Shift Cable Adjustment?
#1
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Car: 1992 Firebird
Engine: forged 357
Transmission: 700r4, 2200-2400 stall, vette servo
Axle/Gears: stock pegleg 2.73 drum (temp)
Shift Cable Adjustment?
I just replaced it for the fourth time. I keep running into the same problems. My shift cable won't go down into 1st gear. When I move it up the slide (oval-hole on the transmission's arm) then it won't go into park. I don't get it.
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Car: 1992 Firebird
Engine: forged 357
Transmission: 700r4, 2200-2400 stall, vette servo
Axle/Gears: stock pegleg 2.73 drum (temp)
The nut is as far back on the slide as it can get (back meaning towards the rear). I assume it wouldn't hurt to inch it up a little bit, to get first gear. I just can't get it right. This is my fourth shifter cable. The first one I tore out on accident with the engine swap. The second one was an Autozone replacement (made in china) that broke a day later. The third one was a free replacement from autozone that lasted a week before breaking. Now I've got a genuine American made factory cable and I'm worried about hurting that one too. For the price I paid on these damn thigns I could have gotten a B&M!
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Car: '83 Berli, '84 Berli, '84 Z28 HO
Engine: L69, LG4, L69
Transmission: TH700-R4, TH700-R4, T-5
Axle/Gears: 3.08, 3.08, 3.73 Posi
yea i have the same problem... the only thing i can say is it is a two person job.. try putting it in neutral.. and having a person hold it right smack in the center of the neutral area...
#4
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Car: 1992 Firebird
Engine: forged 357
Transmission: 700r4, 2200-2400 stall, vette servo
Axle/Gears: stock pegleg 2.73 drum (temp)
Originally posted by Angelis83LT
yea i have the same problem... the only thing i can say is it is a two person job.. try putting it in neutral.. and having a person hold it right smack in the center of the neutral area...
yea i have the same problem... the only thing i can say is it is a two person job.. try putting it in neutral.. and having a person hold it right smack in the center of the neutral area...
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Car: '83 Berli, '84 Berli, '84 Z28 HO
Engine: L69, LG4, L69
Transmission: TH700-R4, TH700-R4, T-5
Axle/Gears: 3.08, 3.08, 3.73 Posi
yea. actually you know it tells you to put it in nuetral to adjust that cable. says it right in the haynes manual lol... but yea.. mine is off just a little and seems to have a little slack in it.. drives me crazy....
#6
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Car: '94 Z28
Engine: LT1 350
Transmission: 4L60E/A4
When i replaced mine i just put the lever in park, and the shifter in park, then bolted the cable to the lever and hooked it up to the shifter. Worked just fine.
#7
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Car: '83 Berli, '84 Berli, '84 Z28 HO
Engine: L69, LG4, L69
Transmission: TH700-R4, TH700-R4, T-5
Axle/Gears: 3.08, 3.08, 3.73 Posi
now.. can you get it alllll the way into "1" then? I have done it on 2 cars, three different transmissions.. and when i do it.. you never can get it down into "1"
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#8
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Car: 1992 Firebird
Engine: forged 357
Transmission: 700r4, 2200-2400 stall, vette servo
Axle/Gears: stock pegleg 2.73 drum (temp)
Originally posted by Angelis83LT
now.. can you get it alllll the way into "1" then? I have done it on 2 cars, three different transmissions.. and when i do it.. you never can get it down into "1"
now.. can you get it alllll the way into "1" then? I have done it on 2 cars, three different transmissions.. and when i do it.. you never can get it down into "1"
#9
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Car: '83 Berli, '84 Berli, '84 Z28 HO
Engine: L69, LG4, L69
Transmission: TH700-R4, TH700-R4, T-5
Axle/Gears: 3.08, 3.08, 3.73 Posi
yep. that is why you can not really do it in park.. .neutral is about as close to center as you can get.... so that alows you to hit all gears.. I can get mine into 1st. but not into park very easiely.. i just have to adjust where the nut is on mine..
#10
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Car: 1992 Firebird
Engine: forged 357
Transmission: 700r4, 2200-2400 stall, vette servo
Axle/Gears: stock pegleg 2.73 drum (temp)
got it!!! thanks
#11
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Car: 1988 GTA
Engine: L98, mostly stock
Transmission: 700R4
Ack I have the same problem and I cannot figure it out! When I put the shifter in Park and the trasmission in Park, the cable is not long enough to reach Park in order for me to bolt the cable to the transmission shifter arm......I tried doing this in Neutral....and the cable would still be too short to reach neutral when the shifter handle is in Neutral....wtf is going on. When the shifter is in Neutral the cable seems to have only enough lenghth to be bolted to Drive position.....is my cable busted? Is there another way to adjust this near the shifter?
Please help, this is keeping my car in my drive way and I have not driven it all summer.
Thanks.
Dan
Please help, this is keeping my car in my drive way and I have not driven it all summer.
Thanks.
Dan
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Car: '94 Z28
Engine: LT1 350
Transmission: 4L60E/A4
How short is it from reaching the lever? if it's really close then loosen the bolts that hold it to the tranny pan, and slide it forward to the lever. then bolt it back to the pan and see if it'll reach. If not you might have a kink somewhere in the line and will probably need a new one. Junk yard: $2. Where i got mine and what i paid.
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Car: 1988 GTA
Engine: L98, mostly stock
Transmission: 700R4
Its about 1" short, I do not know how it got there in the first place. It used to shift fine for about 1 month.....then bam, stuck D after one day of driving.
I don't have any junkyards out here but I know autozone and advance auto parts sells cables.....a B&M performance cable runs for $30 something, maybe I outa just replace the damn thing, but would love to just fix it instead of spending bucks.
I'm gona try to move that braket closer like you said and look for kinks in the line. Maybe I outa save $ and get a B&M Mega Shifter.....$150.
Correct me if I'm wrong but is the shift pattern on the transmision like this? (I have a 700R4)
<<---- Front of car
P - R - N - (D) - D - 2 - 1
I don't have any junkyards out here but I know autozone and advance auto parts sells cables.....a B&M performance cable runs for $30 something, maybe I outa just replace the damn thing, but would love to just fix it instead of spending bucks.
I'm gona try to move that braket closer like you said and look for kinks in the line. Maybe I outa save $ and get a B&M Mega Shifter.....$150.
Correct me if I'm wrong but is the shift pattern on the transmision like this? (I have a 700R4)
<<---- Front of car
P - R - N - (D) - D - 2 - 1
#14
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Car: '83 Berli, '84 Berli, '84 Z28 HO
Engine: L69, LG4, L69
Transmission: TH700-R4, TH700-R4, T-5
Axle/Gears: 3.08, 3.08, 3.73 Posi
that is correct. At least it is on mine... and yea.. the whole cable thing is a pita... Right now it feels like mine has slack in it.. well it actually does have slack.. not in the transmission itself for the selector.. that is nice andright where it should be for clicking in place. the shifter itself though you can wiggle back and forth about 1/2" either way.. ug...
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Car: '94 Z28
Engine: LT1 350
Transmission: 4L60E/A4
Well you're never going to get these things dead on center. My 94 even has a little slack, maybe 1/8" or so, but still, can't get them perfect.
#16
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Car: '83 Berli, '84 Berli, '84 Z28 HO
Engine: L69, LG4, L69
Transmission: TH700-R4, TH700-R4, T-5
Axle/Gears: 3.08, 3.08, 3.73 Posi
before i changed the transmission. it was dead on.. no slack or anything... same thing with my 84.. no slack... wonder what changed.. I never did actually look at the actual link on ythe transmission where the cabble connects to see if they were identical...
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Car: 1988 GTA
Engine: L98, mostly stock
Transmission: 700R4
Well, I took apart the old cable and guess what, it was frayed on the inside. Bought a replacement from Advanced Auto for 25 bucks......installed....the pain the @ss level was not that high. Now it shifts awesome, but I still have to slam it into P.....it sometimes stays in R if I do not push the shifter real hard and fast into Park. Oh well.
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Car: 1988 GTA
Engine: L98, mostly stock
Transmission: 700R4
The one I bought in advanced auto parts was made in China. After examining it and the stock cable I found them almost identical. I hope it lasts. I could not find an American cable anywhere and I think I'll try out this Chinese cable before trying to get ripped off at a dealership.
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Car: 1988 GTA
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Guess what the piece of $hit just busted. Its dark out so I cannot see wtf is wrong with it. But I'm guessing the fact that its a Chinese copy is why I'm once again stuck in D.
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Car: '83 Berli, '84 Berli, '84 Z28 HO
Engine: L69, LG4, L69
Transmission: TH700-R4, TH700-R4, T-5
Axle/Gears: 3.08, 3.08, 3.73 Posi
just as a dumb question.. did you make sure that the nots on both end were tightened down and would not come loose.. i know.. prolly not. but still worth a check anyhow at both ends.. I have had them brake on me to though... sucks when you go to park, thing you shift it into park. and left off the gas and you start going forward......instant e-brake and then shut car off.
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Car: 1989 TTA
Engine: LC2
Transmission: Worn-out 200R4
Axle/Gears: BW 9-bolt, 3.27's
Darn, that sucks. I'll have to watch out for that. Friend of mine just busted his cable on his Mazda MX6, but i have totally no clue where its routed to.
#23
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Car: 1988 GTA
Engine: L98, mostly stock
Transmission: 700R4
I tightened the crap out of the nut that holds the cable to the transmission shifter arm. And the part that goes on the shifter lever is held by a clip, I have no idea why it is stuck in D again. Going to check when I have time.
#24
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Car: 1992 Firebird
Engine: forged 357
Transmission: 700r4, 2200-2400 stall, vette servo
Axle/Gears: stock pegleg 2.73 drum (temp)
Originally posted by Icepack212
Guess what the piece of $hit just busted. Its dark out so I cannot see wtf is wrong with it. But I'm guessing the fact that its a Chinese copy is why I'm once again stuck in D.
Guess what the piece of $hit just busted. Its dark out so I cannot see wtf is wrong with it. But I'm guessing the fact that its a Chinese copy is why I'm once again stuck in D.
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Car: '83 Berli, '84 Berli, '84 Z28 HO
Engine: L69, LG4, L69
Transmission: TH700-R4, TH700-R4, T-5
Axle/Gears: 3.08, 3.08, 3.73 Posi
wow. a clip? huh.. something must have happened to mine.. it has a small bolt holding it in place on the shifter *shrugs* it works. You say it is actually stuck in D... i have broken lots of them.. and never had it get stuck... ussually it is the opposite.. I can slide the shifter all over the palce, it just does not do anything to the tranny.
#26
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Car: 1988 GTA
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Well its not technicaly stuck in D, i was driving and then when I was going to go into Park at a gas station the shifter would not shift the transmission at all. You can move it freely anywhere but it will not move the transmission out of D at all.
How much does an OEM cost and where do I get it?
How much does an OEM cost and where do I get it?
#27
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Car: 1988 GTA
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Ugh called a GM dealership and they would have to special order an OEM cable for $56......damn, but I guess better than the chinese crap.
#28
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Car: '83 Berli, '84 Berli, '84 Z28 HO
Engine: L69, LG4, L69
Transmission: TH700-R4, TH700-R4, T-5
Axle/Gears: 3.08, 3.08, 3.73 Posi
56$ is cheaper than mine mine cost my 78$ from a dealership... jeez seems my dealership is more of a rip off than your dealership... lol
#29
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Car: 1992 Firebird
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Transmission: 700r4, 2200-2400 stall, vette servo
Axle/Gears: stock pegleg 2.73 drum (temp)
Originally posted by Icepack212
Ugh called a GM dealership and they would have to special order an OEM cable for $56......damn, but I guess better than the chinese crap.
Ugh called a GM dealership and they would have to special order an OEM cable for $56......damn, but I guess better than the chinese crap.
#30
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Car: '83 Berli, '84 Berli, '84 Z28 HO
Engine: L69, LG4, L69
Transmission: TH700-R4, TH700-R4, T-5
Axle/Gears: 3.08, 3.08, 3.73 Posi
Yea i agree. if that thing broke that fast i would take it in. throw it on the counter and demand a refund.... obviously it is not worth the money you paid...
#31
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Car: 1988 GTA
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Well the chinese crap was some company name I cannot recall.
I just bought a US made cable from Autozone, and just examining it I noticed a much sturdier design. The plastic housing is much better than that chinese crap. The company name is Pioneer, US made. I will post on here how this cable does after I install it.
I just bought a US made cable from Autozone, and just examining it I noticed a much sturdier design. The plastic housing is much better than that chinese crap. The company name is Pioneer, US made. I will post on here how this cable does after I install it.
#32
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Car: 91 z28, 92 rs
Engine: 350 zz4, 305 tbi :(
Transmission: 700r4
Re: Shift Cable Adjustment?
you need a new cable this just happened to me the plastic on the cable gets caught on the hole where it leaves the floor of the car and faires it and stretches it changr the cable and you will have no more problems i bet your car will shift down not back up its a 10 min job pretty easy
#34
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Re: Shift Cable Adjustment?
I'm only posting this for the archives, and hopefully it will help some of the other's who are experiencing the exact same problem as the original poster. The problem is not the shifter cable, and or the shifter, the problem is in the transmission. The lever on the tranny linkage (in which the shift cable connects to) through constant and repeated use gets pushed forward, and the linkage inside the tranny get's stuck in that manner....
What that means is, Park position is barely being reached, and in time, it gets to the point where the shifter won't even reach it (this is why it looks like the shift cable is too short, because it will no longer reach properly). The fix is quite simple; Place the key in the "key on" position and shift the shifter all the way down to first gear. Get underneath the car, and with your hand, make sure that the lever in which is connected to the tranny (the same lever that the cable bolts to) is all the way in first gear as well....
Now, with a RUBBER mallet (not a hammer), firmly tap on the lever downward toward the rear (as if there were a gear below first). Watch carefully to see the lever re-position itself. When you see it move some, and with the shifter cable bolted to it, get back in the car and place your tranny in Park. If it reaches better than before, but not all the way, repeat the process again until complete. The above is a very common occurrence, and I hate seeing member's waste money on cables they don't need....
-Rob
What that means is, Park position is barely being reached, and in time, it gets to the point where the shifter won't even reach it (this is why it looks like the shift cable is too short, because it will no longer reach properly). The fix is quite simple; Place the key in the "key on" position and shift the shifter all the way down to first gear. Get underneath the car, and with your hand, make sure that the lever in which is connected to the tranny (the same lever that the cable bolts to) is all the way in first gear as well....
Now, with a RUBBER mallet (not a hammer), firmly tap on the lever downward toward the rear (as if there were a gear below first). Watch carefully to see the lever re-position itself. When you see it move some, and with the shifter cable bolted to it, get back in the car and place your tranny in Park. If it reaches better than before, but not all the way, repeat the process again until complete. The above is a very common occurrence, and I hate seeing member's waste money on cables they don't need....
-Rob
Last edited by Street Lethal; 08-12-2008 at 12:55 PM.
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#35
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Car: 1990 Camaro RS
Engine: L03 305 TBI
Transmission: 700R4
Axle/Gears: 2.73
Re: Shift Cable Adjustment?
Now see, that the kinda info I was looking for while reading this whole thread. Seems like there's about a 50:1 question/answer ratio around here...
Thank you Street Lethal.
Thank you Street Lethal.
#38
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Re: Shift Cable Adjustment?
I'm only posting this for the archives, and hopefully it will help some of the other's who are experiencing the exact same problem as the original poster. The problem is not the shifter cable, and or the shifter, the problem is in the transmission. The lever on the tranny linkage (in which the shift cable connects to) through constant and repeated use gets pushed forward, and the linkage inside the tranny get's stuck in that manner....
What that means is, Park position is barely being reached, and in time, it gets to the point where the shifter won't even reach it (this is why it looks like the shift cable is too short, because it will no longer reach properly). The fix is quite simple; Place the key in the "key on" position and shift the shifter all the way down to first gear. Get underneath the car, and with your hand, make sure that the lever in which is connected to the tranny (the same lever that the cable bolts to) is all the way in first gear as well....
Now, with a RUBBER mallet (not a hammer), firmly tap on the lever downward toward the rear (as if there were a gear below first). Watch carefully to see the lever re-position itself. When you see it move some, and with the shifter cable bolted to it, get back in the car and place your tranny in Park. If it reaches better than before, but not all the way, repeat the process again until complete. The above is a very common occurrence, and I hate seeing member's waste money on cables they don't need....
-Rob
What that means is, Park position is barely being reached, and in time, it gets to the point where the shifter won't even reach it (this is why it looks like the shift cable is too short, because it will no longer reach properly). The fix is quite simple; Place the key in the "key on" position and shift the shifter all the way down to first gear. Get underneath the car, and with your hand, make sure that the lever in which is connected to the tranny (the same lever that the cable bolts to) is all the way in first gear as well....
Now, with a RUBBER mallet (not a hammer), firmly tap on the lever downward toward the rear (as if there were a gear below first). Watch carefully to see the lever re-position itself. When you see it move some, and with the shifter cable bolted to it, get back in the car and place your tranny in Park. If it reaches better than before, but not all the way, repeat the process again until complete. The above is a very common occurrence, and I hate seeing member's waste money on cables they don't need....
-Rob
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Vgibson (09-21-2022)
#39
Re: Shift Cable Adjustment?
I have the same problem, but it may also be the new plate I installed, as it is SUPPOSED to work with the automatic, but hey, I am finding a LOT of parts do not always work on the car like they say it will! My 85 camaro had the slick shift plate, not the ridged one. Also, we did adjust the nut on the tranny., The NEW plate has a plate reset that is supposed to help line up your markers to show what gear you are in. Good luck with that one! I am taking it out for the 5th time trying to get that ratcheting plastic gear setting to STAY where I put it. Nope. The tape just will not stay where you adjust it to. So, if there are any other ideas out there I am all ears. If you get yours fixed, or I do, I will pass on what I learned!LOL Anyway, since I am one of the very few women out there who has built her own car, don't laugh if I can't figure out what is going on, The old plate worked the gears just fine. A GUY took off my cable for some dumb reason, and had it apart when painting my car! Have NO idea what the hell for. Since then, it just won't show the right gear reading. I also know there are MORE THAN ONE sized cables for the car! So make sure yours is the right length. Yup, they did make more than one size...and some fit all over the place...Sigh. the darn nut setting on the tranny is very small, so you have to have it the right length to have any chance at setting it. So, have a great day, and I hope you got it working Cheers! I can post a picture of my car if you would like to see it., Have driven it for 25 years now., Love this silly car!! Looks so much better, but I also kept her nice over the years.
#40
Re: Shift Cable Adjustment?
Sorry I did not see this right away...but great information and I will tell my tranny guy to do this for me (I can't get under my car to do this...no lift at home!) Have a great day Rob, and once again, thank you! I hope this will fix the read out on my gears too! Cheers from Canada!
#41
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Re: Shift Cable Adjustment?
I put a new cable with the shifter in park but it wont stay in park it started and it goes in reverse will try this mallet thing
#42
Re: Shift Cable Adjustment?
I was also at the end of the thread, so I used a die and added more threads and that took care of the problem.
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