Hey guys, I tried searching and came up with nothing, so I figured I'd write up a quick tech tip on replacing the bushings on our shifters.
What you'll need:
-Screwdriver (to pull off the ashtray top, the part that has the light in it)
-10mm socket (an extension and a wobbly adapter helps here too)
-Marlin Crawler Bushings. I got mine from DM, links below.
Start by removing your ash tray and the plate above it (two screws should be holding this in). Next, unscrew your shift knob and remove the radio/climate control/shifter bezel trim. Put that to the side for now. Now you'll want to remove the 4 bolts that hold your top boot of the shifter to the trans tunnel (this acts as a heat/noise/smell shield). Might be best to note with a marker the alignment of it so you don't put it on backwards.
Once that's out of the way, pull up the thicker rubber around the base of the shifter and pull it above. This should expose 4 more bolts. Remove these and pull your shifter out! Might not be a bad idea to mark this as well, I think I put my shifter in backwards haha... Once that's out, pull the old shifter bushing out, if there's anything left to it. Mine was kinda rubbery and spongy.
For the round bushing (this one: http://store.driftmotion.com/static/i-marlincrawlerurethaneshifterbushingforr154transmission.php ) that goes under the two pins on the sides of the shifter hole, don't do what I struggled with for 10 minutes only to realize that I was doing it wrong. What I did was put the bushing under one of the pins and try to push it past the other one using a screwdriver for leverage. NOT gonna happen guys, so save yourself a headache and do it the right way! Put that bushing either in front of or behind those two pins, and slip it under the pins using that screwdriver (insert it into the middle of the bushing from the opposite side of the pins) for leverage. MUCH easier, isn't it?
Well, done with that, moving onto replacing the shifter socket bushing. I bought the Marlin Crawler piece, (this one: http://store.driftmotion.com/static/i-marlincrawlershiftersocketr154.php ). To remove the old one, I found that a pair of hose pliers work GREAT, just grab onto that sucker and pull. Should come off with relative ease. If you don't have hose pliers, a vice would also suffice I imagine. To put this new one on though, just kinda requires a bit of force. In my case, I put the bottom of the shifter on top of the bushing (resting on my floor mat, open side up, obviously) and took a mallet to the top of the shifter. One or two smacks of the mallet, and the bushing slipped on easily.
Reassembly is (as in any good tech tip) the reverse of removal. Hope this helps!
What you'll need:
-Screwdriver (to pull off the ashtray top, the part that has the light in it)
-10mm socket (an extension and a wobbly adapter helps here too)
-Marlin Crawler Bushings. I got mine from DM, links below.
Start by removing your ash tray and the plate above it (two screws should be holding this in). Next, unscrew your shift knob and remove the radio/climate control/shifter bezel trim. Put that to the side for now. Now you'll want to remove the 4 bolts that hold your top boot of the shifter to the trans tunnel (this acts as a heat/noise/smell shield). Might be best to note with a marker the alignment of it so you don't put it on backwards.
Once that's out of the way, pull up the thicker rubber around the base of the shifter and pull it above. This should expose 4 more bolts. Remove these and pull your shifter out! Might not be a bad idea to mark this as well, I think I put my shifter in backwards haha... Once that's out, pull the old shifter bushing out, if there's anything left to it. Mine was kinda rubbery and spongy.
For the round bushing (this one: http://store.driftmotion.com/static/i-marlincrawlerurethaneshifterbushingforr154transmission.php ) that goes under the two pins on the sides of the shifter hole, don't do what I struggled with for 10 minutes only to realize that I was doing it wrong. What I did was put the bushing under one of the pins and try to push it past the other one using a screwdriver for leverage. NOT gonna happen guys, so save yourself a headache and do it the right way! Put that bushing either in front of or behind those two pins, and slip it under the pins using that screwdriver (insert it into the middle of the bushing from the opposite side of the pins) for leverage. MUCH easier, isn't it?
Well, done with that, moving onto replacing the shifter socket bushing. I bought the Marlin Crawler piece, (this one: http://store.driftmotion.com/static/i-marlincrawlershiftersocketr154.php ). To remove the old one, I found that a pair of hose pliers work GREAT, just grab onto that sucker and pull. Should come off with relative ease. If you don't have hose pliers, a vice would also suffice I imagine. To put this new one on though, just kinda requires a bit of force. In my case, I put the bottom of the shifter on top of the bushing (resting on my floor mat, open side up, obviously) and took a mallet to the top of the shifter. One or two smacks of the mallet, and the bushing slipped on easily.
Reassembly is (as in any good tech tip) the reverse of removal. Hope this helps!
