the stock shifter bushings in my civic with a gsr swap decided to take a **** on me. i bought the prothane stabilizer kit thinking it would be an easy install. im having trouble getting the round piece that goes in front to go into the shift linkage. i used the grease that comes in the kit but it's still fighting me every step of the way. i'd appreciate any advice/tips anyone could offer to make this go way smoother.

 

just some elbow grease, or vice might help. try collapsing the bushing in the center push it in that way.

 

C-clamp. Work smarter, not harder.

 

i was hoping to avoid removing the linkage completely but if it comes to that then oh well. i was thinking of using a vise grip or some pliers to squeeze the outer lip of the bushing so i could get that sucker in there.

one more thing, when i removed the bolt holding the linkage to the tranny what i assume to be tranny fluid started leaking out catching me totally off guard. luckily i wasnt directly underneath it otherwise i woulda been covered with it. is this normal?

 

fluid should not have leaked out if you took the right bolt out.

 

also you should not have to remove the entire shift linkage use pliers if necessary. also the bitch pin would take you weeks to remove if your having trouble with a little bushing.

 

i used a flathead and had a friend hold the linkage while i pryed the bushing in.

 

I 2nd the c-clamp

honestly any time you have trouble using your muscles to get something "in"
just bust out that clamp, it'll move things with such ease. And you should realy have one handy for doing brakepad changes anyways.

but yeah, this shouldn't be too tough
are you sure you're taking the right stuff apart?

For mine, the end closer to the tranny is just a nut/bolt holding it on,
drop that down, pop old bushings out new in,
if it's too tough, just use lube and a clamp.

then the other end(by the shifter) you're gonna want to drop the exhaust to gain ez access, and it's very similar, just a few bolts here and there and some lube should do the trick.

 

yea i finally got the damn thing in with lots of grease and my foot.

i took the linkage off so i could get better leverage. i got half of it in and laid it on the ground then stood on it with one foot till it popped in. the one under the shifter was easy as cake.

while i was under there i found there were a few cracks on the tranny that were welded up which could explain why fluid was leaking when i took that bolt off.