from the bottom. Pulling the exhaust and bottom cover plate was far easier than trying to wrangle the linkage from up top. Plus, I went ahead and replaced the rear link as well. After several weather delays, I finally got everything reconnected and am now ready to button it up. I just hope I can remember where everything went!