Embalmer

Lately I've been noticing when driving, I usually rest my hand on the shifter and I get a lot of bouncing in the shifter when going over bumps. It feels like the bushings in the trans crossmember are worn out and the whole trans is shaking under the car. I still have the stock shifter, and this seems to be happening more often now. Anyone else notice this? It definitely did not happen when the car was new.

theedge67

Never noticed anything like you are describing. The shifter does move a little when hitting a bump, but nothing really noticable.

Martimus

I've felt vibration through the shifter on my 05 but never bouncing like you describe. In my 08 the vibration seems to still be there though much less noticable.

Kingpin2B

Been having this exact issue for a while now. The stick used to be solid while driving over any bump but then over time started wobbling when either or both of the rear tires hit a bump. I'll add that the wobbling seems to have stopped worsening.

Took it to the dealer along with other issues.

Picked it up and asked what they had done if anything. they were vague telling me about what they did, and said something like a part near the transmission had worn and needed to be regularly lubricated(??), which got me confused and I had to leave cause it was like talking to a rock.

This guy I know who seems to know a crap load about american cars says that the wobbling is perfectly normal, but I don't want to believe that, since the wobbling was not always around.

Bottom line: I have no idea what the cause is, I look underneath the car and can't figure out what causes the stick to wobble over bumps, shifter bolts are tight, and neither I nor my excellent mechanic could spot anything loose. Would be nice to find a fix for this for sure.

DrunkenDragon713

Make sure all bolts are tight. I had a similar problem with the drive shaft of my 2000. It turned out that the bolts at the U-joint were barely hand tight... Got em nice and snug and it worked like a charm...

Steel

I had the same problem : started months ago exactly as yours , worsening in time, up to metal "ping" sounds on bumps .
I had it fixed easyly at the workshop , just tightening tings up . Now is perfect after 1 month from the fix - nothing replaced , just a bit of torque on loose parts ...

Embalmer

Well, I was right. The crossmember is being replaced. I want to see the old one when it's out.

Kingpin2B

Please do tell if replacing the cross member fixes the problem.

thanks

Embalmer

Well, the new crossmember is in and the problem is WORSE! Now, when cruising in 5th gear, or any gear, any little bump or road imperfection transmits right into the shifter. I'm not a tech but I'm wondering if the motor mounts might be the culprit? Stay tuned...