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Automatic owners... Replace those shifter grommets!!
So thanks to this forum, I had some proactive maintenance done on the Vette today..AND SO GLAD I DID!!
The FORUM had been saying the shifter linkage grommets can become brittle and break, leaving you stuck in the gear you were in when they break..not a matter of if, but when..
MAN, WE'RE YOU GUYS RIGHT!! 👍👍
Mine were holding on by a thread, and super crumbly!!
Luckily I had the work done before disaster struck!
Thanks to all of you out here for the great information! (3 pedal guys need not comment) 😉
From what I have learned, the transmission end one is more likely to fail (heat) and easier to replace. I have the kit from C & S Corvettes and have looked at the shifter console end while replacing the microswitch harness. That grommet looks like new (recently acquired 2008 with 36,000 miles). Unless the grommet has started to deteriorate, it is very difficult to remove. I left it alone for now. I have also checked the one on the transmission end, and it looks good. Will check them yearly.
Mine is an 08 (17 years old) with 17000 miles. I went to replace them as a preventative measure and I found them to be spongy and nearly impossible to remove. They were like new. My guess is that the grommets on lower mileage and/or cars kept indoors would be fine. I regret replacing mine being that it was such a PITA.
Is that something for a shop to replace or can an old slow moving boomer like me complete the job?
HAHA...I too am a slow moving boomer (really slow getting up at age 69) so I left it to a trusted local shop (not GM) to do the work.
From the videos and what I've read, the one directly under the shifter can be changed out if so inclined, but watch some videos and you may change your mind. (tight spaces to work in).
Back by the tranny is supposed to be easier to get to if you have a lift or jack up the car...I have no lift, and if I was to get under the car on jack stands, I might never get up HAHA.
All toll, it was about 2 hours of charged labor + tax to get them replaced...to me, it was worth it to have that piece of mind the wife and I won't be stranded from that while out on one of our cross country trips in the Vette!
Bob
Mine is an 08 (17 years old) with 17000 miles. I went to replace them as a preventative measure and I found them to be spongy and nearly impossible to remove. They were like new. My guess is that the grommets on lower mileage and/or cars kept indoors would be fine. I regret replacing mine being that it was such a PITA.
I wonder if the brittleness has to do more with higher mileage cars, in which the grommets would be subjected to more heat than a lower mileage car?
Just like the harmonic balancer with a slight wobble, C6 A4/6 owners will need to add this as a periodic maintenance item for review and possible replacement. As mentioned in an earlier post, if they are not brittle or showing signs of deterioration they can be very difficult to remove.
Access can be tight in both the shifter console and the transmission linkage areas. Be especially careful with the shifter and do not pull up too far on the shift unit to gain access as lifting it too high can break the cable at the first retention bracket down in the tunnel. If this happens, then replacement of the entire cable will be necessary, which is a more involved project.
Replaced my shifter end over winter and will have a shop doesn't the trans side soon. 07 with 26k on the odometer. Bushing was still in great shape, but I was already there. A drill bit drilled about half way into the bushing allows you to pull it right out. Start to finish was 40 minutes.
I had to replace two at the shifter end. The first one was on a low mile (less than 20k miles) 2003 in the driveway, and the second (2007 w/10k miles, last year) was in a hotel parking lot 400+ miles away from home. Now I keep an extra one in the car.
I had to replace two at the shifter end. The first one was on a low mile (less than 20k miles) 2003 in the driveway, and the second (2007 w/10k miles, last year) was in a hotel parking lot 400+ miles away from home. Now I keep an extra one in the car.
Just curious if you went with the split style grommets from C&S Corvettes (my choice this time) or the Dorman ones?
Bob
I had the same problem on my 2008 vert with 59,000 miles. Turned out to be the bushing which connects the shifter to the cable. Four dollars for the bushing, two hours of aggravation getting to it, and replacing the bushing (the old one had disintegrated). Oh I changed the bushing at the transmission also just to be safe. Hope this helps. Found two very helpful sites to help with the replacement. Links listed below. https://www.hotrod.com/articles/repa...c-shift-cable/ http://www.kawal.net/centerconsole.htm
The post above is several years old. I was 68 at the at the time. The instructions in the above links was extremely helpful. Very tight fit to get the bushing out, and replace. I wouldn't say it was diffcult, but attention to details in the provided inks, and taking your time equals success. I will say quite a few descriptive adjectives were utilized in replacing the bushing
The first site has pictures, and tips on replacing the bushing from the top.
The next site has pictures, and tips on removing the console.
Last edited by Kr65; Apr 3, 2025 at 12:38 PM.
Reason: msp
Is that something for a shop to replace or can an old slow moving boomer like me complete the job?
I had the same problem on my 2008 vert with 59,000 miles. Turned out to be the bushing which connects the shifter to the cable. Four dollars for the bushing, two hours of aggravation getting to it, and replacing the bushing (the old one had disintegrated). Oh I changed the bushing at the transmission also just to be safe. Hope this helps. Found two very helpful sites to help with the replacement. Links listed below. https://www.hotrod.com/articles/repa...c-shift-cable/ http://www.kawal.net/centerconsole.htm
The post above is several years old. I was 68 at the at the time. The instructions in the above links was extremely helpful. Very tight fit to get the bushing out, and replace. I wouldn't say it was diffcult, but attention to details in the provided inks, and taking your time equals success. I will say quite a few descriptive adjectives were utilized in replacing the bushing
The first site has pictures, and tips on replacing the bushing from the top.
The next site has pictures, and tips on removing the console.
Couple thoughts from someone who has replaced both, at two different times:
.
.
If you have done the Dorman bushings and see how much looser they seem, may not want to be proactive and replace them before needed. My Dormans seem to be holding up. I feared they would pop pop out when far away from home
Don't assume it is the shifter bushing that failed. I have had them fail on each end. Since it is not easy getting to the shifter one, advise jacking the car and checking the one on the trans linkage first
Recommend wrapping the exhaust pipe closest to the trans bushing with Titanium Heat Shield wrap. Keep as much heat off that bushing as possible.
I replaced mine last year and it wasn't by choice. The grommet at the shifter failed as I parked at a car meet (failed at 18 years, car is a 2006). I had the car towed home and replaced the culprit from a kit I ordered from bushingfix.com. Knowing that the shifter grommet failed that failure at the transmission side would only be a matter of time, I replaced that grommet as well. A $8.00 part can be a big inconvenience when it fails.
I replaced mine last year and it wasn't by choice. The grommet at the shifter failed as I parked at a car meet (failed at 18 years, car is a 2006). I had the car towed home and replaced the culprit from a kit I ordered from bushingfix.com. Knowing that the shifter grommet failed that failure at the transmission side would only be a matter of time, I replaced that grommet as well. A $8.00 part can be a big inconvenience when it fails.
Thanks for sharing! Stories like yours and others out here on the Corvette Forum saved me the angst of going through what happened to you by doing a proactive replacement of both on my 07 with 30,000 miles
I replaced the bushing at the shifter using the kit (including a new wire harness) purchased from C&S Corvette. C&S has a very detailed, step by step video available on You Tube which got me through the project. Take your time and go easy on the plastic tabs of the console and switches. You can do it!
Shifter bushing failed (2011 GS with less than 20k miles) while on a road trip. Local small town Texas Chev dealer had the cable in stock and they were able to replace the cable on the same day. Yes it was expensive ($800), but no hotel required and I was rolling down the road later the same day.
2010 Grand Sport with 30K miles. Last year I replaced the front bushing because I had to replace the A6 shifter.
This year I did the transmission side just to be safe. Didn't have any problems just wanted piece of mind.
I used the heavy duty polymer bushings not the Dorman.
Last edited by woodsdesign; Apr 12, 2025 at 10:44 AM.
Automatic owners... Replace those shifter grommets!!
