98 Transmission Linkage??

[DriverSideImpact98]

Ok I'll post it here too... the "drivetrains" section hasn't offered any help yet...
My 98 GM seems to have a misaligned shift linkage. You have to kinda search around for reverse and you have to hold it down into manual 1st. How do i adjust the linkage?

[Rizzo]

You can't..So to speak.

How does it operate in drive ?

Overload me with information man. Srsly ....

[SVT98t]

I know there's a little spindle wheel on the steering column you can use to adjust where the needle is displayed on the dash. I'm sure there's an adjustmeent on the linkage down near the transmission. I still have to adjust the linkage on the Marauder because it will not start unless you push on the shifter and start it at the same time.
Like Rizzo said, give us info, and we can help you out the best we mangs can.
-ryan s.

[DriverSideImpact98]

In drive its fine.
Manual 2nd gear is fine.
In park its fine, you dont have to push up on it to start it.
In neutral its normal too.
Going from park to reverse...it always over shoots reverse. The needle will say its in reverse but its actually in neutral, you have to push it back up to actually get it to "click" into reverse.
And it wont "click" into first either. You have to hold the shift lever down to get it to stay in first.

[Rizzo]

Follow the center line shift tube down the column. See the 4 gold colored torx bolts ? Those may need to be tightened, This will eliminate any play in the lever itself. Can you jiggle it up and down real easy ?




The stops you feel when you shift from gear to gear by hand are from the rooster comb and the rooster comb spring.

Here it is w/o the spring ..



Here it is shifted into 1st gear.



And all that is read by this sensor here called the MLPS ( Manual Lever Position Sensor ) or Transmission Range Sensor.



I wonder if you have slop in the shift tube which is causing a misalignment of the needle, But for how the car reacts when your in which ever gear I wonder if you are the first person to need a new rooster comb spring ?

That would be pretty wild. The good news is it's right in your face if you drop the trans pan .

See it on the top, just past the TCC solenoid




Don't worry about the older trans picture above, You'll have a black plastic circuit board type of harness but it won't get in the way .

Are you do for a trans fluid service anytime soon ?

If you are it may be worth while to have an assistant shift the lever and let you see what's going on when you have the pan dropped and are waiting for the TC to drain.

I am not saying this IS your fix,but if it were my car this is where I would start.

[DriverSideImpact98]

I'll try looking for the torx bolts (is that hard to get at under the dash?) Otherwise, I just freakin did a fluid change in May! Although if I find out thats actually what it is, then I'll have an excuse to j-mod it... haha

[Rizzo]

You have to remove the lower column to remove the top and they shouldn't be too far back, You may have to drop the column to get to the back two.

You have an interceptor, Use the line coming from the trans cooler. There will be two coming out of it, Use the lower one which should be the top line going into the trans.

Get some hose and fit it over the outlet from the cooler and make sure to clamp it well, Then have an assistant start the car while you hold the hose into a clean jug, Expect around 6 qts if you run it til it sputters, Then yell to the assistant to turn off the car immediately.

Now you fluid is in a clean container and can get reused. The trans pan will have about 2 cups in it

[DriverSideImpact98]

Sounds like a fuckshow pulling apart the column...I hate doing shit in the dash... Did some column shit on a Taurus once... pissed me off hahaha.
I guess I'll just have to live with it, until it becomes a more pressing issue.

And no I dont have an interceptor.

[DriverSideImpact98]

Oh yeah, so I remembered or realized or whatever that when you shift it into manual 2 then it is only in second gear. It doesnt downshift into first and when starting from a stop it just starts out in 2nd.