Can't remove gear shift knob

[Beau Schless]

This sounds stupid...I just bought a replacement for my '90...a purty
white '95. The first thing I wanted to do was replace the leather gear
shift knob with a wooden one I have...and the stupid Miata knob won't
unscrew. I'm afraid of breaking something...I tried unscrewing it
pretty hard (just by hand, not with leverage...like a pipe
wrench!)...any ideas? I can pull the console off and see what's holding
it, but that seems like overkill...

Thanks!
Beau

[Joseph Chase]

It does simply unscrew- mine wasn't very hard, but perhaps yours is turned a
bit tight. I believe a very few knobs have a setscrew, but this should be
visible unless a leather shift boot has been installed. Try one of those
rubber lid grabber thingees from your kitchen. As far as I know, just about
everyone uses the same threaded end, even on different makes.

(Note- if you're changing the handbrake handle, it is just a press fit-
twist and pull about 200 times- its not that hard, but your wrist will ache
by the time you're done.)

[Karl Kittler]

I've had to remove mine twice. The first time was a bitch to unscrew. I too
was afraid I'd break something. Lo and behold, I didn't. Grab with both
hands, if necessary, and turn counter clockwise. Or smile at that cute
neighbor of yours and request he give it a shot. I wouldn't use a pipe
wrench. It may just mar the leather/vinyl and make it more difficult to
remove.

Beau Schless wrote:

--
"WARNING: Armed with a dangerous mind"

[Michael Bradbury]

Locktited my pretty new red knob. Then had to take it off a week later after
the finish was damaged! Grabbed it with channel locks and it came off with
SOME effort, no problem with anything attatched, though I was worried.
(thouroughly trashed the knob) Grab it and TWIST!!!
Karl Kittler <soli...@ptd.net> wrote in message
news:3B107607...@ptd.net...

[Jason G]

Beau Schless <bsch...@rasco.com> made obeisance before Us and spake thusly:

>This sounds stupid...I just bought a replacement for my '90...a purty
>white '95. The first thing I wanted to do was replace the leather gear
>shift knob with a wooden one I have...and the stupid Miata knob won't
>unscrew.

Won't move, or just turns and doesn't come off?

I stripped my old Nardi knob, and to remove it in order to replace it, I had
to cut the wood off with a rotary tool then crank down some big Vise-Grips on
the little metal part. Real PITA.

--
Jason G

"If a child shows himself to be incorrigible, he should be decently and
quietly beheaded at the age of twelve, lest he grow to maturity, marry,
and perpetuate his kind." -- Don Marquis

[_]

I sure hope it wasn't the one with the set screw :-P

My Nardi had a hex set screw that I found by accident before taking a dremel to it.

"Jason G" <jrgusenet@REMOVE_ooo_THIS_xxx_PART_yahoo.com> wrote in message news:3b108396$1...@spamkiller.newsfeeds.com...

[Leon van Dommelen]

"Michael Bradbury" <mbrad...@home.com> wrote:

>Locktited my pretty new red knob.

Mine was a leather Momo. Plenty of locktite after it came loose
the first time.

> Then had to take it off a week later after
>the finish was damaged! Grabbed it with channel locks and it came off with
>SOME effort, no problem with anything attatched, though I was worried.
>(thouroughly trashed the knob)

Me too. The shifter rod and support seemed to deform elastically
over at least 30 degrees. ;)

Leon
--
Leon van Dommelen :) Bozo, the White 96 Sebring Miata .)
REMOVE THE "z"s -> domm...@zmiata.net www.dommelen.net

"EXIT THE INTERSTATES" (Jamie Jensen)

[Jason G]

"_" <_@_.com> made obeisance before Us and spake thusly:

>I sure hope it wasn't the one with the set screw :-P
>
>My Nardi had a hex set screw that I found by accident before taking a dremel to
> it.

Heh. Nope, I checked thoroughly, after posting a WTF message here. Just
stripped out those crappy threads which are apparently just a zinc/base metal
sleeve embedded in the wood.

Made nice sawdust though.