A6 Shift Cable
Thread Starter
Melting Slicks
Joined: Jan 2013
Posts: 2,576
Likes: 237
From: Murphy NC
A6 Shift Cable
When you think it can't happen to you, think again.
When I bought my car it had an SLP Loudmouth on it. The first thing I did was found an OEM exhaust and replaced the SLP.
While under the car I noticed how close the Exhaust pipe is to the rear nylon shift linkage and this threw up a red flag for me.
I asked my dealer if this were a part which they stock... No.
For fifty dollars I bought one and put it on a shelf.
Tuesday was a five hundred mile day for me. At noon four hundred miles into my trip and one hundred miles from home, I stopped for lunch.
When I got in the car, it would not shift out of Park.
I called AAA. When the slide truck driver arrived he didn't want to move the car since it didn't roll.
I had him jack up the car and I climbed under the rear and shifted it to neutral.
We were able to roll the car out of the space and to the back of the truck.
While waiting for the wrecker, I called three local Chevy dealers and none had the cable. All would install if I brought my cable.
My AAA allows 100 mile tow so I just had them tow me home.
Since I knew the rear cable linkage was fine from when I shifted to neutral, this left the shifter end.
I pulled the car apart. This is not a feat for the weak hearted.
The console has to come off, easy enough. The mid exhaust pipe has to come off. no problems. Then the torque tube cover has to be removed, that has about sixty bolts holding it on.
I disconnected the rear and zip-tied the new cable to the old and pulled the old cable out of the shifter hole in the console.
The cable was not attached at the front to the shifter. What surprised me is where the cable actually broke apart.
This was a four hour job from start to finish.
In the future I will have a cable in one of the cubby holes in the rear of the car.
I am glad I have AAA and the resources to do it myself.
If I am farther from home next time, it will be nice to know I have the part available and just tow it to the nearest dealer.
When I bought my car it had an SLP Loudmouth on it. The first thing I did was found an OEM exhaust and replaced the SLP.
While under the car I noticed how close the Exhaust pipe is to the rear nylon shift linkage and this threw up a red flag for me.
I asked my dealer if this were a part which they stock... No.
For fifty dollars I bought one and put it on a shelf.
Tuesday was a five hundred mile day for me. At noon four hundred miles into my trip and one hundred miles from home, I stopped for lunch.
When I got in the car, it would not shift out of Park.
I called AAA. When the slide truck driver arrived he didn't want to move the car since it didn't roll.
I had him jack up the car and I climbed under the rear and shifted it to neutral.
We were able to roll the car out of the space and to the back of the truck.
While waiting for the wrecker, I called three local Chevy dealers and none had the cable. All would install if I brought my cable.
My AAA allows 100 mile tow so I just had them tow me home.
Since I knew the rear cable linkage was fine from when I shifted to neutral, this left the shifter end.
I pulled the car apart. This is not a feat for the weak hearted.
The console has to come off, easy enough. The mid exhaust pipe has to come off. no problems. Then the torque tube cover has to be removed, that has about sixty bolts holding it on.
I disconnected the rear and zip-tied the new cable to the old and pulled the old cable out of the shifter hole in the console.
The cable was not attached at the front to the shifter. What surprised me is where the cable actually broke apart.
This was a four hour job from start to finish.
In the future I will have a cable in one of the cubby holes in the rear of the car.
I am glad I have AAA and the resources to do it myself.
If I am farther from home next time, it will be nice to know I have the part available and just tow it to the nearest dealer.
Race Director
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 12,973
Likes: 1,020
From: SOFLA
2016 Corvette of Year
2015 C6 of Year Finalist
I was driving when mine broke, I went to put it in sport mode and it was sloppy, felt weird so I moved it up and down, it would go through park, neutral etc.... I called my shop I use and drove straight there, as I knew if I just went home and shut off I would be screwed.
Broken cable...got if replaced and back on the road.
Broken cable...got if replaced and back on the road.
