[Altimat]

Installed! Good luck getting the old one off! I had a rag and two vice grips on there battling for 10 minutes. Trashed it in the process. Then cut off the threaded portion (HACK HACK) of the shaft. It is held on with three pointed set screws. Feels very nice. Larger and shorter. Gotta try one! $45. Thanks Hee!!

 

[SE-Rious]

Got a pic or two?

 

[STU]

so your saying that the factory manual shift knob is near impossible to unscrew counter-clockwise?

 

[Altimat]

I couldn't believe it was actually threaded on when I first started trying to get it off, but of course I knew it was. I was told "grab and twist". Yeah right. I think they put them on with a hydraulic press. The threads are just there in case some poor sap actually wants to take it off. When I finally got it off there was a big pile of plastic shavings on the top of the shift rod indicative of what would have been scraped off of the inside of the factory shift knob while it was pressed on. If I hadn't bothered to try to save the factory knob I could have removed it quicker. I ended up failing anyway.

Ichibahn

 

[super_black]

My MOMO knob is on the way. I hope its shorter in length as to effectivly shorten the long throws. I tried this weekend to twist of the stock knob with two hands and could only budge it a quarter turn, that was it! I would love to get it off with out destroying the stock knob and shaft.

 

[Altimat]

That quarter-turn is just play in the mechanism. The knob didn't budge. The shaft will be fine but I would write off that stock knob before you start and you'll save yourself a bunch of hassle trying not to damage it (to no avail).

 

[Hawaii5speed]

you gotta bust the original knob. i tried and tried. The thing has to die.

 

[Altimat]

It is quite a pitiful thing anyway isn't it?

 

[OpalBlue]

It's my fault...

Sorry, Guys.

Way back in '86 my new hardbody's shift knob would spin freely, and occasionally spin OFF as the stick vibrated going down the highway. I could tighten it down, but then the shift pattern was at about 160 degrees from upright. That royally confused my wife.

So I called my dealer, who simply suggested some tape on the shift post. They had no better fix for the problem. I wrote a long nasty letter to Nissan about the loose knob. A few weeks later I got a nice response with a free "aftermarket" knob that stayed in place with a set screw. They also explained that I had not been the only one to complain of loose knobs, and that they would be fixing the problem in the future.

I haven't bought a new car until my '02 Altima. I suspect Nissan heard I was going to, and securely mounted all shift knobs in all altimas to be sure the one I bought had a tight knob. So it's my fault. Sorry, Guys. ;-( And I bought an automatic.

OpalBlue.

 

[Altimat]

Re: It's my fault...

Sorry, Guys.

Way back in '86 my new hardbody's shift knob would spin freely, and occasionally spin OFF as the stick vibrated going down the highway. I could tighten it down, but then the shift pattern was at about 160 degrees from upright. That royally confused my wife.

So I called my dealer, who simply suggested some tape on the shift post. They had no better fix for the problem. I wrote a long nasty letter to Nissan about the loose knob. A few weeks later I got a nice response with a free "aftermarket" knob that stayed in place with a set screw. They also explained that I had not been the only one to complain of loose knobs, and that they would be fixing the problem in the future.

I haven't bought a new car until my '02 Altima. I suspect Nissan heard I was going to, and securely mounted all shift knobs in all altimas to be sure the one I bought had a tight knob. So it's my fault. Sorry, Guys. ;-( And I bought an automatic.


OpalBlue.

You Dog!

Got this one in black.

 

[STU]

I don't care about the orginal shift knob, but how(exactly) do I go about getting it off with out messin up the shaft.

 

[Altimat]

I don't care about the orginal shift knob, but how(exactly) do I go about getting it off with out messin up the shaft.

You won't mess up the shaft at all. No need to touch it. Just get a hold of the knob and unscrew it. If you can save the knob I'll be amazed.

 

[a4racer]

I don't know if I'm lucky or if my Altima was shoddily constructed, but my shift knob comes off nice and easy. Granted, it's on the automatic, but all I have to do is start rotating it (lefty loosey, righty tighty...)