Strictly European Autosport - Project GTi



DIY Shifter Alignment
By: Ruben Pina Jr.

After installing the USRT smart shiftkit I was in dire need of aligning my shifter. It was kind of hard finding some information about doing this so I am doing a little write-up on the ghetto way to do it. You can click any of the pictures to see a high resolution photo if you need it.

Materials needed: --13mm Socket wrench --13mm Open end wrench --Cassette tape --6mm Hex

The first step will be to open up the hood and find where the shifter bar connects to all the shifter linkages. I have a picture of it right here and it is circled with a red cirle. You dont have to take the bolt completely out, just enough to where the bar freely moves without shifting gears.


Next you will need to take off the shift knob. I made it easy for you that are not mechanically inclined by telling you which direction to spin the shift knob to take it off. After the shift knob is taken off you will need to take off the shift boot and the little plastic thingy around it. You do that by lifting up on any of the corners.



The next step will be to put the cassette tape in between the plastic reverse lock deal and the plastic deal on the shifter (don't you love my use of the technical terms?). You are going to need a second person for this step to hold the shifter in place with the cassette tape there. You want to place it right up against the cassette tape and kind of eyeball the position in relation to front to back movement. You want it to be almost in the middle.



Now, while the person is holding the shifter in place and the cassette tape in place, you need to make sure the transmission is in nuetral and then retighten the bolts holding the shifter rod to the shifter linkage deals. Below is a picture of the bolts you need to retighten.


After you tighten the bolts and make sure that they are tight you are going to want to get back in the car and go through the gears. You want to make sure you can get every gear and reverse fine. It might take a little bit of adjusting and doing it a few times this way. It took me a few times before I got it exactly how I want. It is ok if you don't get it right the first time. Dont be discouraged and just keep doing it.


For you guys with cars that are '91 and newer you need to do this step. For all you others you can just skip this step. After you adjust it from under the car there is a little 6mm hex on the actual shift rod that might need to be adjusted for some fine tuning. You will need to put the car in first gear and then follow the directions below. This is not a neccessary step but it is good for some fine tuning of the shifter.


Once you see that all the gears are selecting properly you will just put the boot back on and the shifter knob back on. You are going to want to give the car a good run around the block. Make sure you can still select all the gears and everything is working properly. Good job on a job well done! Keep coming back for more DIY's and updates on the Project GTi!!