Y2K*WS6*TA
09-21-2004, 01:36 AM
There have been several threads floating around with people not happy with the Pro 5.0 re-centering itself due to weak springs, including me. Mine would center itself from 3rd to neutral (right to left) but not from 2nd to neutral (left to right). I fixed mine for about a quarter, the cost of a grade 8 6mm bolt. I wanted to replace the springs with stronger ones, but couldn't find the right size. I didn't want to use a bunch of tiny washers stacked up because it would be a hassle keeping them in place. So I just made a shim from a bolt head to sit on top of the spring to increase the pressure. (The pics below show the guts and grease removed from the shifter, it's not necessary to go that far. Just remove the top shifter plate and insert the shim on top of the spring and put the plate back on.)
Remove the console but leave the #6 boot on:
http://personal.lig.bellsouth.net/c/h/chill777/pro50/pro50-guts2.jpg
Remove the 4 allen head bolts with a 1/4" allen wrench and lift off the top plate. This plate is what holds the springs in and what gives the springs their pressure so it's best to remove the 4 bolts evenly and not one at time to keep the plate from binding the bolts. Not a lot of spring pressure to worry about anything flying out, but it's easy to get the plate cocked to one side. This is what's under the plate. I removed all the grease to make the parts more visible:
http://personal.lig.bellsouth.net/c/h/chill777/pro50/pro50-guts3.jpg
Here's a pic of all the parts removed from the shifter and laid out in order. The 2 round disc under the springs are what rides on top of the shifter t-arms. Normally they are laying flat on the t-arms, but I stood up them so they would show up better in the pic. Notice the top plate that holds the springs in, it has recessed pockets that keep the springs contained:
http://personal.lig.bellsouth.net/c/h/chill777/pro50/pro50-guts4.jpg
Here's a better view of the little disc in place on top of the t-arms and the springs in their pockets on the bottom of the top cover. This is what the pieces look like assembled in the shifter:
http://personal.lig.bellsouth.net/c/h/chill777/pro50/pro50-guts5.jpg
Take a (grade 8) 6mm x 5/8" in. bolt and cut it with a dremel to leave about 1/8" of an in. of threads left. Don't cut it flush with the head, you need to leave a small post left so it will ride in the center of the spring and hold it in place since we are lowering part of the spring from the pocket on the top cover. If you leave the bolt to long, it will make the spring bottom out:
http://personal.lig.bellsouth.net/c/h/chill777/pro50/pro50-guts6.jpg
Put the cut bolt on top of the spring. The pic shows shims on top of both springs but it's not necessary. I only needed a shim on the right spring because my shifter handle didn't return to center from left to right (2nd to neutral). It did return to center fine from right to left (3rd to neutral). I tried it with both shims in place and they just cancelled each other out:
http://personal.lig.bellsouth.net/c/h/chill777/pro50/pro50-guts7.jpg
Put the top cover plate back on making sure the spring/shim is sitting in the 2 pockets under the cover and tighten the 4 allen bolts up. It's easy to get the bolts in a bind with the cover because it's lowering the plate as you tighten them down. Press the plate down with your hand as you evenly tightening the bolts and don't force it. Put the shifter handle back on and try it out before you put the console back together. The head of the bolt was thick enough to increase the spring pressure on my shifter to fix it. You may have to increase the spring pressure even more by cutting the bolt a little longer and using a few 6mm washers between the bolt and the spring.
Remove the console but leave the #6 boot on:
http://personal.lig.bellsouth.net/c/h/chill777/pro50/pro50-guts2.jpg
Remove the 4 allen head bolts with a 1/4" allen wrench and lift off the top plate. This plate is what holds the springs in and what gives the springs their pressure so it's best to remove the 4 bolts evenly and not one at time to keep the plate from binding the bolts. Not a lot of spring pressure to worry about anything flying out, but it's easy to get the plate cocked to one side. This is what's under the plate. I removed all the grease to make the parts more visible:
http://personal.lig.bellsouth.net/c/h/chill777/pro50/pro50-guts3.jpg
Here's a pic of all the parts removed from the shifter and laid out in order. The 2 round disc under the springs are what rides on top of the shifter t-arms. Normally they are laying flat on the t-arms, but I stood up them so they would show up better in the pic. Notice the top plate that holds the springs in, it has recessed pockets that keep the springs contained:
http://personal.lig.bellsouth.net/c/h/chill777/pro50/pro50-guts4.jpg
Here's a better view of the little disc in place on top of the t-arms and the springs in their pockets on the bottom of the top cover. This is what the pieces look like assembled in the shifter:
http://personal.lig.bellsouth.net/c/h/chill777/pro50/pro50-guts5.jpg
Take a (grade 8) 6mm x 5/8" in. bolt and cut it with a dremel to leave about 1/8" of an in. of threads left. Don't cut it flush with the head, you need to leave a small post left so it will ride in the center of the spring and hold it in place since we are lowering part of the spring from the pocket on the top cover. If you leave the bolt to long, it will make the spring bottom out:
http://personal.lig.bellsouth.net/c/h/chill777/pro50/pro50-guts6.jpg
Put the cut bolt on top of the spring. The pic shows shims on top of both springs but it's not necessary. I only needed a shim on the right spring because my shifter handle didn't return to center from left to right (2nd to neutral). It did return to center fine from right to left (3rd to neutral). I tried it with both shims in place and they just cancelled each other out:
http://personal.lig.bellsouth.net/c/h/chill777/pro50/pro50-guts7.jpg
Put the top cover plate back on making sure the spring/shim is sitting in the 2 pockets under the cover and tighten the 4 allen bolts up. It's easy to get the bolts in a bind with the cover because it's lowering the plate as you tighten them down. Press the plate down with your hand as you evenly tightening the bolts and don't force it. Put the shifter handle back on and try it out before you put the console back together. The head of the bolt was thick enough to increase the spring pressure on my shifter to fix it. You may have to increase the spring pressure even more by cutting the bolt a little longer and using a few 6mm washers between the bolt and the spring.