On my girlfriends 87 gt getrag we just put in a new select cable from rodney and cant get 5th or reverse. We can at the transmission and we can see at the shifter that its not going over far enough to get it. If we manually push on that white plastic piece that the select cable attaches to while holding it as far right as possible we can get it as well. I have tried adjusting the shift cable per another post but didnt change anything. We just took the shifter assembly out and when the select cable is out, the shifter will go all the way right to its extent. faulty cable? routing?

Not sure which post you are refering to, but I personally would follow the cable adjustment as layed out in the factory service manual (the manual can be downloaded from Fiero News if you don't already have a copy).

The method I used was to put it in third, put a screwdriver through the holes on the shifter and loosen the nut then jiggle the shifter a bit and then tighten the nut.

When you say you adjusted the shift cable, which adjustment are you talking about? If you only adjusted the cable length, that may not help.

What you need to do is detach the cable from the transmission, and center the shifter knob. Also, make sure the transmission is in Neutral. Then re-attach the cable to the transmission.

Here's how to center the shifter knob: Pull up the shifter bezel in the center console, and you'll see a small hole in the back of the shifter arm, near the base of the arm. That's an alignment hole, which can be used for centering the shifter. You can stick a 1/8" drill bit, or a properly sized nail, in that hole. With the drill bit or nail fully inserted into the alignment hole, the shifter will be "locked" in that position. That will make sure it stays centered while you re-attach the cable to the transmission.

If the cable doesn't line up with the transmission bracket after centering the shifter, then you will need to adjust the cable length.

Best of luck!

So your saying do the same method as I used but to not put the the trans and shifter in third but see if I can get the holes to align at neutral?

Yes you align it in Neutral.

Ok I put the car in neutral took loose the shift cable at both ends and put the shifter in the center such that it would let the screwdriver through the holes now the shift cable does not align to the bracket on the trans. Adjust its length im guessing if so how?

No... you align it in third gear, as per the service manual. Not sure where Blacktree got the info for doing it in neutral.

Edit to add: The complete procedure is listed on page 7B3-8 of the '88 FSM. I covered it in a post several years ago with a picture or two. I'll try to dig it up.

Edit #2: Here's the thread I was thinking about: www.fiero.nl/forum/Archives...120111-2-108049.html

[This message has been edited by Bloozberry (edited 06-14-2012).]

Yes thats the exact post I used to do it last night. I realigned using that just now and still cant do reverse and 5th. I can still do it by pushing on that swivel plastic piece with a screw driver to get a little more movement to the right to find reverse.

[This message has been edited by jpeeler (edited 06-14-2012).]

Since the shift cable (vs select cable) is the only one that's adjustable on the Getrag, and since your problem seems more to do with the select lever not not moving enough to enable shift in fifth and reverse, I'd suspect that the select lever might be worn where it mates with the shaft coming out of the transmission. The select lever's job is to push the shaft in and out of the transmission case. It does this by having a little tooth that mates with a slot in the shaft. As the select lever is rotated on it's pivot point, the tooth lifts up on the shaft slot to pull it out and pushes down on the shaft to push it back in. There's also a middle position. If the tooth is worn or has slipped out of the groove on the shaft, some gears are usually still accessible but others are not. That's the first thing I'd check if I were you.

Here's a thread where I posted a few pictures for a guy to check for the same problem. Go about half way down the page and look for my post. The pics are from a four speed so the levers are a little different but the concept is the same : www.fiero.nl/forum/Forum2/HTML/123092.html

I took the bracket off anyways the tooth was fine. As far as I can tell the select cable I bought is not adjustable in any way. The shift cable is. She had reverse and 5th before putting this cable in you just had to mussel it side to side. If I go to the extent of the lever on the shaft on the trans and have her hold the shifter at that location as I let go I can see the cable and lever move back out of range of 5th and reverse ever so slightly.

[This message has been edited by jpeeler (edited 06-14-2012).]

Grasping at straws here, but you should have a close look at the console shifter mechanism to make sure nothing is restricting it's movement (coins, or other foreign objects), or that nothing is worn out preventing it from doing it's job. If that's not it, then as you suggested in your first post, perhaps the cable routing isn't correct. It's also possible that the cable isn't up to snuff, though that's unlikely since you had the problem before as well.

Yeah we had the assembly completely out and have fully cleaned it. Would me going dead up and center into third and then being able to move the shifter side ti side all the way to where 5th should be while still in gear sugest worn shifter assembly?

No, because the only thing that defines the gates at the in-car shifter are the physical limits that the transmission levers place on it's movement when the cables are connected. If you can do as you say, then I would suspect that your adjustable shift cable is too short and is not truely engaging the transmission in third. When you think it's in third, it's probably still in neutral. That's why you can still move the shifter sideways. If the transmission had truely been in third, there is no way you could have slid the shifter over to the fifth gear gate because the shaft coming out of the transmission would not have allowed that movement. If you can move the in-car shifter sideways to where the fifth shfit gate should be while in third, then you're still in neutral when you thought you were in third. Lengthen the shift cable to correct this.

Edited for clarity.

[This message has been edited by Bloozberry (edited 06-14-2012).]

If the problem is with 5th and reverse only, wouldn't that be a problem with the length of the select cable?

[This message has been edited by NetCam (edited 06-14-2012).]

[url=http://s1251.photobucket.com/albums/hh551/Ashlyn_Barbee/][/url]
I think this could be my problem. Cant believe I didnt see it the first time. I actually looked for cracks.

[This message has been edited by jpeeler (edited 06-14-2012).]

Your photo didn't work so we can't tell what you're referring to. Curious minds want to know.

Try now?
http://s1251.photobucket.co...hh551/Ashlyn_Barbee/
There is a question on one of the photos.

[This message has been edited by jpeeler (edited 06-14-2012).]

Looks like whoever had it before you had a few problems with it too. If it's welded properly, it should hold. As for the other pin, GM obviously had something in mind but it wasn't used on the Fiero. My 5 speed shifter also has that extra pin.

Yeah I saw those welds too. So thats not factory lol? My Girlfriend posted in the mall to try and buy one. If all else fails I might try and weld it. Well not me but someone.

Just to add: now that I look at it they had to grind on those welds just to get the assembly to fit together.

[This message has been edited by jpeeler (edited 06-14-2012).]

yeah I think you found the problem.