Steering column shifter removal & reinstall

Cat_rebel

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I decided to do a writeup on how to swap the shifter arm on our trucks because, I haven't seen a good one & people ask me this question alot. It really isn't hard if you take your time & is a good thing to know incase your OD off button quits working. In my case it didn't work for close to 2 years then just decided to ground out & lock out OD so I had no other choice but to replace it.

I have been getting PMs from a member on here asking how to go about replacing it & where to find one. Local scrap yards netted nothing for him, I knew he was in a bind & decided to check & see if one of my spare OBS levers would work. About 30 mins later I had installed it, checked & found out they will interchange & work. Not the best solution but it will work if your in a bind & can't locate one off a SD.

To start we locate a good working shift lever off an OBS-

lever001.jpg


Next step is to unscrew your tilt adjuster if you have one-

lever004.jpg


lever005.jpg



Unscrew the 3 screws holding the bottom cover on with a philips head screw driver, you may find that it's easier to remove your fuse/kick pannel for more working room--

lever006.jpg


lever007.jpg


lever008.jpg


Now comes the tricky part, insert the key into the ignition-

lever002.jpg


Now turn the key foward one notch so it unlocks the wheels but won't turn on your glow plugs-

lever003.jpg


Looking underneith there is alittle ball that needs to be pressed in to release the key fob, it will only release with your key in that unlocked position-

lever009.jpg


Get something like a allen wrench, pick, punch, ext to push that ball in-

lever011.jpg


Push that ball in-

lever012.jpg


Now gently pull outward on the key fob while turning it foward slightly- (gently is the word)

lever013.jpg


At this point you will have to turn it foward to the "ON" position & your glowplugs (& what else have you) will come on, at this point it should slide out, if not try turning it backwards or fowards a HAIR-

lever015.jpg


Make sure that you do NOT turn that fob while it's outside your collum or you will be chasing TINY springs & other parts around & buying a new fob.

Now just wiggle the top peice until it comes off-

lever016.jpg


lever017.jpg


Pull up & remove the rubber boot-

lever018.jpg


Pull it out of the way, you can re-use it on your new arm-

lever019.jpg
 
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Cat_rebel

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Next part can be a pain, if you have large hands you might need a small screw driver. You need to pry the locking tab for the wiring connector downward while pulling on the plug, remember be gentle with it-

lever020.jpg


Got it off-

lever021.jpg


Close up shot-

lever022.jpg


Next step is to remove the arm, it's held in by a pin that just needs a few light taps with a hammer to remove-

lever023.jpg


& it's out-

lever024.jpg


New arm going in-

lever025.jpg


Replug in the wiring for the OD off button-

lever026.jpg


For the writeup I opted not to install the top cover to illustrate how to reinstall the key fob.

Line up the fob with the slots & gently insert it, you will have to turn it back & forth SLIGHTLY (not much at all) to get it installed properly.

lever028.jpg


Should look like this when it's properly installed-

lever029.jpg


Double check & see if the ball went back into it's hole on the underside-

lever030.jpg



Once you confirm that the ball is installed you can turn the key foward to make sure it seats & start the truck if you desire.

I started it up & verified that the button was working properly-

lever032.jpg


lever031.jpg


Now the only kicker for using an OBS shift lever on a SD is that it rides closer to the steering wheel then stock but this is only a big issue for manual second & really noticeable in manual first.

In drive-

lever033.jpg


lever034.jpg


In manual second-

lever035.jpg


& manual first-

lever036.jpg


Reinstall everything in the opposite order, took me less then 30 mins & that included stopping to take pics & find tools. Hope this helps a few people out. The 92-97 columns come apart the exact same way.
 

Tbar

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Good write up. I had to replace mine when the OD button quit working. Tried to repair it.......found the wire broken right where it goes into the shift lever tube but didn't have enough slack to re-solder it and spent way too much time trying. Bought a new one at Furd and the R&R was very easy.


Tbar
 

joeniel

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What about if the OD comes on randomly by itself?

I know i have to do this because its loose as hell on my truck, but will it fix that ^^ as well?
 

Cat_rebel

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What about if the OD comes on randomly by itself?

I know i have to do this because its loose as hell on my truck, but will it fix that ^^ as well?

If the wire is pinched/old/grounding out it could be or you have deeper issues. I know on the 00 it didn't work for a couple years then finally just quit shifting into OD at all one day. I swapped the arm & it fixed the issue.
 

joeniel

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If the wire is pinched/old/grounding out it could be or you have deeper issues. I know on the 00 it didn't work for a couple years then finally just quit shifting into OD at all one day. I swapped the arm & it fixed the issue.

I think it might be deeper because I also ding when the doors open and theres no keys in....
 

4cstr

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Great writeup...but I have a question that pertains a bit to this.

The shifter is loose on my 99. By that...I mean I don't "feel" the slots between R, N and D. The level slides easily between them. I can have the red pointer on R...but the truck will be in D. I have to kinda feel with my butt which gear the truck engages in. Its proved to be a pain as there have been times when I thought the truck was in park, but as soon as I let off the brake pedal...she went backwards. Not a good thing with the camper in tow. How or where do I address this in the steering column.
 

TrailerHauler

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Great writeup...but I have a question that pertains a bit to this.

The shifter is loose on my 99. By that...I mean I don't "feel" the slots between R, N and D. The level slides easily between them. I can have the red pointer on R...but the truck will be in D. I have to kinda feel with my butt which gear the truck engages in. Its proved to be a pain as there have been times when I thought the truck was in park, but as soon as I let off the brake pedal...she went backwards. Not a good thing with the camper in tow. How or where do I address this in the steering column.

Check your linkage connection at the trans.
 

co04cobra

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One of the screws out of the bottom of the column piece works great to shove the ball in to get the key out. If you dont feel like getting out another tool. Usually just installing the button on the end of the shifter fixes the problem. I would try that first in most cases before installing the whole arm.
 

co04cobra

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Great writeup...but I have a question that pertains a bit to this.

The shifter is loose on my 99. By that...I mean I don't "feel" the slots between R, N and D. The level slides easily between them. I can have the red pointer on R...but the truck will be in D. I have to kinda feel with my butt which gear the truck engages in. Its proved to be a pain as there have been times when I thought the truck was in park, but as soon as I let off the brake pedal...she went backwards. Not a good thing with the camper in tow. How or where do I address this in the steering column.



You also probably have the 2 t-30 bolts loose on the back of your column that holds your shifter cable. If you look up under the dash they face towards the firewall where the steering shaft bolts on. You also can adjust that little red pointer.
 

Cat_rebel

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You also probably have the 2 t-30 bolts loose on the back of your column that holds your shifter cable. If you look up under the dash they face towards the firewall where the steering shaft bolts on. You also can adjust that little red pointer.

:whs: My 97 had those T-30 bolts come loose & the shifter was VERY sloppy.
 

Cat_rebel

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Countryboy07, when you do that you can try to find the upper column plastic cover off a manual so you don't have a hole there when you remove the shifter. Even if you don't use that little key tab like the manual has it will still look better.
 

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