Hi guys: I was out yesterday plowing my driveway and noticed after about 30 minutes of back and forth shifting that the shifter now has considerable play. It is now difficult to 'find" and engage the shifter. My question: Is this something that I can try to figure out with your guys help or should I take it to the dealer? Thanks for any feedback :-)! Dave

 

My friend has a 04 Rubicon which did the same thing. He traced it down and found the linkage arm about to fall of on the front side of the engine where the tranny is located. he just added a drop of locktite and re-tightened the nut on the little shift arm and no more troubles as of yet.

 

Thanks for the info! I'll crawl under and try to locate the linkage. Appreciate it! Dave

 

On his rubicon you could see it from the left side just kneeling beside the machine. The lever operates a linkage so if you rock the shifter you will probably be able to see where the linkage is sloppy at. Good luck.

 

Just curious. Did you find your problem and get it fixed? I havent seen any other replies and just hope you got it repaired. Dont need to miss too much riding time!!

 

Thanks for your interest! I had to remove the plastic bodywork to find the problem. The shifter mechanism had lost a bolt that fastens it to the frame, therefore allowing the entire shifter to be loose. I found another bolt and I am now up and running. Thanks again for your help and followup :-)!
Take care, Dave