The gear shift on my my 2004 Prius clicks anytime I move it to any position besides its standby position. It seems like the clicking is getting worse. Has anyone encountered this or know what might be causing the issue? Is this something to worry about? Thanks for any help you can offer!
The problem is that the spring mechanism is starting to fail. Eventually the lever will remain in the D position (not returning to the standby spot), which means that when you press the P button, nothing will happen. So you will need to move the lever manually back to the standby spot. The solution is to replace the gear shift mechanism. I did this last summer on my 2004 and this is an easy DIY activity. See: http://priuschat.com/forums/gen-ii-...ing/65102-how-replace-2g-gearshift-lever.html
Thank you so much for your help! I'm not much of a DIY person, do you have a sense of how expensive it would be to have the dealership do it? I noticed someone mentioned "salvage parts" on your link, is that something you would recommend?
I would not recommend using a salvage part because the new part costs <$300 if you buy from one of the Toyota dealers that offer discounts for web sales. Who knows how much life is left in a used shifter. My guess is that you would be charged for one or two labor hours, so maybe $100 to $200 depending upon the rates in your locale.
Just an update: I took it to the dealership and they said a piece in the back of the shifter had come loose. They fixed it for free!
I am dealing with the "click & resistant" shifter on my 2004 (71,000) as well. Thanks for posting possible fixes - I hope not to have to take it to the dealership!
I am waiting for an email from the dealer. The cost to replace is $600 - doesn't this seem high? I am also not confident about DIY beyone replacing the battery. The rep also indicated the rear shocks should be replaced (I have 107,000 miles on the car). That might be true. They also want to check the valve clearance, but based on iformation here, I won't be doing that. Any comments? Should I try an independent mechanic for the shift lever replacement?
To possibly save 600 dollars.... it up to you. Maybe you can find/ show someone 'handy' this link http://priuschat.com/forums/gen-ii-...g/65102-how-replace-2g-gearshift-lever-2.html This writeup on removing the dash panels to get to the gear shift lever may be useful. http://www.techno-fandom.org/~hobbit/cars/chris-dragon-dash.pdf .
Yes, $600 is high. A member recently posted that he bought a salvage part for a nominal amount, and that the going price seems to be $25 or so. At those prices it is quite reasonable to try a salvage part. Another member posted that the problem with his shift lever was a binding piece of plastic that covers the shift hole in the front. He trimmed off a bit of the plastic and restored his shifter to normal operation. If you could save $575 or more via a simple DIY effort, does that not motivate you to do so? The removal process is quite easy per the link in my post #2 above. The rear shocks (and front struts for that matter) very likely need to be replaced. I have also posted on how to replace those parts.
I just completed this repair after having been quoted a $600+ estimate at the dealership. It is extremely easy and in my case didn't even require trimming the plastic from the gear shift mechanism. It just required a little nudge to ease the plastic back into place. The only challenging part is removing the dashboard parts. But I had done this several times before to install an aftermarket iPod connection, so it was no big deal. Just follow the YouTube directions you can find online. Good luck.
