My auto shifter on my 4runner has some play in it while in drive. I'd say there is probably about a 1/4 inch of play to where you can move the shifter without it moving to another gear. I looked at the linkage underneath the truck going to the tranny...everything is tight. Is there anyway to tighten just the shift control itself. Its really getting irritating while I'm driving.

 

Mine is the same way. I think it's just to account for the movement between the body and the drivetrain. Watch it as you accelerate, you'll notice it moves.

 

Ya I've seen it move before. Just odd...first vehicle I've owned that the shifter has done that.

 

Mine does it too. Its normal. The 4x4 lever does it too.

 

My transfer case lever doesn't do it, just the tranny.

 

I noticed that mine seems to have excess movement. I can move it side to side and when in drive, I can move the red bar to neutral without it shifting into neutral. Can yall do that too?

 

i got this from toyota today, and need to know which bushings to replace as well.

 

x2. On my rig the tranny selector lever and transfer case lever both move while I'm driving. They seem to move faster when I'm driving faster, but the AT lever doesn't have an extreme amount of play in it that it can move the red bar to another gear without it actually being in the other gear...

 

mmmmm k, got around to this. its not normal but at least its fixable. toyota f'd up on the engineering by using soft plastic on the bushings. let me show you:




everything disintegrated inside


new bushing


didnt take too long and now my shifter is tighter than a frogs ass. you need to:

1) get under the truck and unbolt the tranny connecting rod nut with a 12mm socket. there is a washer that will fall out so watch out.
2) take off the plastic trim around the shifter. unbolt the 4, 10mm bolts that hold the shifter to the body. unplug the one connector on the left. dont worry about unplugging anything else.
3) remove the selector from the vehicle and unscrew the 4 screws holding the selector display to the main assembly.
4) pull the rubber gasket down on the sides far enough to remove (12mm) the single bolt (33501F in the diagram above)
5) once you get this out you will see the broken plastic. clean it all out and replace it with two 33501G bushings, but be careful lining up everything again, they tear easily (they dont look too much improved from the original design, they're still soft rubber) also toyota didnt stock these so i had to wait a few days, call ahead to make sure. . but at least they'll work for awhile hopefully.
6) when you reinsert the bolt make sure the holes are lined up and its clear so you dont get snagged on the bushing.
7) when you're putting it back together, make sure all the plastic parts are line up again between the shifter display and the actual shifter. there is a pin actuated by the button on the shifter that runs perpendicular through the shifter that needs to be where it was when you took it out (in park).
7) the rest is reinstalling in reverse order---make sure you rebolt the shifter to the tranny connecting rod!

 

really nice! What year model did you do this to?

 

OK....I'm adding to this list//..........I have had the same problem since I have owned this 4runner and all I can say is "RODEO SHIFTER".....mine moves back when taking off from a stop, moves forwards and backwards when going over bumps.....I have been told that this is normal, so i don't pay any more attention to it

good write up though

 

96 SR5. updating my profile now

 

 

I was at Toyota today getting some parts, and I thought I'd ask about these bushings. Surprisingly, they had them instock. $1.30 each.

Installed them tonight, and wow. Shifter is like new again. Fantastic fix. Super easy and cheap.

 

Worthwhile project for the day. Easy fix to an annoying problem.

 

Mine was so sloppy that most times the Park detection switch wouldn't engage and I couldn't start the truck. I used these instructions and took mine apart and fixed it with 4 new blue bushings from Toyota. I used a little bit of white lithium lube on the shaft to help it in the future not wear out. My truck has 230,000 miles, I'm sure these will last for a while.

 

Hello, This is my first post. I joined specifically for this problem. I have a 2003 Sport and I've done some modifications, but recently my shifter has no "gate" between park and shift-right to come out of park and between Drive and 3rd. While I'm driving, I often have my hand on the shifter and if I put the slightest pressure to the left, the truck drops into 3rd gear. Do you think these bushings are my problem too or could it be something else?

 

I hope someone can help.... I bought the 2 bushings from the dealer and will install it soon

Sorry to be so dense.... but after disconnecting the shift connector rod and other connection from under the vehicle, I did not understand if the shift from inside the vehicle MUST be COMPLETELY lifted out and removed to get access to the bushing. I somehow got the impression from reading something somewhere that the shift could be left in the vehicle and tilted up to get the bushing in.

Can someone clarify that for me. I did not want to remove the shift completely out if it was not necessary. Thanks

 

After removing connection and inside screws were you able to tilt shifter up to remove rubber gasket cover and then take out that one bolt to put in new bushing? OR do you have to completely remove shifter to do the repair? Ready to do repair now.... guess if no reply I will figure it out eventually

 

After I started removing stuff it was apparent that shift was easy to just pull completely out of vehicle and do the repair on a workbench. Once you remove the shift, you just have to pull out two of the rubber gasket plugs near the bolt... not necessary to pull them ALL out. I used a needle nose pliers to pinch the rubber circle plug, and then just pull it out by tugging with your other hand by riding it around the circle hole... .... kinda like what you do when you pull a bicycle tire off of a rim. If you break the rubber at the plug it is no big deal. The rubber will still seal the bottom of the shift when you put the 4 screws back in to hold the shift down.

SAFETY TIP...

PLEASE PUT WHEEL CHOCKS (BLOCK OF WOOD) UNDER THE TIRES IF YOU ARE DOING THIS JOB IN A SLANTED DRIVEWAY. AT THE VERY LEAST PULL THE EMERGENCY BRAKES HARD...(My emergency brakes were broke) I am glad that I did, because when I got back under the vehicle to re-connect the shift, somehow I moved the linkage rod and the vehicle rolled back about 2 inches before the chock blocks stopped it from rolling back over me! ALWAYS PUT CHOCK BLOCKS AND AT LEAST 1 JACK AND JACK STAND WHEN YOU WORK UNDER A VEHICLE. (You do not need to jack up 4Runner to do this repair.)

Shift is tight like new now with no wiggle. Also it will assure that key will come out of ignition.