i have a 2002 protege 5 that i got used about a year ago. the original owner had put in a shifter that is barely even a short throw and i have decided that i want to replace it. i have done this kind of work before but i ran into a problem on this one. the shifter that is in it won't come out. i think what happened is that when the original owner put this one in, he didn't lube it up and the bands on it rolled down it and jammed it up. i don't see any damage to any of the other parts that might make it stick, so my question is; does any one have any advice at all that might help me out in this situation? i have tried all that i know and the only thing that i can come up with is to pour some solvents into it and see if that might dissolve the bands enough to pull out.

 

anyway you can get a dremel in there and cut it off?

 

that's kind of the thought that i had earlier. i think also that if i can drill a few holes in it to gut the bearings, i could pull the stick and try to just crush the base and pull it out. the base is just aluminum, so it should just break if i can find a way to hollow it out.