Elvisinarknasas

please don't ask why, but superglue was used to try and fix some plastic and I believe some got down where the slot engages each gear to lock in place. I used nail polish remover to try and get rid of most, but the gear won't engage, the shifter won't I mean. I can pull up and it rises but won't go down on its own. Any suggestions? Break free?

groho

My recommendation is to remove the shifter and work on it outside the car. Get under the car and pop that rubber washer in your pic, reach in with a deep socket and unbolt the nut the shifter rotates on. Once loose, the entire shifter comes up. See that small nut at the bottom of your shifter (?), just above that collar inside the shifter arm is a spring. If that level is not coming down to engage your slots (detent) its because the cable, handle mechanism, or spring is broken. This shifter completely breaks down. Basic hand tools should get you through this. here's a diagram of the shifter. That nylon nut secures a bicycle style cable that runs up the shaft and rotates on a pivot in the handle. As you depress the thumb button, it depresses a lever that pulls the cable upward lifting the detent arm. If its not moving freely, the spring is broken or the plastic lever inside your handle is broken or not functioning.

groho

to remove the handle, theres a small allen head screw in the handle, remove that, press the thumb button about 1/2 way and wiggle the handle (don't rotate) and lift, should come right off. This should expose the mechanism the thumb button pushes against. The thumb button can now be removed from the T handle and inspected (replaceable item). You should be able to inspect the top and bottom of your shifter now. press the lever, it should rotate and lift the detent at the bottom of the shifter. if it doesn't, find whats broken. You'd be surprised because other than the top mechanism, most of the hardware is basic bicycle brake hardware. To put it back together, put the thumb button back in the T handle, as you put the handle on don't come straight down, start slightly to the left until you have the mechanism started inside the T handle then turn it straight up and drop it straight down onto the shifter. You shouldn't have to force anything, its just a tight fit.