88 shift coupler slop

gac123 · 05-19-2002, 02:53 PM

In an effort to get the best shift feel for the miniimum of expense I decided to inspect the shift coupler on my 88. What I saw was not what I expected after looking at pictures of 915's.
Basically there are two flat plates separated by a rubber pad. The whole thing is held together by two shoulder bolts. No adjustment at all.

I have some slop in this assembly. The rubber piece is not compressed and, in fact has a gap. Nothing appears out of order. Is this normal? The bolts slide front to back 1/8 inch or so in a 1 2 shift. Do I need a new rubber piece? It seems pinned to the rear plate.

The car shifts OK with the typical lumpiness when cold. Mobil 1 helped this a lot but I question the way that this coupler looks.

Greg

Don Plumley · Don Plumley's Garage

I'm curious about this as well....

KTL · 05-20-2002, 11:47 AM

The rubber piece acts as a dampener for the motion of the gearshift linkage. Also appears to be the item that gives you the springy feeling and returns the shifter to the "neutral" position.

It's held onto the coupler with some shoulder bolts and some rivets. It's definitely replaceable, as it has a part number. Replacement could get a little difficult with those rivets- drill access is limited in the inspection opening.

I've got mine open, so i'll take a look and see how mine compares. I remember looking at this and considering replacing it, but didn't want to battle with the rivets. Maybe next time the motor's out.............Might have been replaced by previous owner since I remember him saying the shifter "went dead" once. This is the only failing connection I can see which would cause the shifter to go dead. That is, other than a few bolts that may have fallen out?

george993 · 05-20-2002, 12:33 PM

Don't know if a RS shifter coupler is available for your MY but its worth looking into as these parts are interchangable from year to year. The RS part uses a metal u-joint and gives a solid positive feel when you shift. You will love it. the rubber part is to dampen the notchy feeling.

Eric Coffey · 05-20-2002, 01:31 PM

I think this is pretty common in G50 cars. I think the coupler either wears out or shrinks with age. You can actually shim it with (correctly sized) spacers/washers to take out the slop as a quick fix. That's the way my `88 has been for about 6 months now with no shifting problems/slop.

KTL · 05-22-2002, 09:34 AM

Here's a picture of my shift coupler.

Seems to be how Greg described. Pretty much the same amount of clearance between parts and play in the connection. Feels okay as far as shifting is concerned.

ertech · 03-27-2010, 04:56 AM

anyone else have this play problem
what have you doen?
Thanks

Monza_dh · Monza_dh's Garage

Replace #2 and #10 in the pic and it will make a difference. I had a little slop in mine and it would jump out of 2nd gear sometimes. the #10 part looked new but was old and soft. Put a new one in and also changed to Mobil 1 and it is very tight now .