FortMorganAl

The "great" dealership that drained oil without adding any is in Illinois. Same one that sells a lot of Corvettes yet still managed to break a rocker panel by not lifting mine correctly the first time I went there.

Bruze

Got my car back from my buddy today. He put in a new cable, snapped the locking pawl off, and did some other things I needed done. At least I'm not going to be paranoid of using the shift lever now. It should last the rest of my years . . . the sane ones that are left anyway, ha.

There really is no difference between HB's cable and mine. I had to mark them so I didn't mix them up.

His: '07 35k miles; mine: '07 31k miles. (Thanks again, HB! )

A somewhat depressing surprise: I bought the new cable from the local Chevy dealer. My buddy handed me a sticker today that was on the cable. It said "Made in China."

I don't recall anyone on CF mentioning this, and I've read all the cable threads. Is this new? I wonder if the plastic ends are recycled from the plastic Japanese toys I played with as a kid in the '50s, that would break when I dropped them on the floor . . . ?

CSixDude

I ordered new (Dorman) groments for both ends and replaced them both in about a couple hours. Total costs was about $9. The cable isn't what fails, it is the grommets. The only hard part was getting the old grommets to release from the cable.

https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...e-grommet.html

HammerheadTed

I hope to do mine soon. Looks like it's a hard job, but if you change the grommets, it doesn't require removing the tunnel cover or the exhaust(maybe). If you replace the cable, you skip what seems to be one of the hardest things in getting the old grommets out and putting the new ones in, but tunnel cover and exhaust must be removed. CORRECT??

Mad*Max

I have read of people's cable breaking too, I would change the entire cable rather than do the grommets and yes tunnel plate/exhaust will have to be removed to do the grommets alone as well.

CSixDude

I replaced both grommets on my car by just removing the shifter. I did not have to remove the exhaust or tunnel plate. Getting the old grommet off the transmission end of the cable was a bit of a challenge, but I managed to do it without taking anything off the car.

The only time I've heard of a cable actually breaking was after someone stressed it too much while trying to replace the grommets in it. That is a risk, and you do have to be careful not to lift up on the cable too much on the front when you are trying to replace the grommet on the shifter end of the cable.

I think most of the aftermarket grommets are also made of polyurethane instead of nylon, so they may last longer than the OEM ones that come on a new shift cable. If I bought a new cable, I'd seriously consider replacing the grommets on both ends before installing it. Otherwise, you'll be back in the same boat in a few more years.

Bruze

Yes, I remember reading the same thing here, that's why I opted to change the whole cable. It's only about $50.

CSixDude

Here is a link to the dorman site. It shows their bushings are made of polyurethane. OEM are nylon and this is the root of the problem.

http://www.dormanproducts.com/itemde...9&SEName=14055

unclecookie

I bought my cable from GM Parts Direct a year or so ago, and right on the box it says "Made in China (Mainland)". I'm not sure, but the cables may have always been made there. I haven't installed mine yet as my shifter problem turned out not to be the cable or grommets, but rather the cable adjuster. The Chevrolet dealer apparently disturbed the adjuster when replacing the fuel pump in my car.

Vet Interested

Looking at these two cables, HB's cable looks like it might be a little cleaner. But zooming in on Bruce's cable, are those casting marks, wear marks or cracks. Then again it could be nothing. Interesting to check out.
Thanks for posting.

Actually, zooming in on HB's cable I can faintly see the same marks so it must be casting. Oh well....

Bruze

Look up the properties of injection-molded polyurethane and nylon and decide which would be better for this application. Believe me, plastic part designers DO choose the right material for the application (I've worked with them all my life) -- it's their job. Could there be more than one polymer with similar properties? -- sure.

The odds of GM using the wrong material is highly unlikely, and I have no love for GM except that they make a great sports car. In the complex world of polymers, this is pretty simple stuff.

CSixDude

If GM picked the right type of plastic, how come the bushings are cracking and falling apart?

HBsurfer

Glad you got it done before getting stranded. I was paranoid every time I used the car until I replaced my cable. I did not notice where my cable was made. Never relay looked. I think I used the box to send you the old cable. Never noticed made in China, but it sure is possible

Bruze

Looking at them side-by-side, in real life, you can't tell them apart.

It has been noted, in other threads as I recall, that maybe heat has some effect on the bushings. The climate where HB is and where I am is dramatically different. In ten years and around the same mileage, the difference in temperatures has had no obvious effect.

The one, and only one, advantage of being on the wrong end of life is that you can see an end to things: It's highly unlikely that I will need another tranny cable on my C6, I will only need one more roof on my barn and probably my house, maybe two new trucks, one more chimney (which I'm getting replaced this year), etc., etc.

But aside from that, I'd still like to be 18 again.

Bruze

Everything deteriorates in time, even granite. Some plastics would probably deteriorate even quicker under the same conditions.

Choosing the right polymer per application isn't rocket science, but there is a lot of (other) science behind it. Do engineers get into heated debates about which is the right one? Haha, I'm sure they do, although I've never seen it.

If the failure rate of C6 tranny cable bushings is notably higher than other makes and models, then they probably should have used bronze instead of plastic, although that wouldn't solve the riddle of WHY do they fail more often than other cars? -- all else being equal.

Vet Interested

Just me talking but I think the reason they seem to fail more on Corvettes is because they are subjected to more heat in a Corvette application than on most other cars. Just a thought.

rajahhindi

Maybe! But my bush let go on my 2008 vette at the shifter with only 15000 miles. I do have long tubes, but the rear bush was yellow too.
So, i think age is a reason too.

Vet Interested

Age + heat=

Mad*Max

interestingly enought my 07's grommets were absolutely fine (visually) after 78,000 miles (I just changed my cable)

windyC6

Man....all this talk about the inevitable shifting cable blues is depressing... thanks GM.... I know what my dumb a$$ will do about it. Nothing. Then one day i'll be cursing up a storm somewhere cause i didn't do the right thing and change it before it broke.....