Unable to remove shifter from the transmission

[m54ci]

Hello,

I need to borrow the wisdom from the great minds on norotors.

I was in the process of removing the current (SLP?) shifter. After removing the four bolts on the shifter, I found myself not able to break loose the shifter from the transmission.

I remember the factory shifter is much easier to pry off, with the stamped steel base plate extends beyond the mounting surface. The machined base plate on the SLP leaves very little lip to pry on. With the bottom edge of trans tunnel opening as the pivot point, I used a pry bar to pry on the 0.3mm lip. No luck.

I believe I used the Hondabond when I installed the SLP shifter, since have had very good luck with it. Maybe it is working too well for this shifter application?

I wonder if there is any good way to separate a stubborn shifter from the transmission? Any recommendation is greatly appreciated!

Below is a picture of the said shifter. It's not my car, but the same shifter that I google'd.

[wickedrx7]

Hondabond is great stuff. Maybe to good for the shifter.

I have had luck with a long screw driver from below. Catch the edge and tap with a hammer. It is tricky to do with exhaust on.

[m54ci]

Wicked - Thanks for the suggestion! A flathead tapped from below will allow me to exert the full tapping force on the shifter compared to the pry bar.

I will have to check the clearance with the exhaust. Worst case I can drop the exhaust. I am hopeful. Thanks!

[jwvand02]

Depending on your clearance from the side - I didn't pay enough attention when I removed my shifter to remember - you might be able to get a cheap, sharp wood chisel and tap it in from the side. That's how I separated the timing case on my pathfinder, which was held on with 20 feet of RTV.

[m54ci]

A quick update on the issue resolution.

With the recommendation from Wicked, I investigated the exhaust clearance and came up with a modified method.

Instead of tapping the shifter from underneath the car, the clearance from the exhaust allows a metal rod standing from the garage floor to about an inch shy from the bottom edge of the shifter (height is fine-tuned with a floor jack to the RX7 body).

I then used a rolling head pry bar and the metal rod as a pivot to pry the shifter off the transmission. The metal rod bottomed at the garage floor provided much needed solid pivot compared to the tunnel opening on the RX7 that flexed too much.

Thanks for the great ideas guys!   Best part is I didn’t have to jack up and crawl underneath the car. 

Next is to get the MGW installed! 

[Supe]

Can you tap the holes that the bolts pass through that secure the shifter to the transmission?  At least that way, you can just thread a bolt or piece of all-thread in there next time and pop it out from the top. 

[largeorangefont]

For the future when you install your MGW, just get a shifter gasket.

https://stangshiftergaskets.com/manage.numo?module=shopping_cart&component=catalog&cid=&pid=10&module=shopping_cart&component=catalog&cid=2

[m54ci]

Even more great ideas!

Tapping the hole will eliminate the shifter getting fused on the trans again!

I wasn't aware of the existence of the pre-made gasket! That may well worth the hassle!

Thanks for all the great inputs!