the stock shifter bushings in my civic with a gsr swap decided to take a shit on me. i bought the prothane stabilizer kit thinking it would be an easy install. im having trouble getting the round piece that goes in front to go into the shift linkage. i used the grease that comes in the kit but it's still fighting me every step of the way. i'd appreciate any advice/tips anyone could offer to make this go way smoother. :hs:

 

That one can be a very tricky one. I found that if you put a bit of muscle into it keeping one side in and slowly pushing the other side in, it will go in. It isn't easy, but if worse comes to worse, pull the shifter linkage out and work on it from somewhere besides under the car.

 

i was hoping to avoid removing the linkage completely but if it comes to that then oh well. i was thinking of using a vise grip or some pliers to squeeze the outer lip of the bushing so i could get that sucker in there.

one more thing, when i removed the bolt holding the linkage to the tranny what i assume to be tranny fluid started leaking out catching me totally off guard. luckily i wasnt directly underneath it otherwise i woulda been covered with it. is this normal? :thinking:

 

Definitely not normal to be leaking something unless either an axle was pulled out or the drain bolt was removed. See if you can pinpoint the source of the fluid and confirm what type of fluid it is.

The shift linkage isn't that hard to pull out. It is really just that bitch pin that makes it difficult. An 8 mm punch, BFH and a lot of elbow grease should get it out.

I would really try and see if you could get it in from underneath first. With enough lube and muscle, it just slides right in.

 

yea i finally got the damn thing in with lots of grease and my foot. h:

i took the linkage off so i could get better leverage. i got half of it in and laid it on the ground then stood on it with one foot till it popped in. the one under the shifter was easy as cake.

while i was under there i found there were a few cracks on the tranny that were welded up which could explain why fluid was leaking when i took that bolt off.

 

For a trick, instead of putting that pin back in, get a bolt that barely fits through the hole and thread a nut on the end of it. It will be much easier to remove next time.