'92 Column Shifter

[pete44]

Hello. Have a 92 Silverado (238,000 miles) with column shifter...It shifts in and out of gears OK but the shifter lever has alot of play in it..you can actually bounce in back and forth..you can also remove the key with ignition on and engine running...I have changed out the "spring" for the shifter that I purchased from GM but still have same issue..I saw on this forum that you need to tell GM if you have tilt wheel or not when purchasing part (which I do)...Thanks as always for any help.....Regards,Pete44

[idmetro]

Sounds to me like you have wear within the linkage, check the connections of the control rods all the way down to the transmission. I'll bet you find one or more of the pivot points worn.

As for being able to pull the key out while it is running, I believe that may be the nature of the beast. I have a 69 and an 86 that both allow you to do that. it has never bothered me and my kids think that it is the coolest thing ever and have to show all their friends whenever we are in one of the trucks. I suspect to eliminate that one would have to replace the ignition.

[webbch]

I have the exact same problem on my '90 silverado. The looseness of the shifter is indeed the linkage to the automatic transmission - I'm not sure if the linkage is worn out a bit or if it's just not adjusted properly (mine is currently not adjusted quite right). Anyone have a good technique for properly setting the linkage-to-shifter position - it's not in regard to the PRND321 display on the console, I can tell you that much (unless you never moved it). Improperly adjusted, your reverse lights don't come on w/o wiggling the shifter to the "sweet spot".

Re pulling the key out of the ignition while engine is running - I like it for thos quick trips to the store where you'd prefer not to stop the truck and have to re-start, but you can still lock the doors while you're gone. Also nice for those who have "community" mail boxes with a key - if your mailbox key is on your keychain, you don't have to stop the engine to get your mail on the way home.

[bracketshark]

A non tilt column has a larger diameter spring than the tilt column, it will not fit the hole which is its seat so you couldn't mix yours up.

[pete44]

Thanks for all the info..Maybe I did not state myself correctly...my apologies...I can shift from Park to Drive (etc.) but I have to pull the shifter arm all the way back (enough for it to bang against column) from Park to drive/reverse...Of course there is NO resistance/spring action..in fact you can slap the shifter arm back and forth with you hand with ease while it is in Park..I had a new transmission installed a couple of months ago and my mechanic I used (which is good) did not notice or say anything about this problem with the shift arm (of course,I did not think to mention it to him)..BUT...it did do this BEFORE the new tranny as well....not disagreeing with any of you...I hope this helps you more.Thanks for the spring tip..I guess I have the right one in after all..are the linkages hard/expensive to replace??? ..Thanks again,Pete44

[1968 Pontiac]

I had the same problem with one of my Chev Caprices years ago. I took it to a tranny shop and the guy (my ex-brother in laws best man for his first wedding ) fixed it in a few minutes at no charge. Just below the firewall there was what looked kind of like a cup where the linkage changed from vertical to horizontal. In there was a rubber piece that went on the end of the shaft along with a new spring to keep the linkage and new bushing in the cup, and voila no more play. I'm sure the truck will be similar.

[dugan50]

Sounds like 2 problems here.
1) Shifter. Either the wrong spring was installed, it was installed improperly (not seated) or the tip of the shift lever is worn or borken. The detents for the shift lever work off the very end of the shift lever. If it's worn or broken it won't reach the detents allowing you to stay in position for each selection.
2) Key coming out. This is caused by worn tumblers and/or key. The definition of the 6 or 7 key cuts has worn itself into a smooth unreadable key. The same is true for the tumblers in the lock inside the column. The only (and cheapest) resolution is to just replace the lock & key set with another.