Shift Knob and/or Shift Boot Installation Instructions

Tools needed:

  • Slot screwdriver.
  • Hot glue gun or some way to secure shift boot to shifter (shift boot installation only).
Total time should be about 15 minutes for shift knob installation and 30 minutes for shift boot installation. Difficulty level - Really easy.
  1. Remove inner console storage unit (the felt lined part that your stuff goes in-it just lifts out).

  2. Remove console cover unit. Use a slot screwdriver to get it started as shown in picture below. Make sure the cupholders are in the open position as shown in the picture. Once started, you can pull from the sides to pop it out of the clips. After it's been popped out, you'll need to put the car in gear to get it over the shift knob. Disconnect the heated seat switches if you have them.




  3. There is a large horseshoe clip at the front of the shift knob as shown in this picture below.




  4. Remove the horseshoe clip as shown in the picture below.




  5. The shifter knob and shifter will now lift off as shown in the picture below. If you have a performance shift button, be careful not to pull it off to hard because there are wires attached to the inside of it. You'll need to follow those wires down into the console and unplug it. Also, on the left underside of the shifter, there is a light bulb attached into a socket. Twist the bulb socket counter clockwise 1/4 of a turn and remove the light from the shifter.




  6. If you are only replacing the shift knob and have Performance Shift, skip to step 11. If you are only replacing the shift knob and don't have Performance Shift, skip to step 13.

  7. There are four clips that hold the shift boot assembly to the shifter. Unclip those and you'll have just the upper section of the shifter and the shift boot in your hand. Be careful not to lose the long, slim red strip of plastic. In fact, its not a bad idea to use a dab of glue on either end of it to secure it back in place. This will make it easier when reassembling the unit later.

  8. Carefully remove the shift boot from the shifter. You'll be able to see the small circles where it is hot glued to the shifter assembly.

  9. Install the new shift boot in the same manner that the old one was in. Use a hot glue gun or other adhesive to secure the boot to the shifter as the old shift boot was. See picture below.




  10. Reassemble the top part of the sifter with the bottom part snapping it back in place. Your shifter should look like this.




  11. If you have Performance Shift, run the wire from your shift knob down through the hole in the top of the shift boot and out the bottom as shown below.




  12. Reconnect that wire to the plug you unplugged it from down inside the console.

  13. Reinstall the light socket to the bottom of the console.

  14. Slide the unit over the shift lever being careful to not let the shift lever get caught on the inside of the shift boot. The shift lever should slip through the hole in the top of the shift boot. As you snap the shifter unit back into place, be careful to make sure that the shift lock release and shift release levers are situated in the correct positions. Slide the shift knob over the shift lever and press down until it is in the right position to allow the shifter to engage the shift release when pushing the shift release button. Secure the shift knob and snap the shifter unit back into place.

  15. Reinstall the console cover unit and the inner console storage unit.

  16. Make sure that the car shifts through all the gears and that Performance Shift works and you're finished. If you're lucky, you'll have nothing left over and it should look something like this.


This page was last updated on December 4, 2001