Technical Gear stick turns round and round

[Noah500]

My gear stick works OK - when I remember to give it time and double declutch on the way down - but there's a couple of things bugging me:

1. It is slightly bent so I thought I could remove it and straighten it up (is it actually supposed to be straight?) but...

2. if I try to just unscrew it, it just turns round and round in either direction without getting any looser or tighter. I know the whole stick is turning, rather than just the knob, because the bend makes the knob go round in a small circle (not just turn on itself, if that makes sense?)

Any pointers please?

Cheers,

Simon

 

[JumpJet]

It isn't screwed in, so it's supposed to rotate freely. In order to remove it to straighten it, you'll have to disconnect the linkage and remove the entire assembly. There are two bolts on the RH side of the tunnel that hold the baseplate in place. You'll have to remove the top cover near the heater valve to gain access as well.

Here are some pics of it removed for reference.

 

[Noah500]

It isn't screwed in, so it's supposed to rotate freely. In order to remove it to straighten it, you'll have to disconnect the linkage and remove the entire assembly. There are two bolts on the RH side of the tunnel that hold the baseplate in place. You'll have to remove the top cover near the heater valve to gain access as well.

Here are some pics of it removed for reference.

Thanks for the tip - useful to see 'real life' photos, too

 

[Noah500]

Also, I see yours is all nice and shiny - is it stainless or just new?... mine is chipped black paint/powder coating, so I was thinking of painting it if I can remove it easily

 

[JumpJet]

It's the original, I just decided I wanted a stainless look, so when the car was apart, I pulled the shifter and spun it in a drill to sand it down to bare metal and polish it up. Mine was black, rust-speckled, and flaky beforehand as well.

 

[Noah500]

I took off the centre console etc. but it seems like a bit of a faff to dismantle the whole thing so I tried to straighten up the stick in place. Not much of a success because the bend appears to be only just above the mount. Oh well, it's not a disaster