[The HACK]

You simply can't put the gear lever back into first or is it intermitten? Even without the SSK I've found it hard to put the car back into first SOMETIMES.

Raffi has complained of difficulty to shove the shifter back into first REGULARLY with the UUC SSK. Sometimes I have that problem but it usually goes away if I pump the clutch or try putting the shifter into 2nd and then put it into first.

I have NEVER heard of the guide pin poping lose before. If the guide pin is loose and your shift lever is allow to move freely you wouldn't be able to engage any of the gear properly. The circlip basically will hold the guide pin in pretty good, unless the circlip has fallen off I can't see how the guide pin can possibly slip out.

I assume you have the EVO II with the ERK installed? It seems to me that folks with the ERK installed seems to have the most problems with rattles and trouble getting into first. Unfortunately, without the ERK it'd be impossible to work the shifter into the right angle anyway. :dunno:

My suggestion is to try putting it into 2nd first and then shift back into first. If you still can not engage first I'd say you have a bigger problem at hand.

 

[The HACK]

I only wish it was the normal difficulty of getting into first. I wasn't clear in my desription. The selector rod pin is fine. The one that's loose is the pin that holds the carrier in place. The whole carrier assembly is just swimming around. The only gear I could catch was second because I think I was probably using the surrounding trim as leverage. Anyway, even without getting under the car, I thiink I know what the problem is. I just don't want to come to terms with the fact that my car is going to be out of commission for the better part of the weekend and I was hoping someone might have an obvious answer to wash all my troubles away.

You mean the b*tch clip is broken and the carriage for the entire assembly is loose? Oh boy...

I broke my b*tch clip while installing my SSK but was fortuantely enough to catch my dealership still open AND had a clip in stock. However, if the base of the carrier is seated firmly, you should be able to insert a pin/rod of somekind inside the delrin bushing and get it to stablize for the time being so the car is drivable, and get a new b*tch clip to replace it.

 

[The HACK]

When the b*tch clip is installed properly it should NOT come loose from vibration. From the few SSK that I've been working with, it can be very hard to put the clip back in as well, but once it's in it should sit FLUSH with the transmission tunnel. The reason why the clip is impossible to remove in the first place is why it should not come lose, there's a small tab that catches the inside of an indent on the transmission tunnel that makes it impossible to remove the clip unless you can drop the transmission.

If that thing came loose, then it's not properly installed.

 

[The HACK]

Yeah, I just went ahead and ordered the carrier bushings which come with a new clip(which I should have done in the first place). I think rather than rig something up I'll just let her sit until they arrive Mon/Tue. Any suggestions on getting that thing securely back in place? I didn't break it, I just apparently didn't replace it correctly. Anyway, thanks for the input.

The way I do it is take the screwdriver in the toolbox, seperate the driver and the handle, slide that on top of the b*tch clip and pull toward the front of the car HARD until I hear a very subtle click. No click, no go. You can also check the tip of the clip to see if it sits flush with the transmission tunnel, if there's ANY space between the clip and the tunnel, it's not properly seated.