Today sucked!!!!!!!!! I spent 4 hours installing my friends drop springs on his integra because he didn't have any of the right tools. Then when it came around to installing my short shifter on my max I couldnt get the god dam shift **** off. I ended up tearing the leather off the thing and i had to use a pair of vise grips to get it off. Then i got under the car and tried taking my cat off but i couldnt find the right wrench for the bolt because it was so dam rusted. Does anyone know what the proper size is and if there is a trick to getting the shift **** off. It is probably just my god dam shifter but i wanted to know if anyone else had this problem

 

When I installed my shifter, I had a heck of a time getting the shift **** off. I ended up cutting the old shift **** off. As for the cat, last night I shortened my shifter up and I used a 9/16" socket to get the bolts off the cat. Hope this helps...

-Josh

 

I took a rag (old shirt) wrapped it around the shift ****, took my big C-clamp and tightened it around the shift ****. The bigger the C-clamp the more torque you'll have.

As for the cat bolts on the bottom. I could not get them off if my life depended on them. I had to use an air ratchet.

 

i dunno about a 9/16, about 99.9% of bolts on our maxima are metrics. i am not completely sure, but i think the bolts are 14 or 15mm. good luck on getting them off. i highly suggest dousing them in synpower lubricant and wd40 for a good 10 minutes straight and cycling it back and forth before attempting. it helped me quite a bit.

 

I installed my sts without removing the cat. If you can't find the right size wrench, then it's time for the visegrip again.

 

Yea, I would recommend getting some penetrating oil or whatever they call it (WD is okay, but the other stuff is better) and spraying ANY bolts that you are going to try to loosen. I just broke both bolts on one of my foglights, which lead me to drill them out, which lead me to ding my paint in the process, which lead me to ruin the bracket trying to drill them out, which lead me to spend 40 bucks on a new one.

From now on I spray that stuff on before I loosen, and spray on anti-seize before I tighten.

 

when i replaced my shift ****, it was easy. well, not easy, but not bad. the trick is that the shift **** has got to be hot. the day that i installed mine, it was 98 deg, and my car was in the sun all day

 

lol, shifter from hell

 

ohh nice trick, using the heat to expand the metal holding the shifter.

 

f--- that factory ****, after about 15 min of trying the wet towel deal i just started hacking away like there was no tomorrow. The **** is useless anway once it is off, no one want to buy one and i think they are like only $15 at the dealer.

 

Yup, I had the same problem when I first tried to take my stock shifter off and like yourself I was going to install a STS. First I put a thick terry cloth towel over the shifter ****, then I clamp a set of vise grip plyers in the center of the ****. I turn it forward and it moved a little, then I turn it in reverse a couple of times and it came loose. It's looked like to me that nissan put that liquid tightener on the **** to help it stay tight. When I finally got the shifter **** off I notice a blue rubber substance on the shifter and falling out of my ****.

Now as far as your Cat is concerned, well lubricate the bolts with WD40 wait about 10-15 to let the WD40 work on the bolts, then after the 15 minutes are up spray the bolts again. You should be able to loosen them now. Then use a 14mm socket to get them loose.


Well that's what I did and it work, Good luck

 

hey, it worked, didn't it. yes. it wasn't nearly as hard as when i tried it the night before. if you are flaming, then back off.

 

oh good, im not the only one that cut the damn stock **** off
too bad i dont have it intact though b/c people sometimes want to buy it

 

mine just unscrewed right off the bat a bit of force but not much more then most the bolts on the fstb... *shrug* in the end i cut it down anyway cause the aftermarket shiftknob made the shifter look WAY too tall! hehe

 

use a product called liquid wrench by gunk to get the bolts, just took off my ac compressor for the alternator install, piece of cake getting the bolts off.

 

I have read numerous posts about installing the STS and here and there I see a little tid bit about not having to remove the cat... can anyone provide any details on how this is done vs. the standard installation method?

 

You guys are weak
My shift **** twisted right off...bare hands baby

Guess I was lucky...

 

i'm not trying to flame any body but the shift ***** on both my 3rd and 4th gen twisted right off, counterclockwise.