I have a high mileage (114K) '00 GS300 and everytime I go from park to R or D and back I just don't feel like the shifter has a solid engagement, sort of sloppy into each gear. Also, sometime when I put it into P I can push it again and hear a click as it just locked in even though it was in P already.

is there a fix/adjustment for this?

I don't think it has anything to do with the tranny or diff as both are in great condition and new fluid/flushes...btw, the tranny shifts great..

 

Have you flush your tranny lately? If not, you should get it flush. It is cheap and sometime it fix the problem. You can flush it yourself if you can locate the return hose from the tranny, but you will need another person to help you to start the car and turn if off. You can do a search for tranny flush on this forum. Good luck.

 

It has nothing to do with the transmission fluid, but I would suggest changing it out with new fluid anyways since your trans pretty high mileage. The shift linkage is adjustable and there is also a rubber bushing on the shift rod. Replace the bushing and adjust the lever and the shifter should be as tight as new again. I take my transmission out pretty often and everytime after it goes back in, I have to readjust the linkage for it to shift solid. If I don't get it just right, the shifting will be sloppy.

 

I just did a complete and successful flush of the tranny. It is not the tranny but the I guess linkage to the tranny thru the shift selector that seems loose..

 

Jeff, how can I adjust the shift linkage?

 

anybody here know how to adjust the shift linkage???

 

Get under the car. Remove the aluminum heat shield covering the driveshaft(four 10mm bolts). You should be able to see the shifter linkage after that. There's a 12mm nut on the linkage that holds it on the shifter. Loosen it and move the shift rod either fowards or backwards just very slightly. Get back inside car and see how the shifter feels. If it feels worse, then you went the wrong direction, just move it back the other direction. Keep adjusting and hopping in the car to test until you get it to where you like it. The adjustments you make should be very minor, I'm talking like 1-2mm at a time.

 

Jeff, I thank you, again!

 

Where exactly is this bushing? mine rattles from side-to-side so much that my wife holds her hand against it going down the highway so she doesn't have to listen to the rattle.

So I'm going in through the console and I see the shift lever has a 1/4" rod sticking out the right side. It has a c-clip on it but there's so much play that something's obviously missing. I suppose that would be the bushing, right? Should I just keep disassembling from the top until I can reach it? Or is there a different procedure?

Better yet, since it sounds like we're neighbors, I'll bring it over and have you show me how, OK?

 

OK, I found an exploded parts diagram and I see what bushings you're talking about. They're further down where the shifter rotates on a rod. Same question, though. How do I get there. From the top? There's a lot to remove, but I can probably do it. If it has to be done from the bottom, though, it's off to the mechanic, and what does he have to do so how much it would cost?

 

how lazy can you be? read the whole thread next time.

jeff tells you IN post #7 how to adjust it.....i mean its ONLY 2 posts away from your first one asking how you do it

 

Yes, I read the whole thread first. That's how I knew I was getting close to a solution. Couple of things I'm not making clear:

1. The SC and GS are different, though similar. I have a 1995 SC400 and was bumped over here on a search.

2. I'm not trying to adjust the linkage, and the grommets on the linkage rod are fine. My problem is the bushings that should be on the sleeve running 90 degrees to the shift lever itself. The lever is flopping side-to-side the max allowed by the console. When I call it the linkage, I think I'm misleading. What I'm talking about is probably described as the shifter pivot bushings.

I think it's fairly clear now that I have to remove the entire console in order to access the pivot point of the shifter. What a pain. Thanks for the thread, though. It was helpful.