Help keep this site ad free, consider buying us a coffee! Thanks!

Sloppy Gearstick on Shogun Sport [How to fix]

Sloppy Gearstick on Shogun Sport [How to fix]

After 20 years of whatever abuse our Shogun had endured one immediately noticeable effect was a sloppy or loose gearstick, something to be expected on a 4×4 of this age but irritating non the less. engaging from third to fourth gear was becoming an issue so it was time to check out a fix and keep fingers crossed it wasn’t going to be expensive.

One culprit of a sloppy gearstick on a Shogun Sport is the gear stick bush which is located right at the bottom of the stick itself, a small plastic bush easy to replace but not quite as easy to get to.

Replace Sloppy Gearstick on Shogun Sport

First up, the entire center console needs to be removed for access and room to work, you have to also negotiate two gear stick gaiters as well as a rubber dust cover which you may need to cut slightly and cable tie up later.

Sloppy Gearstick on Shogun Sport
leather sleeves removed
Sloppy Gearstick on Shogun Sport
gaiters exposed

Once the console is removed the next step is to remove the retaining plate which holds in the place the black rubber dust cover, there are a couple of screws which are quite awkward to reach but once removed the dust cover needs to come off.

pulling the rubbr gaiters can be awkward

There is no way on the planet that this cover will pull over the main gear stick so we cut ours slightly at the neck to allow removal.

MAKE SURE YOU ARE IN NEUTRAL

Once the above has been removed you now have access to the top of the gear box. There are four plates and gaskets around the base of the gear stick – looses the bolts and retain them order as some are longer than others.

The plate that the bottom may need some persuasion to be removed, once it is you can now remove the gearstick exposing the bush at the bottom.

shogun sport k90 service manual

Replace the bush.

Reassembling is the reverse of the above however you may need some gasket sealer to keep everything sealed and good. If you did need to cut your rubber dust cover once you have it back in place remember to seal around the cut [or just underneath it] with a cable tie.

changing shogun sport shifter bush
Shogun Sport sloppy gearstick [plastic bush]

Put your center console back together and go for a drive.

Does Changing the Bush Make a Difference?

Yes, although it’s hardly a new gear box, big long gear sticks on older 4×4’s have their characteristics and tend to have a lot or movement anyway however the sticking point between third and fourth gear was remedied. The old bush actually looked ok, we were half expecting it to be split or cracked to pieces but it looked fine. For a sloppy gear stick on your Shogun Sport it’s worth doing as you can pick up a new bush for under a tenner and work time is about an hour.

Sloppy Gearstick on Shogun Sport
Shogun Sport center console re-assemble

Have you swapped out your gear stick bush and did it make a difference? Let us know in the comments below.

1000 665 Mac

Mac

K90overland is Mac and Gayle, they lived in Andalucia for 19 years before moving back to the UK. Overlanding since 2019 the pair have built up a 'budget rig' and now enjoy a relaxed approach to discovering Scotland and the north of England.

Mac
2 Comments
  • Hi, I am in a process of changing the bush on the sloppy stick ” Mitsubishi Pajero 2002 SWB 3.2 Diesel 4×4 but have no clue how to remove the gear knob first. An help wil be appreciated 🙏, I was told to push down and turn it but it is really stuck. Anyone is welcome to send me an email to andrestrydom2010@gmail.com

  • Sorry forgot to mention it is a manual gearbox knob not automatic.

Leave a Reply

Check us out on Youtube

For regular videos covering short overland trips, Mitsubishi Shogun related bits and product reviews. Nothing serious, we just do it because we like to 🙂

DO YOU OWN A 1st GENERATION SHOGUN/PAJERO/MONTERO SPORT OR CHALLENGER?

CHECK OUT OUR OWNERSHIP REVIEW AND LET US KNOW YOUR THOUGHTS ON WHAT YOU DRIVE IN THE COMMENTS

check out all Shogun Sport posts

Search K90

SHOGUN, MONTERO, PAJERO, CHALLENGER ENTHUSIAST?

//////////////////////

Wherever you are and no matter what you call it we have some handy resources for this classic old Mitzy >>>

INFO@K90OVERLAND.COM