So I want to align my shifter after some trouble getting into first after being in neutral. When I got through the trim I noticed that the shifter was more over to the right (drivers side) and pushing up against the boot. Is this the normal position? I did not have the right torx bit but I will tomorrow. Should I expect it to be in the center of the boot? Im hoping that the realignment will help with how rough 1st and 2nd sometimes are.

 

By rough, you mean.it won't engage easily and u have to force it?? Have you change ur hydraulic clutch fluid?? My second gear was a bitch to engage until I was told the hydraulic clutch fluid needs to be changed. The is a method called ranger method. Youtube has a video for the method.

 

Your still running the stock shifter, so easy to re-adjust.

Start off by checking the lower housing bushings on the passanger side of the lower box. If they are cracked or falling apart, replace them with these.
http://www.zip-corvette.com/catalog/...sing-bushings/

Also, if your car has higher mileage, when you have the shifter and lower box out of the car to install the New box bushing, pull the shifter apart to clean and relube it up as well.

The shifter with lower box comes out via removing the two bushing Torque head bolts, and the shaft linkage bolt at the behind the lower box (make sure that the car in in neutral when you remove it.

To pull the shifter and box apart, two four bolts on the shafter shaft plate allows you to pull it off the lower box, then the front screw holding the front plastic nose piece will allow you to pull the lower rod out of the lower box once the nose piece has been removed.

When putting the parts back in after cleaning them, Super lube works great to relube everything, including the lower shifter shaft ball cap (lube the bushing between the shaft ball, and to the O opening in the lower shaft, and use some Blue loctite on the bolts when you put them back in.
Note, here, if you are finding that that the lower housing shaft is loose/sloppy as a BB in a box car on the bushings packs, then either time for a new lower housing, or may have to DIY to change out the front and back rod bushing packs with delrin inserts instead.




Now to adjust the shift linkage, loosen the side large torque head screws, and the linkage coupling bolt behind the box. Now push the detent pin down on the front of the plastic piece in the lower box to lock the shifter shaft straight up. Slip the box so the two side large Torque head bolts are center of box side slots you just replaced the bushing, then tighten up the shifter couple linkage first (again, trans in neutral), then finish by tightening up the two side torque head bolts, and pulling the index pin back up to free the shifter.


Skip to 7:20, and although not covered in the video, if the side torque bolt are not close to center of slots before you start/ end up tightening them up, the coupling linkage coupling bolt can be loosened/re- tightened to move the shifter lower box side bolts center slots when the shifter is re-indexed. Also, your looking at a Z06 with solid lower box bushing in the video, not the rubber ones found on most of the other vets.

 

To add, once you have the shifter indexed correctly, if you are still having problems getting the car in to first or reverse, chances are your clutch fluid is very, very contaminated, and needs to be changed.

 

What the other guys said^ If not a hydraulic problem then you could have a mechanical problem with the clutch, (warped flywheel/disc/Pressure plate) You could also have a Busted pilot bearing or worn synchro rings on 1/2. Put the car in gear with clutch fully depressed and hold it at 4,000 rpms and see if the car starts to "creep" this could mean something is warped with the clutch or the hydraulics are fading.

 

How is that clutch testing procedure? My second was bad but I started to swap the hydraulic fluid and is getting a lot better. Still need to keep swapping until its all clear. However, I found that if I shift past 2k RPM, there is no issue Intl second. Is that normal?

 

It shifts glass smooth into all the gears except for first if I let it sit in neutral and even then it is rare. Do others experience this? If I put it into 2nd then into first it is glass smooth. It still is smooth into all the gears but I feel a little more resistance into 1st and 2nd.

Thank you so much, I just didn't know what exactly to look for. I will try the clutch test too for good measure. So the boot being a little off to one side is ok as long as the bolts are near center after the indexing?

 

I have found this to be normal. You might consider changing the trans fluid if this hasn't been done in awhile.