I have a 2002 Jeep wrangler sport tj with a 4 liter 6 with a five speed trans. I can't figure out how to remove the knob. I saw some you tube videos but my must be different.
Shift knob removal
- Thread starter Eloy Espinosa
- Start date
You have to remove the shift pattern (the plastic piece on top of the shifter knob)...under it is a nut.
You can use a little flat head screw driver to pry it out....if you don't want to mess up the rubber part of the knob...warm it up with a heat gun or hair drier. This will soften the rubber.
You can use a little flat head screw driver to pry it out....if you don't want to mess up the rubber part of the knob...warm it up with a heat gun or hair drier. This will soften the rubber.
PStov98TJ
TJ Enthusiast
Yours may be loose enough to do that but others trying to force the knob to unscrew will likely be unsuccessful. There is a big lock-nut for the shift knob hidden underneath the plastic shift pattern that is supposed to be loosened before the knob can be unscrewed.
JWjeepSask
TJ Enthusiast
Hack saw would work great but I don't know if your looking for that sorta approach
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PStov98TJ
TJ Enthusiast
Good to know...maybe I need to fix that so it doesn't rattle as much when I'm on a trail.
jmaness01
Member
Trying to take mine off and put a nicer one on. I've popped the cap off and the nut is off but that son of a chicken will not turn loose! Any recommendations to get the old knob off?
jmaness01
Member
Thanks, I put a pipe wrench on it. Probably hasn't been touched since 04. I wanted something a little nicer to replace it.Can't offer any advice other than righty-tighty lefty-loosey and maybe a little Kroil, Liquid Wrench, or Break-Free sprayed down inside the shift knob on the shifter threads with a little time to work.
Thanks for this very helpful thread. The excellent photo posted by Jerry Bransford makes it really clear. I would like to emphasize something in the post by TJDave: "You can use a little flat head screw driver to pry it out....if you don't want to mess up the rubber part of the knob...warm it up with a heat gun or hair drier. This will soften the rubber."
I tried to pry my cap out in 40 degree weather, but it was not coming out. I did not want to force it and cause damage. So I used a hair dryer on it for a couple of minutes to warm it up. This worked like a charm. It is not the plastic center cap that softens; it is the rubber knob itself. So you can focus the heat on that part. Then the circular edge of the knob becomes soft enough to easily pry out the center cap without damage.
I tried to pry my cap out in 40 degree weather, but it was not coming out. I did not want to force it and cause damage. So I used a hair dryer on it for a couple of minutes to warm it up. This worked like a charm. It is not the plastic center cap that softens; it is the rubber knob itself. So you can focus the heat on that part. Then the circular edge of the knob becomes soft enough to easily pry out the center cap without damage.
I was able to break mine loose with a pipe wrench and a shot of preworkout mix.. It did come off but destroyed the shifter knob. Ordered a new one on Amazon for like 30 bucks. Got all my boots changed out and the new shift knob looks great. Also. I put anti seize on the new knob and hand tightened it. I did not put the Nut back on since most shift knobs don't use one. It hasn't budged and I can't take it back off easily without prying the center piece if needed to remove boots and inspect.
One thing I found out that I wish someone would have added to the instructions for removal is that there is a notch in the shift pattern cap at the 9 o'clock position that you insert the small screwdriver into to get under the cap and not screw it up like I did.
TheGanzman
TJ Enthusiast
I destroyed mine with furious anger and replaced it with a MOST proper off-white vintage Hurst 5 speed shifter ball - looks good, feels good, IS good!
My shift pattern cap does not have a notch anywhere. My TJ is a 1998. The notched caps must be on some other years.
ya I just had to destroy mine to get it off. Mine would not come out, even using the notch. The screw driver and knife I were using destroyed the outer material. When I finally got traction on the cap the screw driver literally pulled right through the center of the cap. And the cap was still seated all the way around. After that, I just went ahead and destroyed it to get it off and ordered a new oem shifter from Amazon. The new shifter looks great and if you don't put the nut on you can take it on and off with out messing with the annoying cap ever again. Just remember to put the new shifter on first (hand tight) then put the new cap on in the right orientation. Then everytime you take it off and put it back on the cap is in the right orientation.
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TheGanzman
TJ Enthusiast
▲▲▲ - This! On every vehicle that *I* have ever worked on (and a few that I HAVEN'T!) there are individual components that, once dissected, you ask yourself "why in the BLUE F*CK would ANY engineer(s) design something THIS way?!" I remember my first mother-in-law's 1973 Linquine Town Car (I'm from NJ, and that's what WE called a "Lincoln") heater/air-conditioning blower motor went out - me being the proper son-in-law, I volunteered to fix it after she got a quote of "One Million Dollars" from the Stealership to R&R it. Turns out that in order to do so, you have to completely R&R the right front fender - Yowza! At least I got to do it in her gravel driveway - I'm STILL picking rocks outta my back from THAT job...
