Is the red line that indicates what gear you are in in the indicator, or attached to the shifter? Mine on the TA appears to be missing (no red line), and I've never had the console apart. I found a new "PRND" indicator on eBay, but it does not appear to include the red line.

Is that attached to the shifter?

 

86? Didnt have an indicator from the factory.

 

The gear indicator didn't start until 90/91, can't remember exactly which model year it switch but I'd wager it was 90.

 

My 90 doesn't have it, but 90 was a weird year due to the 1/2 production run. You'll know if it should have it by clear marks to the left of the gear options for the red to show through. But if you want to swap it out with a shifter with an indicator, would that work? Never compared the two, but the shift indicator is only held in place with two screws. Very easy to remove.

 

The entire shifter plate is different... The early style plate has a smaller window for the shift pattern, the later style has a larger window, spots for the indicator to show through, etc. The parts are not interchangeable, but you can swap the entire later plate into an earlier car.

 

So does that mean I'm supposed to have one, or are the above two correct? I imagine they are correct....

 

Even the 2nd gens I have owned never had one, you just kind of line it up with the stick in general.

Should be easy to tell if you get exploded views of the shifters from a shop manual. As its gonna be some extra part as the shifter rocks on an arc, and the shifter plat stays level, so its gonna be some sort of obvious mechanism there or not.

 

They are correct. Your 1986 did not come with one from the factory. If you need more evidence, I seem to recall a similar thread that discussed this feature lacking up until the later years of the ThirdGen.

 

Naw, I believe you guys Happy, actually...one less thing I have to fix Odd they didn't do that...all the Camaros had the gear you were in turn red, obviously...

 

Camaro's didn't have a shift indicator on the earlier cars. I believe the first year was '88 or '89.

 

My '88 now, and my '89 from years ago, turns red with the respective gear its in. That's all I know. I still can't believe an AT car wouldn't have a gear shift indicator, but I stand corrected yet again

 

87 must be the first year then, because my 87 GTA has one.

 

For clarification, when you select any gear, you have a shift indicator that moves with the shifter? That's what's being discussed, not just the letters/numbers on the left side.

Many floor shifters in automobiles have an indicator that moves with the shifter (such as a line) that can then be read through whatever gear letter/number that's displayed on the left side.

I'm pretty sure it did not start until 1990/1991 as Douglas mentioned above. A quick search on GTA Sourcepage and here appears to suggest the same.

 

That doesnt have the red indicator tab/line the OP is referring to. The later style looks like this:

http://www.perrypam.com/NOS/NOS91fbi...shiftplate.jpg

 

As mentioned... Thirdgens don't have indicators to show which gear you're in until 88 or 89 for the Camaro and 90 or 91 for the Firebird. Earlier cars just have the shift PATTERN with no true indicator. Count the notches or line up the lever with the letter/number, vs move the shifter until the orange light shows next to/through the gear you want to be in.

 

Hate to revive an old thread, but...... I just bought a shift plate off of eBay and apparently it's the 90-92 style. Will this work on my 87? What's makes the indicator actually move?

Sigh! I may just resell it.

 

They all interchange... The shifter lever itself moves the indicator.

 

My 87 GTA just lights up red and doesn't indicate what gear I'm in. Is something broke or is it supposed to be like this?

 

Nope - nothing is broke. That's the way it is supposed to be.

 

Right. This style continued into the mid 1990 model year.