so last week i noticed my shifter was getting a little stiff to shift. so i greased what i could made it a little easier. but today i was driving went to put it in third gear and it snapped or broke. wont go into any gear. can slap the shifter and it bounces back and forth. im thinking its the shifter itself. or shifter cables. happen to anyone else? if so what is it? if its the shifter im going to get an aftermarket one. help please!

 

The shift linkage in these cars is known to break/come undone, I think TWM makes replacement ones. I would take the cupholder out and see if the linkage broke.

 

remove your cup holder by pulling up on it and also pull up on the front of your shift boot....this will gain you acess to the shifter linkage clips for the shifter assembly itself. there are 2 plastic clips it the latch is open on them you will not shift and have just experienced the common shift linkage clip failure. also if it looks closed shift the shifter around and see if the cable moves inside the clip thats also same problem.

you can buy new upgraded shifter clips at twm they have a heavy price but are extremely nice and have tons of great reviews.

remeber when you put your boot back in, to put the back in first....or you will snap the hold down tabs off and ruin it.


this is my broken shifter and broken linkages ...... the link we are talking about is infront of the shifter but in this picture its on the right side and it has a white top to it. there is one more like it up there its just not in the picture.....inspect those

 

If you broke the stock cable clamp, here is the fix you need:

Chevrolet Cobalt Cable Clamp - TWM Performance

It'll never break again!

And while you're at it, you can also look at the complete short shifter kit we sell for the SS/TC, it's an awesome upgrade for the car:

Chevrolet Cobalt SS/TC

Frank
Team TWM Performance

 

Honestly, I don't understand how people are breaking the clamps, unless they're actually in there, and they snapped the clips during install of a short shifter. The stock ones hold up fine. If you're trying to move your arm a foot to shift, well, yeah, something is going to break. Last I checked, our shifter moves just a few very short inches, and is easily done with 3 fingers.

You can upgrade the clamp, but then the rod is the next thing to bend. I'd rather break a clamp than bend the rod.

 

i took it apart today. the shift linkage broke as well as the clamp. does anyone know of good replacement linkages? if there is any others than stock? ill defenitly be getting that short throw.

 

Twm makes the clamp dude they just said that lol go to their site it'd even in the kit picture

 

Stop shifting like a gorilla. What makes you think a short shifter is going to prevent you from bending the shift cables? You're going to do it even worse if the throw is shorter.

 

well i decided i might as well a whole new shifter instead of replacing just the clamp. might as well put an after market one in. because the dearlship said i have to buy the whole assembly which is 370 when the after market one is 275. might asw well go cheaper if aftermarket.

 

why you gotta bash on the thread? im just asking for some help.

 

I am helping you. The cables need to be adjusted properly and then theres no reason why shifting should be done with excessive force. If you hit the return key extra hard, the computer can't tell, but your wallet can when you need to replace the keyboard.

 

@ Wangspeed's posts. Totally true, but funny. OP, just try to take physically take it easier on the shifter. Its more about quickness and precision rather then brute force. With a short throw shifter, at least for me, it was much easier to shift quickly with less force, resulted in me not breaking any shift linkage pieces, or anything else for that matter.

I broke 2 shifter linkage pieces while trying to shift quickly from 2nd to 3rd in the occasional street encounter using the stock shifter. Once I installed a short throw, it allowed me to just gently apply pressure to the shift knob as I depressed the clutch pedal, allowing the car to shift right into 3rd without having to apply a lot of force to the shifter as I was doing before. For me, less travel in the shifter means I don't feel like I have to "find" 3rd gear anymore, it just kinda pops right into gear with a little pressure on the knob.

I got the TWM shift linkage piece for extra insurance. I've experienced no problems whatsoever with the linkage piece and a TWM short throw. I wouldn't get the TWM linkage piece if you don't plant on getting a short throw. Like Wangspeed said, you may start bending shift rods and whatnot if you continue to shift like you have been with the stock shifter.

 

THIS - JUST THIS - ONLY THIS
any other sts brand is a waste of money.
Christian

 

Did you actually try any others? I had a B&M, and it had some pluses over the TWM (like position and shift knob material), but it also had minuses too. For the money, it was a better deal. I switched because I just tend to be a tinkerer. Anyone that complains about the B&M didn't adjust the cables correctly. Really, that can be said of any shifter, including stock.