If you find your gear stick sloppy and has lots of movement even whilst in gear the selector bushes are probably loose and tired. There are many different bushes to replace but for now will stick to the selector levers.
The bush is a soft polyurethane that over time expands and as a result the gearstick gets sloppy in forward/back & side to side movement. The cost is so insignificant it's worth doing there are 2 bushes on the 2wd gearbox and 3 on the 4wd. The third bush on the 4x4 is for the 2-4wd lever and is a bit of a pain to get to so I never bothered today I have to change the bushes in the gearstick as well so will do it then.
Anyway this is not a difficult job but can be time consuming so leave an hour spare.
First to explain what the levers look like I've added a diagram the bushes to be replaced are item's 19 onto the levers 13 & 14 (pic1)
The bush is a soft polyurethane that over time expands and as a result the gearstick gets sloppy in forward/back & side to side movement. The cost is so insignificant it's worth doing there are 2 bushes on the 2wd gearbox and 3 on the 4wd. The third bush on the 4x4 is for the 2-4wd lever and is a bit of a pain to get to so I never bothered today I have to change the bushes in the gearstick as well so will do it then.
Anyway this is not a difficult job but can be time consuming so leave an hour spare.
First to explain what the levers look like I've added a diagram the bushes to be replaced are item's 19 onto the levers 13 & 14 (pic1)
Locating the levers/bushes
The car does not have to be raised if 4x4 but probably helps as usual always take precautions and use good quality axle stands and ensure the car is firm on these stands before going underneith.
Locate the levers/bushes as shown (pic 2) also note the lever with split pin & washer to the right remove this first, then using a large screwdriver or other long flat bar lever the selector/bush away from the fixing (small metal ball) (pic 3) the more tired they are the easier they will come off.
Removing the bushes
Once the lever/bush is seperated you need to remove the bush from the lever a pair of grips as shown (pic 4)are excellent and take them straight out. The old & new bushes are also shown (pic 4).
Fitting the new bushes
Getting the new bushes in is the worst part of this Job especially when cold and what takes most of the time.
One tip is to boil a kettle and put the bushes in a cup of boiling water for a few minutes, another is to heat them with a heat gun but this method has a tendancy to burn/melt the bushes :bang:
When the bushes are soft push them back into the levers on one side and when halfway in use a flat blade to push/squeeze the otherside through (watch your hand as I was lucky and just cut the surface of my palm
, had I used anymore pressure I would have put the screwdriver right through YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED)Once the bushes are in place use a large pair of grips to squeeze the bush back onto the little balls (oh! er!) they will be very tight so a little grease to help them on their way is advised. Be carefull that the bush does not come back out when completing this part. Once they are both on connect the other spacer washer and split pin & JOB DONE (pic5)
