Ok thanks so much! i really appreciate it!
The "No Slop" FJ62 shifter mods (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter Spook50
- Start date
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Does anybody know the part # for the factory replacement bushings?
I just found a couple of red garden hose gaskets in my garage and slid them on Seems to work pretty good.
Late to the table...
but wanted to add my thanks to Spook50 for not only coming up with this mod but documenting it so well.
The shifter in my 62 was incredibly loose, as in there weren't any stock bushings left in there at all. Well, not any more.
Details.
I found the bushings at an Orchard Supply Hardware store, same dimensions as the Hillmans but different brand I guess. They were in the vertical racks of specialty hardware that seem to be at every OSH I've been in.
Probably could have found some at my local True Value too but they were closed last night and I wanted to get started on this early today.
I didn't do the pin mod, didn't seem to need it but I might go back and do the set screw idea later.
The bushings took a bit of work to get turned down, I too used the threaded rod part of the linkage and chucked it into my drill press to make a vertical mill of sorts, used a small flat file and then some emery cloth to smooth things out.
Worked like a charm. Used an allen wrench as a lever to make sure the linkage didn't fall thru while I was fitting the bushings. Put a little moly grease on the inside of the bushing as well as on the inside of the collar part of the linkage.
Thanks a bunch, it's fixing the little stuff that makes me really enjoy the FJ so far.
John E
but wanted to add my thanks to Spook50 for not only coming up with this mod but documenting it so well.
The shifter in my 62 was incredibly loose, as in there weren't any stock bushings left in there at all. Well, not any more.
Details.
I found the bushings at an Orchard Supply Hardware store, same dimensions as the Hillmans but different brand I guess. They were in the vertical racks of specialty hardware that seem to be at every OSH I've been in.
Probably could have found some at my local True Value too but they were closed last night and I wanted to get started on this early today.
I didn't do the pin mod, didn't seem to need it but I might go back and do the set screw idea later.
The bushings took a bit of work to get turned down, I too used the threaded rod part of the linkage and chucked it into my drill press to make a vertical mill of sorts, used a small flat file and then some emery cloth to smooth things out.
Worked like a charm. Used an allen wrench as a lever to make sure the linkage didn't fall thru while I was fitting the bushings. Put a little moly grease on the inside of the bushing as well as on the inside of the collar part of the linkage.
Thanks a bunch, it's fixing the little stuff that makes me really enjoy the FJ so far.
John E
Thanks for the tips Spook.
I did this mod over the weekend and thought I'd post up some tips from my experience. The Hillman bushings worked great for the side to side slop.
To fix the front to back slop I took a slightly different approach. I don't have a welder, so I just used some JBWeld epoxy to fill in the clearance around the shifter pivot bolt to arm that goes through the floor connection. Not as permanent as welding, but it should hold up for quite a while.
Instead of making custom bushings for the connecting rod pivots, I bought 2 each OEM bushings (PN 90389-08005) and grommets (90480-17177) and replaced them. Unfortunately, I didn't have the foresight to replace the bushings and grommets before JBwelding the shifter to arm joint, so I replaced the bushings from under the truck. Not recommended as getting the spring clips into the holes is a real PITA. The new rubber grommets have to be compressed slightly to get the spring clips in, and there isn't much room to manuever down there.
If I had to do it over again, I would disconnect the connecting rod on the transmission side first from under the truck, then unbolt the arm from the shifter pivot and pull both pieces up and out through the cabin. That way you can replace the bushing with plenty of space on a workbench.
The end result is great. Feels like new!
I did this mod over the weekend and thought I'd post up some tips from my experience. The Hillman bushings worked great for the side to side slop.
To fix the front to back slop I took a slightly different approach. I don't have a welder, so I just used some JBWeld epoxy to fill in the clearance around the shifter pivot bolt to arm that goes through the floor connection. Not as permanent as welding, but it should hold up for quite a while.
Instead of making custom bushings for the connecting rod pivots, I bought 2 each OEM bushings (PN 90389-08005) and grommets (90480-17177) and replaced them. Unfortunately, I didn't have the foresight to replace the bushings and grommets before JBwelding the shifter to arm joint, so I replaced the bushings from under the truck. Not recommended as getting the spring clips into the holes is a real PITA. The new rubber grommets have to be compressed slightly to get the spring clips in, and there isn't much room to manuever down there.
If I had to do it over again, I would disconnect the connecting rod on the transmission side first from under the truck, then unbolt the arm from the shifter pivot and pull both pieces up and out through the cabin. That way you can replace the bushing with plenty of space on a workbench.
The end result is great. Feels like new!
The sloppy shifter was the most annoying thing about driving my wagon. When i took the shifter apart, there was only a pile of green shavings scattered around (which i assume was the original bushings). The brass bushings fit great after turning them down but like Cruisermon said you do have to cut them slightly shorter in order to match the length of the pivot rod.
Question: When reinstalling i couldn't fully tighten the nut on the shifter handle side, it would bind up the whole thing and I couldn't shift. Did anyone else have this problem? I used some thread lock and tightened it only to the point that things would still shift.
I also just ordered the rubber bushings and brass collar for the undercarriage linkage. Ad20k had a good tip, I disconnected the linkage from the transmission (adjustment bolt) and from the shifter and was able to take the whole assembly out the bottom and replace the rubber bushings on my work table.
Question: When reinstalling i couldn't fully tighten the nut on the shifter handle side, it would bind up the whole thing and I couldn't shift. Did anyone else have this problem? I used some thread lock and tightened it only to the point that things would still shift.
I also just ordered the rubber bushings and brass collar for the undercarriage linkage. Ad20k had a good tip, I disconnected the linkage from the transmission (adjustment bolt) and from the shifter and was able to take the whole assembly out the bottom and replace the rubber bushings on my work table.
Great mod! I just got mine put back together and it is tight and shift smooth...only thing is it won't crack without a little wiggle while in park. So I'm taking her back apart and sanding a little more...
No need to sand more, just adjust your linkage silly! Repair Manual page AT-13 "Inspect Transmission Shift Lever Position"...duh! Problem solved, shifter feels great now.
- Thread starter
- #30
Hey! I came up with this idea. Spook50 just copied and improved on my idea.
Very true. I just took someone else's good idea and ran with it
took out the slack
thanks for the mod info, it works like a champ!
thanks for the mod info, it works like a champ!
Still working great since doing it 3 years ago!!
This is another example of how great this site is.
This is a very creative and brilliant fix.
I've only had my 136k mile fj62 for 6 months, and even though the shifter was sloppy as hell, it never dawned on me to fix it. Nor did I have any idea why or how it was supposed to feel.
But once I found the first of these 2 threads, I realized it was a somewhat easy fix. I figured I would order the oem bushings.
Then I read the second one, the permanent fix.
As usual on this site, you can find an easy part replacement fix, but you can also find an improved, better fix to make the component last much longer and perform as new.
I looked up the part in my local Lowes and it showed as in stock. I picked it up and started to disassemble.
I do admit that I rushed the sanding/filing of the brass bushings. I didn't do a great job of making the sanding uniform. However, I finally got them to fit over the bolt and into the housing. Upon installing the new bushings, I found that they were too long/or wide. Meaning that they took up too much length of the bolt so that the nut couldn't screw on enough.
So I shortened one of the bushings with a Dremel. However, I took too much off because when I tightened the nut, it clamped down on the fixed housing, restricting the shifter movement.
So I backed off the nut a bit and it was fine.
Overall, the fix was amazing. It feels as though it is brand new, even though I never owned a new one.
I frequent a few other sites for my other Toyota and my motorcycle.
There are some very skilled mechanics that know how to fix components and also to accessorize.
However, this forum I find that there are many mechanics that not only fix things, they re-engineer components to make them stronger and last longer.
Great source of information and ideas. Thanks.
This is a very creative and brilliant fix.
I've only had my 136k mile fj62 for 6 months, and even though the shifter was sloppy as hell, it never dawned on me to fix it. Nor did I have any idea why or how it was supposed to feel.
But once I found the first of these 2 threads, I realized it was a somewhat easy fix. I figured I would order the oem bushings.
Then I read the second one, the permanent fix.
As usual on this site, you can find an easy part replacement fix, but you can also find an improved, better fix to make the component last much longer and perform as new.
I looked up the part in my local Lowes and it showed as in stock. I picked it up and started to disassemble.
I do admit that I rushed the sanding/filing of the brass bushings. I didn't do a great job of making the sanding uniform. However, I finally got them to fit over the bolt and into the housing. Upon installing the new bushings, I found that they were too long/or wide. Meaning that they took up too much length of the bolt so that the nut couldn't screw on enough.
So I shortened one of the bushings with a Dremel. However, I took too much off because when I tightened the nut, it clamped down on the fixed housing, restricting the shifter movement.
So I backed off the nut a bit and it was fine.
Overall, the fix was amazing. It feels as though it is brand new, even though I never owned a new one.
I frequent a few other sites for my other Toyota and my motorcycle.
There are some very skilled mechanics that know how to fix components and also to accessorize.
However, this forum I find that there are many mechanics that not only fix things, they re-engineer components to make them stronger and last longer.
Great source of information and ideas. Thanks.
- Thread starter
- #34
Cool to see that people are still using this fix. Mine has held up well in the just over four years I've had it installed. Will probably sell my linkage as a bolt-on solution once I eventually get my H55 swapped in.
Re-engineering solutions to the annoying quirks we get as 60 series owners has been kind of fun for me. The bulk of my mods have ended up being more niche solutions than add-on toys and goodies.
I should combine my write-ups into one thread for fixing the little quirks/annoyances
Re-engineering solutions to the annoying quirks we get as 60 series owners has been kind of fun for me. The bulk of my mods have ended up being more niche solutions than add-on toys and goodies.
I should combine my write-ups into one thread for fixing the little quirks/annoyances
It's a fix that I never really intended until I read the FAQ list.
There are many brilliant solutions here, like the power door lock relays.
There are many brilliant solutions here, like the power door lock relays.
NCFJ
Supporting Vendor
I just want to thank Spook for writing this up. I am working on a customer's 62 and re did the main bushings as shown in post #1. Perfect! You made it simple for all those that deal with this.
Thank you
Thank you
Both of these worked great for me, thanks. One small variation I used was to drill and thread for a long set screw in place of the tension pin. In the third picture, I drilled about half way through the whole assembly, then threaded both while still assembled, and used an allen head set screw, so I can remove it more easily if needed. I think the tension pin may be a sturdier set up, but the set screw works well too, and it is more easily disassembled. Also, you might try drilling through and using a longer set screw if half way doesn't seem good enough.
I just changed the bushings at 3:30am and it was a piece of cake. Harder to see in the dark, but easy job. Thanks to all of the suggestions. Good day and slopless shifting.
Did you ever get an answer to this? About to attempt this fix but I had the same thought...Metric bushings likely wont need much "lathing".
