How to Replace the Shift Cable in a Chevy
by Tammy Bronson
A broken shift cable isn't an expensive repair. The cable connects the gear shifter to the shifting arm of the engine. A sleeve houses the shift cable to keep it free of dirt and grim. The purpose of the shifting cable is to adjust the arm as it moves from first, second, third to fourth gear. The cable also adjusts for movement into reverse. The shifting cable breaks when there is too much pressure applied. Pressured is caused from overheating in the transmission. When a shift cable snaps, the gear shifter can no longer switch from gear to gear.
Step 1
Take the rubber boot off the gear shift inside the vehicle and lift it up, exposing the area where the gear shift and the transmission connect.
Step 2
Look for the shift cable and the shifting arm. A single bolt and nut connect the shift cable and shift arm.
Step 3
Twist the nut connecting the gear shift and the transmission. Use a socket wrench and remove the gear shift. Use an open-end wrench to loosen the nut holding the shift cable and the shift arm together.
Step 4
Slide off the sleeve on the shift cable and loosen the shift cable at the other end with an open-end wrench. Both ends of the shifting cable attach to the shifting arm in different locations.
Step 5
Hitch the new shift cable to the 2 anchor points on the shift arm using the same bolts and nuts. Reconnect the gear shift to the transmission and push the rubber boot back into place around the gear shift inside the car.
Step 6
Test the functionality of the shifting cable by moving the gear shift in and out of gear.
References
Tips
- Ensure that the damage is to the cable and is not a broken anchor arm. If it is a broken anchor, this is the problem, not the cable itself.
Things You'll Need
- Socket wrench set
- Open-end wrench set
- New shift cable
Warnings
- Do not drive the car until you have tested the ability of the shift cable to move the shift arm from gear to gear.
Writer Bio
Tammy Bronson has been a freelance writer since 1994. As a writer for Thompson Gale Publishing she wrote autobiographies and legal reviews. With Remilon.com Bronson wrote innovative informative articles about colleges and universities nationwide. She lives in the Greater Boston Area and has a Master of Arts degree in literature and writing from the State University of New York.
