I'm sure you've seen them, it goes something like this:

P

R
N
O
D
2
1

and the shifter is to the right of them, and underneath there is a sort of illuminated (at night) or red thingy to show you what gear your in. Well mine doesn't have this, and it's sometimes difficult to tell (I'm a little slow, I need all the help I can get....)... is there anyway to put one in, or fix the one that is/was there (if there even was one?)

Any help is appreciated, I didn't know how to explain this any better, and I don't want to go and tear my console apart before I know a little about what I'm doing...

------------------
1985 Camaro SC - 2.8L, auto.

Mods:
Removed air baffles, mandrel bent cat-back pipes (but stock replacment muffler, Dynomax Turbo is on the way)

Maintenance since I bought it:
Bosch Platinum Plugs, wires, cap + rotor, Radiator, Water Pump, PCV, fluids and filters

 

You should be able to, but I suppose it would depend on what whoever took it out did to the console. At the very least you could get a new shifter console, I think they're around $45 from the dealership, and probably much cheaper from a junkyard. You could probably put in just the red tab for much less.

------------------
91 Z28
Come see The Vicious...

 

I ahve the same problem as you. Im pretty Sure my 86 TA didn't come with it. Im going to build me an indicator once I'm done with everyhting else, doesn't seem too hard (Can't find any decnt junkyards areound here )

-Max

 

Now that I think about it, I don't think mine came with it either... I remember seeing an 85 Berlinetta in the junk yard a few weeks ago and it didn't have one...

------------------
1985 Camaro SC - 2.8L, auto.

Mods:
Removed air baffles, mandrel bent cat-back pipes (but stock replacment muffler, Dynomax Turbo is on the way)

Maintenance since I bought it:
Bosch Platinum Plugs, wires, cap + rotor, Radiator, Water Pump, PCV, fluids and filters

 

Seems to me that they would come with a bulb. Can you undue the four screws that hold the cover plate for the shift intregrator(sp)? If so there is bulb under there.

 

My '86 Firebird had no "current gear" indicator, either- and there was no factory spot for one. To figure out what gear you were in, you had to see what position the stick lined up with. To fix it, I installed a B&M Megashifter, which has a new shift plate with a moving pointer.

Er, well, okay, that's not really why I installed the B&M, but it was a nice bonus!


------------------
-Tom P (Hot rodded 1986 Firebird 2.8l) from http://www.f-body.net/mailbag/3rd/3rd_mailbag.html message boards
---Think your car could be pic of the week? Visit http://www.f-body.net for details!

 

You guys can't figure out that moving the shifter 3 notches puts you in drive? I guess I don't understand why you need to see the pointer. I don't even look at the shifter when I change gears. Push in the button, slide the shifter into place. How hard is that?!

------------------
87 IROC 350 TPI with less than 10k original miles
93 Z28 Pace Car #494 of 645
My IROC Website
Northstar Camaro Club of Minnesota

 

On my 91 Bird, there is no light under there. On the bottom of the rearview mirror there is a little light kinda slotted and it's next to the reading lamp. Comes on when I turn on my lights.

 

When i got my car inspected the other day the last guy to test it gave me crap about the lack of an indicator!!

I don't think it will be that easy. There is a white box underneith the letters with a bulb in it, thats all. It would probably be easier to graft in one from a different car.

 

my 86 berlinetta doesn't have one and I don't think I have ever seen a camaro with one but I may be mistaking.

 

Tell the guy to shove it up his a$$! That's the way it came from the factory.
If you want one however, you could probably attach something to the shaft of the shifter to indicate it's position since it lines up with the letters/numbers.


------------------
'83 Z28
305 4bbl
TH-700R4
3.23 posi (ok, L/S)
no mods... yet

 

That seems wierd that it doesn't have an indicator. My 92 has this, and it has a bulb that attaches underneath the face plate for the shifter, and travels with the shifter as you move it forward and backward.

It seems like such a basic safety thing to me, I can't imagine GM excluded it to save money [well, it is GM :0].

Maybe it's worth rooting around in your console to see if at some point in your car's life it had this and was disconnected or the wires were cut?

Just a suggestion.

 

The older camaro's don't have one but my 91 does. I am in the process of installing a B&M mega shifter because the factory one is toast. It never lined up with thte letters and the indicator was messed up anyway. I could never get it to work right.....I even went as far as getting a new cabe but that didn't help either. If I ever go back to the factory shidter I am putting in an older style one because they feel 100 times better than the 91 style piece of crap. Just my opinion!!!

------------------
91 Z28 Camaro
305 TPI
Flowmaster 3" exhaust
700R4 with 2000 Stall and shift kit 3.42 rearend
One sweet sounding system

 

They didn't start adding the indicators until 87 I think. Before that, they were only lighted.
Just get the upper console piece from an 87-up Camaro. It has a slider built in that highlights your current gear (turns the letter red).

When I drive my 86, I just jab the button and pull it straight back. It's made to drop into 4th, then there are progressive detents for each gear. Just don't touch the button, push it as far forward as it can go (should stop in neutral) then pull it back into gear and you know you're in 4th.

My 89 has a megashifter, so I just squeeze the detent t-handle and if it comes up, I know it's in 4th ('cause it won't in any other gear other than park).