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Thanks, Jarrald - 1999 Ignition Switch & Shifter Cable Posted by Mark in Marine [Email] (#1837) [Profile/Gallery] (more from Mark in Marine) on Fri, 27 Nov 2015 20:14:36 In Reply to: apologies I think your at the other end. I was just too, jarrald, Tue, 17 Nov 2015 13:15:49 Members do not see ads below this line. - Help Keep This Site Online - Signup |
Thanks for being excited to help. I used your post on the ignition switch replacement to good effect!
Here's my amplified version of your post - Hope you don't mind. If anyone searches, they should see all the threads together.
Original of this is from Jarrald – Thanks !
Steps 12 through 15 are often skipped by experienced mechanics who know how to not stress the shift cable and juggle the shifter just right. BUT as I found out, the outer cable is not solid through the plastic locator flange at the shifter housing, and after over 16 years on the road, mine was brittle and broke. Steps 12 - 15 would have saved me some $$ - and I eventually had to do them anyway.
WIS instructions for replacing the Shift Cable are under Transmission, instructions for the Ignition Switch are under Engine Electrical, and instructions for Console removal are under Body interior. Like Jarrald, I needed additional help from this site to get it all apart. There may be some differences from 1999 to 2005 and beyond. This is for auto tranny. BTW, the switch itself is different between 1999 and 2001 models and up. They don't interchange.
(1) Cubby/cig tray: use very small flathead and a cloth around the head to protect it and wedge underneath the cubby and just pop out. The catch is at the bottom, so pry there.
(2) Reach in and push out seat switches and disconnect them.
(3) Remove rubberlike trim around shifter with fingers/ pry it up. it may come off by hand, no tools needed, else use nylon pry tools.
(4) Remove the rubber security key antenna around the key cylinder: gently rotate it CLOCKWISE while pulling upward. Gently - it will come off. You have to disconnect the electrical connector as well. Reinstalling, just line up the key antenna properly and push down until it clicks.
(5) Two T-25's for wood trim behind cubby then gently pry up underneath wood trim on the other end (end toward arm rest). It will pop out – Careful, older trim may have separated some, and you might not be under it, but in the middle of it (thickness-wise). Disconnect all electrical connections carefully.
(6) Remove rear of console (rear air duct cover) by prying out the bottom by hand, and disconnect electrics. After the bottom is loose, push/pull the top backward and up at about 45 degrees (behind/under the armrest cover). No screws - it should come out.
(7) Pry out gently the window switch bank and disconnect.
(8) There are 6 T-25 screws holding the plastic large center console cover on. It is possible to remove the console cover w e-brake handle as high as it goes – it is easiest tilting toward the driver's side. Disconnect any other electrical connectors.
(9) Center console housing: Remove side plastic strips that run vertically up console sides and cover carpet seams. Pull back floor carpet that rises up center console on both sides to the floor to get to two T-25 screws down on the lower sides in the front. There are two more T-25's in the rear from rear seat, at the bottom where the rear consol popped off.
(10) Shifter housing: 4 main bolts to floor – T-30 heads. Disconnect electrical connections.
(11) Remove the air duct that goes to the rear air ducts by hand. It just wedges/slides in/out.
(12) Now it gets tricky: The shift cable ball and pin are inside a cage you have to view from front. You have to remove an E-ring (aka C-ring, C-clip) lock ring on the inside of the shaft holding the shifter cable ball socket to the shifter shaft. The E-clip is on the left side of the shifter, while the cable ball & socket are on the right side. Put the shifter in neutral or higher to access this E-clip. Rotate key in lock to On (remember, battery should be disconnected/removed) and press P release with flat screwdriver so you can move out of Park. Use a pick to pull on one of the spaces in the E-clip – AND hold your magnetic pickup tool right up to it as you do this (if you lose it, a 5/16 inch size works – you may guess how I learned this).
(13) There is an anti-rattle clip on the front of the housing that pushes on the side of the shaft holding the shifter cable ball socket to the shifter shaft. Use a flat screwdriver to pry it off (w magnetic pickup handy to catch it).
(14) Once E-clip is out, you can gently bang out the shaft enough to get the shifter cable ball socket off the metal shaft.
(15) There's a metal clip locking the shift cable plastic locator flange in place at the front of the shifter housing. Remove it with a flathead or pliers, and then remove the locator flange from the shifter housing. You need to get the cable free of the housing and shaft b/c you have to turn the housing over to get to the ignition switch. This is where you run the risk of breaking the plastic locator flange, and they only come with a new cable.
(16) NOW you can replace the ignition switch! Remove shifter housing, turn it over part way, and release catches on ignition wire socket to disconnect. The switch comes out with two T-20 screws – note smaller size. The key cylinder does not need to come out.
(16a) Shift Cable Replacement: This is only if, as for me, the shift cable broke or was already broken. To replace the entire Shift Cable as part of this job, you will have to undo the nut on the transmission shift arm, then pull a metal clip locks a plastic flange of outer cable to its fixture on the transmission. Remove the entire cable by pulling it inside the car. Installation is reverse, but there is a large grommet on the new cable that must seat into the firewall. There is a tunnel of space under the air box that allows this, but if your car is 16 years old, some of the insulating foam will be swept along with the grommet as you try to seat it into the firewall. I spent several hours on just this part of the job. I mistakenly assumed that it was a mostly straight shot – in the vertical direction it isn't. The tunnel slopes upward to the firewall, so your PVC pipe tool will not be square to the firewall flange, and it will push only on the bottom of the grommet. I used 1" ID PVC schedule 60 (thick wall) conduit to seat the grommet, and I needed to cut the pushing end at an angle (smoothed off sharp edges to protect the grommet). Lots of silicone grease is your friend. Maybe this is easier if you pull out more of the carpet, but I feared never getting that back in a way that looked good.
(17) Put everything else back in reverse order. It's tricky getting the cable ball socket back on and the shaft banged all the way back in place far in enough to get the E-clip lock back on. It wants to push down. It took a little patience and careful banging and forcing – the groove need to be fully visible inside the bracket. This is the stage where I lost an E-clip – the groove was not fully accessible and the E-clip went onto the shoulder, and then into space. Be careful, you don't want to break any plastic parts on the shifter and there are several in close proximity. Also make sure you don't pinch any wires anywhere when putting it all back, especially with the ignition wires that have a grommet through the shifter housing
Original from Jarrald, added observations by Mark in Marine.
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