Shift Knobs

I've got a 2002 Alero, v6 auto, and got a shift knob for chirstmas. Only problem is, I don't see how to take the original off. Second problem is, I don't know if this one will work because it doesn't have a button to push in. On the original, there is a button to press in to shift out of park. On the one I got, there is no button to press. Will this work?

Probably won't work, but to take the original off just pull out the staple in the back of the knob with a small screwdriver and pull it up. It's worth a shot!

If your new shifter knob doesn't have a button, then NO... your new knob will not work with the stock shifter.

You have to depress the straw on the inside of the tube in order to get the shifter to change gears.

BTW... I work for the company that makes the shifters in the N-bodies.

Not gonna work man. The way I see it...you have two options:

1. Return the knob and get one with a button for an automatic, or

2. Convert your Alero into a manual...

One may be easier than the other , but its your call

The knob WILL work. Take the old shifter off and remove the large black trim piece. Now you can see all of the shifter cables. Press the white button down on top of the shifter and you can see which cable moves. Now remove that cable from the shifter assembly. Put the trim piece back on and install the shift knob. Beware, You can take your keys out without it being in park now and also it will go all the way to reverse if you hit it while driving. I have never had a problem with either.

Depends on what kind of shifter knob you got. I got an after market knob for the automatic that has no push button, and it works fine. It has a spring inside the knob that allows you to push down on it to put it in and out of gear. So before you go taking everything apart you might see if this is the case.

Originally posted by Americangirl@Dec 27 2003, 04:03 AM
The knob WILL work. Take the old shifter off and remove the large black trim piece. Now you can see all of the shifter cables. Press the white button down on top of the shifter and you can see which cable moves. Now remove that cable from the shifter assembly. Put the trim piece back on and install the shift knob. Beware, You can take your keys out without it being in park now and also it will go all the way to reverse if you hit it while driving. I have never had a problem with either.

Not to mention that you are now in violation of about 5 different Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS)!

Wow... well, as an Alero owner I can tell you what she put is correct and will work, but as an employee of the company that designed and produces these shifters I can NOT tell anyone to do this.

You can remove the key from the ignition at anytime if you do this, you can also cause the car to shift gears without moving the lever (you could be driving down the highway and the car try to shift into reverse). There is no other override to prevent this with a knob without a button.

The FMVSS specs. state that two actions must take place (or prevent) in order for something to happen for the vehicle to shift gears. The button acts as one, the cable as the other.

Just so you all know... this is rather dangerous, and just because Americangirl hasn't had a problem doesn't mean it won't happen. It's not a situation that I know was tested for.

Watch parking your car. It's possible then to get the car into Neutral without the key in the ignition and the car could roll away and cause problems. This has been a problem in various Ford's over the years.

Originally posted by jonez@Dec 27 2003, 05:33 AM
Depends on what kind of shifter knob you got. I got an after market knob for the automatic that has no push button, and it works fine. It has a spring inside the knob that allows you to push down on it to put it in and out of gear. So before you go taking everything apart you might see if this is the case.

Pushing on your knob is your button. It's depressing the straw on the inside of the tube the same as the side buttons do on the stock shifter.

So... you actually do have a button, it just works differently than the stock one.

i don't have anything to say in response to the question but i do have one of my own. i have a V6 auto and i want to replace the shifter. i want something black like stock, I just want something that is shaped differently. if anyone knows of a site where i can find decent black shift knobs for the automatic please let me know.

I added a new shift knob to my alero about over a month ago for the automatic. It was just the kind that u put on over the stick and tighten it with screws. Well when I tightened it all the way down, the car wouldnt shift gears. So then I gave the shifter a little slack, it then shifted fine, but when i had my car in park and tried turning off the engine, the key wouldnt go fully to the off position and wouldnt let me take my key out of the ignition. I kept playing around with for about 20 minutes, trying to get it at the right level. Finally i decided not to screw it down, just let it sit on the stick, and it works fine. Although when i used my gear shifter, I press the button down, and push the shifter down too, and the i have no problem with any of it. Only thing that sucks it just sits on it, not held on very good. But no one can tell unless i just pull it off with unscrewing anything.

[johny_boy32]

thats not very smart fiesty but oh well...you should have just wiggled the shifter back and forth and i bet it would have worked...what kind of shifter did you end up getting anyways? (fiesty)

johnny i got the shifter from andy's autosport. Its for an automatic, which my car is. And I did wiggle it around. I had it pushed down all the way and screwed tightly, that didnt work, so then I eased the pressure a little still didnt work right. I even had it barely screwed on and that didnt work. I kept moving it up a centimeter each time and nothing worked.

[johny_boy32]

thats sucks fiesty...i gotta make sure i dont make the same mistake when i buy my next shifter...which one did you buy?

Originally posted by blacalero1@Jan 13 2004, 05:37 PM
if anyone knows of a site where i can find decent black shift knobs for the automatic please let me know.

i have the momo shifter in my car, its black with chrome trim, check out the pics from cardomain in my sig

johnny i bought the automatic pewter metallic one. and has the chrome button on top of the shifter. Very straight up and down affect.

So where is the best place to buy shift knobs that work for automatics.

this is where I got mine at. They got a lot of choices.

http://www.crutchfield.com/