How do you remove the the top part of the gear shifter from the smaller bottom part ( the small part with the ball that is in the transmission) is the large part threaded? I would like to replace the bushing: what is the trick?

if the gear lever is into the top of the box, remove the turret and pivot ball and see why the shifter rails are not lining up
if it is a column shifter , check all linkages for adjustment or fallen off

cable operation check cable / adjust replace
gear stick into top of box, remove tower to top of box and check pivot pin for lever, plastic ball on end of lever that fills the selector slot

If it grinds when trying to shift, it is the synchronizers. Rebuild. If it pops out of gear. there is a plastic part at the top of the transmission that wears out. It fits around the ball of the shifter. It is two pieces. You'll have to remove the floor plate and pull it up to access the bolts to remove the shifter and replace those plastic pieces.

check the lever pivot point in the turret on top of the gear box
they can come loose and the lever doesn't pivot and so will not move the shifter rail

check the drain plug magnet for metal bits. Mostly you can remove the rear extension housing with out removing the gear box and you will find a small gear on the cluster shaft ( bottom shaft) and a larger gear on the out put shaft ( tail shaft) . Check that the shifter fork is actually moving the larger gear or gear dog into 5th gear (Fork loose on selector rail) or check that there are still teeth on the smaller gear as excessive high speed under load will rear out the teeth

You don't say what year, make or model your Chevy is, so I can only give your a general answer.

I assume the you have a floor shift manual 6 speed transmission. The most likely problem is a broken shift actuator rod in the transmission.

The shift handle goes into the top of the transmission. On the end of shifter there is a ball or rounded end. The end goes into three or four slots on the top of the gear case. Each slot is connected to a rod that controls a particular set of gears. ie 1-2, 3-4, 5-6 and reverse is by itself. Moving the shifter left and right select which slot the shifter controls and the forward-back moment selects the gear.

On some model cars the top or the gear case can be accesses from inside the vehicle by removal of the rubber boot around the shifter. There is a small chance that the repair could be made without removal of the transmission. The problem could also be major if the internal gear (packs) or bearings are damaged. In either event, you will need the services of an experienced transmission mechanic.

I hope this helps, If you can leave a further question in the comment, perhaps I can give you more information. Good Luck.

J


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The ball on the Shifter that mounts on the TOP of the transmission is worn and needs to be replaced in order to get the Complete throw (Movement) of the shifter. It is an easy repair, 8 screws to take the cover off, 4 bolts on the cover and then pull up the shifter and replace the ball

Remove the rubber mat or carpet from the floor around the shift tower. This will expose a stamped steel plate that you can remove to get access to the top plate of the transmission. Place the transmission in neutral and remove the bolts securing the top cover to the tranny. After removing the bolts you may need to use a rubber mallot to bump loose the cover. Pick the cover straight up and out. After removal cover the hole with a rag or better yet fabricate a cover from a thin piece of plywood that you can bolt back in place with a couple of bolts to prevent dirt and foreign particle from entering the tranny. When you remove the top cover and see the forks hanging from the underside don't worry. When you place the cover back onto the tranny just line up the shift forks to the slots they drop into on the gears. Piece of cake.

your shifter may be going bad. you have to push down on the shifter handle to shift it into the reverse gear. unfortunatly things are'nt made like they used to be. the bottom part of you shifter is made partly of plastic. it has 4 plastic balls that rotate around a metal cage that hold those plastic balls into place. you can try this, where the plastic cover on shifter handle is[at the top of plastic cover] use wd40 lubricant with the long red straw inserted into the can. spray the wd40 down inside the cover while rotating shifter handle. not putting it into gear,just rotating it around. just spray a small amount of it. you don't want to drown it,just lube it a little. this will buy you some time to prepare for a replacement. hope this helps and thank you for choosing fixya.com

Sounds to me that the shifter broke, i believe the shifter has a ball end that slips into a pocket in trans. that moves for gear selection and that ball brook off end of shifter. if its got a linkage set up most likely samething either shifting arms came off or shifter broke where linkage rods connect.