Dorman shifter cable bushing

[theunpaidBill]

So it's been a heck of a month for me with Saturns. I swapped the head on my 01 SC2 back on the 1st, dealt with the odds and such that cropped up with that. Then yesterday I was about to leave work and suddenly I couldn't shift gears. The shifter bushing failed. Then when I got to my Dad's birthday party, which both Dad and I were late to because of the car, I found out the alternator failed in my kid's 99 SL1.

At this point I think we're about all fixed.

I used the much maligned Dorman bushing on my shifter and I have to say I'm not confident that the little plastic tabs are going to hold the locking ring locked. Anyone see any reason I shouldn't give it a little JB Weld help with holding in place?

Before anyone says it, yes I know all about the better alternatives, but those aren't going to get me to work on Monday. As it was there was exactly one parts store in the state that had the Dorman one and going there is what made me late for the party.

[fetchitfido]

The bushing needs to rotate in a couple different directions, if you JB Weld it to the bushing it won't rotate the way it needs to and it'll break it's connecting to the shift cable. This can't be fixed with zip-ties, it requires either threading the end of the cable and replacing with a heim joint or not threading it and using this repair thingy.

[theunpaidBill]

No, you misunderstand, I don't want to JB Weld the bushing to the shifter, I want to JB Weld the retaining ring to the bushing.

This is the bushing
https://www.autozone.com/collision-b...043/604617_0_0

That metal ring is the retaining ring and it is supposed to be held by the plastic tabs, but I'm not confident it will actually hold. So I want to glue the ring to the bushing. It won't interfere with the motion of the cable or shifter at all.

[theunpaidBill]

If anyone is interested, I epoxied the retaining ring in, and it seems to be operating just fine. Back on the road and hopefully I can get more than 2 weeks without having to work on it again.

[billr]

Please keep us advised as to the success of the (epoxied) Dorman bushing. I, too, thought the Dorman looked kind of flimsy (and expensive), so made my own bushing. However, for folks not having access to fab facilities, the Dorman may actually be a reasonable solution. Ready access to a part that provides full swiveling and installs easily.

[theunpaidBill]

Well it's made it to work twice and home once, and it's working well. The shifting is much smoother than before so that's a plus.

Finger's crossed it will last another 150K miles.

[Signmaster]

Originally Posted by theunpaidBill

Well it's made it to work twice and home once, and it's working well. The shifting is much smoother than before so that's a plus.

Finger's crossed it will last another 150K miles.

IIRC the Doorman part usually didn't last long for most, but most people didn't alter it with the JB Weld either. If you do have a failure in the future the bushing from Saturnbushingman on Ebay has worked well for pretty much everyone that has used it.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/1991-2002-S...y/124833995949

There are also wiper bushings for a Toyota IIRC that have worked for most. They are available at many parts stores. I did mine with one of these as a temporary and it lasted many years, until I got rid of the car. As a matter of fact I ordered the one from Saturnbushingman and never had to use it.