VY427

This past week, my shift **** started rattling occasionally under acceleration (car has about 3K miles). It was quiet till then. I took it off and looked at what I could do to tighten it up and buffer the sound. Most rubber or foam, no matter how thin, prevents the **** from sliding down the shaft and bottoming out.

So, I wrapped the shaft with one layer of Teflon Tape - from the top, about 3/4 of the way down to the bolt (including the notch). The **** slid right back down the shaft and bottomed out with one light tap.

I took the car out for a ride and so far, so good... no rattling.

allanlaw

It also helps to keep your hand off the **** when not actually shifting . . .

Foosh

Allan, that is true. However, mine got progressively louder over time with no hands on the shifter. I used silicon to try to insulate it, and it didn't really help.

I replaced the stock shift **** with a heavier metal one from Sparco. I bought it just because I liked the feel better. I was shocked when I installed it, and the rattle was gone.

My theory (although I obviously can't document it) is that certain frequencies of vibration coming from the transmission induce just enough contact to cause the stock **** to vibrate. The single screw attach point doesn't do enough to immobilize it. The heavier Sparco shift **** uses 4 allen screws for a tighter fit, along with the greater weight .

For whatever reason, it's now gone, and I had been living with it for 7K miles previously.

allanlaw

Sometimes it's louder when your hand is on the **** - I've noticed that in the Z as well as my old C5 with short-throw shifter. A heavy **** can do just what you mentioned - I had an MGW (I think that's the brand) super heavy **** that I used on the C5 from time to time and it dampened all the vibration. My particular Z does not seem to make too much shifter noise, and I really like the stock **** so I'm not doing anything about it right now.

VY427

Update: This morning I used the car and did hear the **** rattle, albeit, not as loud as before. So I took the **** off and added two more layers of the Teflon Tape. In total, there are three layers, now. It did take four or five moderate taps to set the **** this time, but it was still easy.

After the car warmed up this morning, I no longer heard the rattle. So, after the next cold start, I'll see if the three layers completely eliminate the rattle.

Foosh

What you are describing was very similar to my experience with the silicon under the ****. Several people around here tried that about 6 months ago, the last time this subject was hot. We initially thought it helped, but all us eventually saw the vibration come back.

I had essentially forgotten about it as Allan and others have suggested and thought it was probably just characteristic of the shifter linkage. I didn't replace the **** to kill the noise, but just because I liked the feel of the Sparco metal shift **** better. I was shocked when it disappeared, and it took me awhile to realize it was really gone under all conditions..........cold or hot, hands-on or off.

VY427

Well, we'll see what happens. If it's at least quieter than before, then it's better than nothing, I guess.

Personally, I'm not big on the stock shift ****, anyway. I like a metal shift ****, too, preferably spherical. Which Sparco **** did you get? I assume you have the stock shifter and the Sparco ****'s a universal fit. TIA

Foosh

Yeah the Sparco **** is a universal fit, or at least it fits the Z06 shaft very well. I don't have a model number since it was out of the box, but purchased it at Spring Mt. when I was there for a road racing school. They are a forum vendor (see sponsored ad banners to the left), and you could call them.

Verrückt

Every car I have ever owned also had a large note in the owner's manual NOT to rest your hand on the shift lever when not shifting.

gonzalezfj

Come on, Verrückt, do you expect these guys to the manual???

Frank Gonzalez

Foosh

Come one Verruckt............you weren't reading . The rattle in question is there whether your hand is on the shifter or not. It's common in Z06s, but it also does seem to vary from car to car. Unlike the infamous "marbles in a can" problem, it can't be removed with proper driver technique.

It's not exactly subtle, and if a little teflon tape, or at worst a $70 metal shifter **** solves the problem, all the better..............as minor as it might seem.

Blue Demon

I put some teflon tape on my shifter yesterday, will check it out tomorrow.

rwpatte

Blue Demon

Nope, rattle still there, maybe a bit less, but still there. I used three wraps of the tape too.

VY427

**** still rattling for me, too... little bastard. It does go away as the car gets warm, though. The shaft must expand with the heat and tighten up the fit.

I took it off again and wrapped it a good number of times till the tape felt like it had a bit of a cushioning effect (maybe 5 or 6 layers). I also limited the tape to just the top of the shaft, about an inch or so down, figuring less drag when installing the ****.

If this doesn't work, I'm going to try something else... maybe cotton or gauze, if I can get it in there. It's a quest!! Maybe I'll fix it just before deciding on a new shift ****.

Dutch08

Update to an old post maybe it will help someone.

My aftermarket white cue ball shifter rattled. I tried several remedies posted on the forums and all helped to varying degrees but none were perfect. I bought some JBWeld epoxy and filled the hollow ball with it until the level matched the level the metal shifter stem would fit into the ball. My car is now perfect. So don't remove an aftermarket shift **** just because it makes noise or whatever. Try to figure out what the problem is with the aftermarket part. There is a reason they designed the OE the way they did.

BTW, Its the '70s again ... Love my white ball shifter!!!

73DBG

got any pictures of this process? Sounds promising but I’d rather not ruin my MGW gripper **** lol

Frankie15

I tried this (Teflon tape) on my Z06 with MGW (old version) before replacing it with the new model with lower box. It did resolve the issue, but only for a few days. It eventually came back.

The only permanent fix for me was replacing the lower box with MGW's unit. I also believe someone named TMod Customs sells a much better version of the OEM lower box which will likely resolve the issue too. The problem is the lower box on the Z06 model doesn't have bushings like the GS and base model. The aftermarket pieces remedy that issue.

73DBG

I have the new version with the complete lower box

Dutch08

Nothing to see. I filled up the shift **** with epoxy to the level that the top of the shift lever shaft would reach in and let it harden for 24hrs. Then reinstalled the shift ****. Its that simple. As long as you don't put in too much epoxy I don't see how you could ruin your ****.