Another shifter cable question..
Le Mans Master
Joined: Dec 2017
Posts: 5,531
Likes: 3,272
From: Virginia
2021 C5 of the Year Finalist - Modified
St. Jude Donor '21-'22
For the record, I have somewhat changed my position on this. My cable broke a little over a month ago with no warning at all. It was nighttime, and I was out of town when it happened. The car was stuck in park, so it was a real PIA to deal with. I sort of wish I had already had this swapped out. With that said, my car has almost 100K miles on it. I wouldn't do this unless you are over 75K miles or so. The repair with parts and labor was over $500.00, so the cost is high enough that it's not just a might as well do it sort of thing.
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Mar 2021
Posts: 124
Likes: 93
It is most likely the adjustment that Dave posted, however if you paid for the service then I would take it back for correction. It's more than the indicator being off, the cable is likely tensioned in a way that will put undue or premature stress on what is an already known failure point.
Advanced
Joined: Apr 2016
Posts: 89
Likes: 22
From: Forest, VA
Thanks for the replies. Forgot to mention that my '03 has 62k miles.
I do agree that something possibly beyond adjustment may be going on and that the stress on the cable may cause another failure. Have an appointment next Tuesday with the shop that replaced the cable. The mechanic that worked on the car first attempted to go through the top shifter to get to the cable. Why oh why did he do that? The entire replacement can be done from the bottom which he had to do eventually (drop the pipes; remove the panel, etc.)
May wind up being a real struggle because I provided the new cable. Shop may say if a correcting adjustment cannot be made that because it is my cable = my fault. We'll see. I have purchased other parts (harmonic balancer, belt tensioner, etc.) and the shop installed them for me without any problems. Replacing this cable may take a bit of time but it's not brain surgery.
I do agree that something possibly beyond adjustment may be going on and that the stress on the cable may cause another failure. Have an appointment next Tuesday with the shop that replaced the cable. The mechanic that worked on the car first attempted to go through the top shifter to get to the cable. Why oh why did he do that? The entire replacement can be done from the bottom which he had to do eventually (drop the pipes; remove the panel, etc.)
May wind up being a real struggle because I provided the new cable. Shop may say if a correcting adjustment cannot be made that because it is my cable = my fault. We'll see. I have purchased other parts (harmonic balancer, belt tensioner, etc.) and the shop installed them for me without any problems. Replacing this cable may take a bit of time but it's not brain surgery.
Last edited by Tony S45; Dec 22, 2021 at 05:13 PM.
Advanced
Joined: Apr 2016
Posts: 89
Likes: 22
From: Forest, VA
Well ... the adjustment on the rear of the cable was in it's front-most position which means that the cable is as long as possible. It can't be adjusted any further. The mechanic that did the work is new to the shop but experienced. I was able to inspect the car up on the lift at the invitation of the shop foremen.
My opinion is that the mechanic may have cause a kink in the cable while installing but I don't have a leg to stand on because I supplied the cable. Shop foreman stated that if they had supplied the part then they would drop the pipes & torque tube cover at their expense to inspect the cable. Talked to a couple of our Corvette club's more knowledgeable members and they recommend that I just drive it. In "Drive" the red covers the D. Club members suggested that I could merely take out the LED bulb that I installed or get ready to pay some one more Corvette-smart to drop the pipes & cover and replace the cable again. The car is a weekend toy for us and we only put 1000+ miles on it per year.
Next time I will not provide the parts.
My opinion is that the mechanic may have cause a kink in the cable while installing but I don't have a leg to stand on because I supplied the cable. Shop foreman stated that if they had supplied the part then they would drop the pipes & torque tube cover at their expense to inspect the cable. Talked to a couple of our Corvette club's more knowledgeable members and they recommend that I just drive it. In "Drive" the red covers the D. Club members suggested that I could merely take out the LED bulb that I installed or get ready to pay some one more Corvette-smart to drop the pipes & cover and replace the cable again. The car is a weekend toy for us and we only put 1000+ miles on it per year.
Next time I will not provide the parts.
Drifting
Joined: May 2008
Posts: 1,692
Likes: 489
From: Denver, NC
Well ... the adjustment on the rear of the cable was in it's front-most position which means that the cable is as long as possible. It can't be adjusted any further. The mechanic that did the work is new to the shop but experienced. I was able to inspect the car up on the lift at the invitation of the shop foremen.
My opinion is that the mechanic may have cause a kink in the cable while installing but I don't have a leg to stand on because I supplied the cable. Shop foreman stated that if they had supplied the part then they would drop the pipes & torque tube cover at their expense to inspect the cable. Talked to a couple of our Corvette club's more knowledgeable members and they recommend that I just drive it. In "Drive" the red covers the D. Club members suggested that I could merely take out the LED bulb that I installed or get ready to pay some one more Corvette-smart to drop the pipes & cover and replace the cable again. The car is a weekend toy for us and we only put 1000+ miles on it per year.
Next time I will not provide the parts.
My opinion is that the mechanic may have cause a kink in the cable while installing but I don't have a leg to stand on because I supplied the cable. Shop foreman stated that if they had supplied the part then they would drop the pipes & torque tube cover at their expense to inspect the cable. Talked to a couple of our Corvette club's more knowledgeable members and they recommend that I just drive it. In "Drive" the red covers the D. Club members suggested that I could merely take out the LED bulb that I installed or get ready to pay some one more Corvette-smart to drop the pipes & cover and replace the cable again. The car is a weekend toy for us and we only put 1000+ miles on it per year.
Next time I will not provide the parts.
Last edited by Ed Ramberger; Jan 3, 2022 at 10:56 PM.
Advanced
Joined: Apr 2016
Posts: 89
Likes: 22
From: Forest, VA
Excellent point, Ed.
I watched a few Youtube videos to see the rear bracket. Can it be removed without dropping the pipes again? I'll show the videos to the Shop Foreman when I go back and see if he will at least work with me on a resolution. Hate it when a job is not done correctly!
I watched a few Youtube videos to see the rear bracket. Can it be removed without dropping the pipes again? I'll show the videos to the Shop Foreman when I go back and see if he will at least work with me on a resolution. Hate it when a job is not done correctly!
Drifting
Joined: May 2008
Posts: 1,692
Likes: 489
From: Denver, NC
Excellent point, Ed.
I watched a few Youtube videos to see the rear bracket. Can it be removed without dropping the pipes again? I'll show the videos to the Shop Foreman when I go back and see if he will at least work with me on a resolution. Hate it when a job is not done correctly!
I watched a few Youtube videos to see the rear bracket. Can it be removed without dropping the pipes again? I'll show the videos to the Shop Foreman when I go back and see if he will at least work with me on a resolution. Hate it when a job is not done correctly!
I bet you could use a cheap wifi endoscope to look at the front one if you remove the shifter console too. If you are really in a bind to know I can put it up this weekend and try and see what I can see of the rear and take a pic.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Dec 2017
Posts: 5,531
Likes: 3,272
From: Virginia
2021 C5 of the Year Finalist - Modified
St. Jude Donor '21-'22
Excellent point, Ed.
I watched a few Youtube videos to see the rear bracket. Can it be removed without dropping the pipes again? I'll show the videos to the Shop Foreman when I go back and see if he will at least work with me on a resolution. Hate it when a job is not done correctly!
I watched a few Youtube videos to see the rear bracket. Can it be removed without dropping the pipes again? I'll show the videos to the Shop Foreman when I go back and see if he will at least work with me on a resolution. Hate it when a job is not done correctly!
Corvette Stories
The Best of Corvette for Corvette Enthusiasts
10 Most Common Corvette Problems of the Last 20 Years!
Joe Kucinski
5 MOST and 5 LEAST Popular Corvette Model Years in History!
Joe Kucinski
2027 Corvette Buyer's Guide: Everything You Need to Know!
Joe Kucinski
10 Things C8 Corvette Owners Hate (But Won't Tell You)
Joe Kucinski
10 Best Corvettes Coming to Barrett-Jackson Palm Beach 2026!
Brett Foote
Every Corvette Grand Sport Explained! (C2, C4, C6, C7, & C8)
Joe Kucinski
Grand Sport & Grand Sport X Launch Alongside All-New 535hp LS6 V8!
Michael S. Palmer
5 Reasons Bad Drivers Crash & 5 Ways to Avoid a Costly Mistake!
Joe Kucinski
7 Bolt-On Upgrades From Extreme Online Store to Level Up Your C6 Corvette
Pouria Savadkouei
Burning Brakes
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 1,061
Likes: 106
From: The Natures Coast/Caribbean
My two cents, I replaced mine myself and I’m a sales consultant. Removed console and threaded thru it with a sneaker lace the first time. The second time the fit broke in rear I replaced the part with Dorman part, took all of 25 minutes the second time. That dealer removing the pipes is a rip off.
Drifting
Joined: May 2020
Posts: 1,663
Likes: 699
From: Baton Rouge, Louisiana, metro area
My two cents, I replaced mine myself and I’m a sales consultant. Removed console and threaded thru it with a sneaker lace the first time. The second time the fit broke in rear I replaced the part with Dorman part, took all of 25 minutes the second time. That dealer removing the pipes is a rip off.
Administrator
Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 367,271
Likes: 24,567
From: In a parallel universe. Currently own 2014 Stingray Coupe.
C7 of the Year - Modified Finalist 2021
MO Events Coordinator
St. Jude Co-Organizer
St. Jude Donor '03 thru '25
NCM Sinkhole Donor
CI 5, 8 & 11 Veteran
Moving this to C5 Tech.
Advanced
Joined: Apr 2016
Posts: 89
Likes: 22
From: Forest, VA
Sorry for the delay in posting a follow-up response.
Cable broke. Replaced (with a cable that I had ordered) by local mechanic but it was too short. Barely went into Park and couldn't go into Low. Mechanic stated that it couldn't be adjusted and wouldn't help me any further because it was my part.
Took the car to a different mechanic and he easily adjusted the cable in a mere few minutes.
Moral of the story? I'm not going to provide parts for a mechanic to put on my car anymore because they don't have a vested interest in making it 100% correct. Also, I've changed mechanics!
Cable broke. Replaced (with a cable that I had ordered) by local mechanic but it was too short. Barely went into Park and couldn't go into Low. Mechanic stated that it couldn't be adjusted and wouldn't help me any further because it was my part.
Took the car to a different mechanic and he easily adjusted the cable in a mere few minutes.
Moral of the story? I'm not going to provide parts for a mechanic to put on my car anymore because they don't have a vested interest in making it 100% correct. Also, I've changed mechanics!