shift knob removal?

anyone know how to remove the shift knob on the cobalt? let me know i dont wanna brake anything or mess anything up tryin to figure it out.thanks matt

I’m not sure on the Cobalt, But on most vehicles the shift knob is threaded on the shaft and you can just unscrew it.

- Kevin

i also dont know for sure, but in addition to trying to unscrew it, look for a metal "staple" or metal horseshoe shaped retainer that is pressed into the handle on the front or back. Use a flat bladed screwdriver to pull it out. and the knob should just slide off.

I'm trying to change the shift knob as well to a skull (I know, TRES corny, but its in memory of a friend who moved far far away who used to love the part in family guy "i want a skull" "how bout a nice kermit the frog?" "no, i want a skull" "ok, im going to go ahead and give you a kermit the frog". that, and im punking it up :P)

anyway, it seems it doesnt unscrew, not that we could figure out, and i had a couple amateur car mechanics on it. you might have to replace the whole arm, and possibly the boot as well.

if anyone has figured it out, let me know so i can change the knob to my ultra corny skull, whose eyes DO NOT light up. because that would just be too much.

did you look for the staple?

Taken from CobaltSS.net

Its not as easy as other knobs unfortunately....Remove the emblem from the top of the shifter knob. Cut away the protector in the center. Mark and drill a 4 mm hole, 5 mm deep into the knob, 3 mm from the edge. The knob can be removed by screwing a self-threading plate screw with a flat tip (25 x 5.5 mm) into the hole.
Remove the shifter knob from the shiftier spline and shifter assembly.
to install:
Apply adhesive to the knob.
Seat the shifter knob over the shifter lever. Ensure the spring and foam rings are correctly seated.
Do not operate the lever until the adhesive(Loctite 292 or similar) has dried (approximately 30 minutes).
Position and fit the emblem over the shifter knob. I dont know why it has such an elaborate shifter...I think the B&M shifter is the way to go...I dont know if its available yet.

you have to drill the fucker off???? oh man, mechanics are gonna hate that shit. who designs this stuff???

you have to drill the fucker off???? oh man, mechanics are gonna hate that shit. who designs this stuff???

no shit. anyone want to buy my skull shifter? :rolleyes:

whats up all ,,new to your site was searching web to find info on shifter replacement ,,and after reading the hair raising instructions posted about drilling and such i tried a different method ,,and took photos if theres enough room to post them ,,i took a pair of vice grips,,grabbed the shifter under the large handle put it in 5th gear ,,took a rubber mallet/hammer and simply tapped up ,,pop its off ,,that easy,,then installed my type s led aluminum handle ,,but still leaves the stock boot dangling below the shifter handle because the stock one has a lock that holds the boot up ,,im working on that,,but i got the stock handle off ,,all that mattered to me!http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/replica68/detail?.dir=/e36c&.dnm=f88dscd.jpg&.src=ph

k alll u do is turn and push down on that little piece on the bottom of the knob then make shore its down then pull the knob up ive done it many times and also if u want to replace the ugly knob u have to get one stright from the dealer cuz that knob is the only one that will hold up the boot or else u will have the boot fallin down all the time

To keep the boot from falling remove the boot and put a small piece of hose on the shaft to hold it up

this helps a lot
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mXFy3zZ4XjY

Echileno you just saved me a lot of hassle. You Rock

k alll u do is turn and push down on that little piece on the bottom of the knob then make shore its down then pull the knob up ive done it many times and also if u want to replace the ugly knob u have to get one stright from the dealer cuz that knob is the only one that will hold up the boot or else u will have the boot fallin down all the time

This takes less than 5 min to do, as I just finished doing this. easy as sweet apple pie...

thanks.