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Gear shift knob rattle

12K views 11 replies 10 participants last post by  HoosierBuddy 
#1 ·
Ok I know this isn’t the most serious problem, but it is driving us crazy. There seems to be a small loose object inside the gear shift knob. With the natural vibration inherent in any gear shift lever, it crates a rattle like a little maraca. Has anyone else had this problem? Can the knob be removed without destroying it? I hate to take it in to the dealer and announce that I’m bringing in a car for a gear shift knob repair, especially since GM closed my small local dealership down. So far the only 2 things that solve the problem are:
1. Holding my hand on the knob continuously (impractical) and
2. Turning the music up (I find Latin influenced music to work particularly well especially on a bumpy road when the rattle behind the passenger seat joins in)
Now if anyone thinks I’m nit picking, I suggest you try taping a baby’s rattle to your gear shift lever to get an idea of what I talking about. Any help would be appreciated.
 
#2 ·
I'm guessing that you have an automatic?

If so there is a thread in on the board that will tell you how to remove the knob and I think once you have it off you will be able to discern what is making the rattling sound.

Lemme do a search and see if I can find the thread.

EDIT:

here ya go:
http://www.solsticeforum.com/forum/f12/how-shift-knob-removal-42973/
 
#3 ·
The only help I can give you is my sympathy! I have the same thing going on and have been ignoring it by turning up the volume on the radio. As you wrote, trying to keep your hand on the knob is impracticle as well as my jewelry has scratched the surrounding area. Thanks to Banditcar I will go to that web site and see if I can't fix the darn thing.
 
#4 ·
if it is a stick, I had the same problem. At one of the Southwen MD Mod Meets, the guys opened up the boot and tightened a screw. Apparently, Lil Goat was driving his and the shifter literally popped off.
 
#6 ·
The boot comes off up by the dash. Just pull straight up on the front of the boot by the bezel. There is an allen screw holding on the shifter. There is a locating notch on the opposite end of the boot bezel that needs to be aligned before pressing it back on.
 
#7 ·
Yes mine did come off, a allen wrench and some locktite all fixed
 
#8 ·
Shifter Parts

I had my shifter apart as I was looking into the idea of doing a gated shifter plate instead of the boot. The crazy part is how much internal parts the shifter shaft has. It has a small shaft that runs up inside the outer tube and there is a rubber vibration dampener. It's a pretty complex deal for just a shifter, but it's worth a look at it to make sure it's all still together. Easy enough to take off.

Good luck.

Clear
 
#9 ·
I have the exact same problem and as trivial as it seems it completely ruined my driving experience. If you don't want to spend a lot of time or money on one of the more elegant fixes, here's my quick and dirty, but extremely effective, fix. Take thread or fishing line and slip it between the shift knob and the top of the shifter boot. It looks like a tight fit but it is easy to do. Then wrap as much of the line around the shifter into the slot as possible. Trust me, it will hold alot. Keep it tight while you wrap. Clip the end of the thread off and go for a drive. If the noise isn't gone, wrap some more until it solves the problem. This puts enough pressure on the know to dampen the vibration and rattle. This fix works, costs about a buck, and is completely invisable.
 
#11 ·
Chances are the shift ball will move left/right slightly (the metal parts inside cause the rattle) indicating this fix will work.
Remove the shift lever by removing the large set screw (apply heat first to soften locktite). Remove C clip holding shaft to the mid/upper sleeve. Separate the two (wriggling a few degrees only, left and right until the bottom shaft slowly pulls out. Take a thin but sturdy rod and insert it to the upper shaft (exact center, close to the shift ball). Hammer the rod
 
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