'06 G56 shift boot replacement.

[chromedragon]

Hello all,

I noticed that on my last oil change that the transmission has some fluid dripping from it. I looked and it appeared at first look to be from the drain plug but after further looking it seems to be draining down from the top. So i went and ordered the usual G56 shift boot that you see from the various you tube videos for the G56. So i went and pulled the lower console and ran into an issue. For the definition phase I have a 2006 pw with the manual G56 trans.

when i pulled the lower console off here is what i ran in to.




ok so i figured id losen the bolts at the base of the black boot.



and when I did I found that the boot appears glued down.



so from this point i need to understand if that boot is glued down or just rtv? it didnt want to move so im looking for some guidance to be able to see what is gong on down in the boot area. to see if i need to take this ot a shop to get the outer boot pulled to get to the actual shift boot on top of the shift tower.

now for some more pics to see if my thinking it heading the right direction.

here are some pics from the underside of the trans area.



here is a pic from up the passenger side of the transmission.



and on a side note who decided to have the exhaust stack run right under the tran drain plug ugh....

I am planning on changing out one of the Pto covers to one from TDS.

http://stores.ebay.com/TDS-Aluminum-Pro ... 7675.l2563

any help, guidance, commiseration would be appreciated.

Thank you in advance for your help

[TwinStick]

It looks to me like the boot is held down by the flange around the shifter. Should be able to get a putty knife or a hot putty knife blade under it & lift it up carefully if it is rtv'ed down. Are those rivets or torx around the edge of it ? As far as the sifter boot, you should just be able to unbolt the shift lever upper once the boot is removed.

I have to do this soon myself. Lots of pics please & keep us posted on your progress & techniques.

The boot you need to replace, the one that is leaking, is underneath that black rubber floor seal boot, right ?

[chromedragon]

That is the assumption there are 6 8 mm shallow bolts holding the boot down. There are pictures of the Mopar Shift boot and it looks and is shaped just like what I'm seeing. so there is a possibility that what I'm going to find is that this is the last layer before the actual shifter tower. At which point i may be in for an interesting discussion related to leaks from the tower seal which according to the service manual is Mopar Gasket Maker.

Ill see if the boot can be payed up once the bolts are moved out maybe its just very sticky. (here is hoping)

As a way of documenting this

the console comes off with all 8mm bolts on my Model year 2006. i have seen videos of '07's using screws in some of the locations.

4 8mm bolts on the cup holder/4wd shifter portion. The 4wd shifter boot just pops out of the console and then can be maneuvered though the first part.
2 8mm bolts hold on the back half of the console where the G56 shifter boot is clipped in. it has clips all the way around you can pop them from the front now that the cup holder is removed. 2 in the front 1 on each side and the back is not clipped it has extended lips that wedge in first so it pops real easy once the front clips are popped open.


now to remove the 6 8mm shallow bolts and then ill see what it takes to pry up the boot.

I have the orange replacement boot already but this boot is intact and if this is the main boot then i have a leak some place else. Ill keep the group informed on my progress.

[TwinStick]

If you need to (& you probably will) replace the inner rubber boot, you can use an easily found, inexpensive & SUPER HD atv CV boot to replace the leaking one. I bought 3 of them, so I should be good till i'm pushing up daisey's. You want Moose Fast Boot 2, part # 0213-0427. https://www.denniskirk.com/moose/fast-b ... 558668.sku


If you should rip or tear the weather boot around the shifter trying to remove it, it really is not a big deal (at least I don't think so anyways). Solution: go to Tractor Supply & buy a tire inner tube that is big enough to cut one out of it & rtv it back in when you are done replacing the inner boot.

[chromedragon]

ok quick up date because i went and just dug in.

ill post the pics and some sort of write up on what i found and what i did but I'm not done yet so here is the status.

1. The black boot in the pics is in fact a middle boot for my rig. The black boot pryed up with a minimal of effort with my fingers after i got the 6 (8mm) bolts. ( there is a thin foam gasket between the black boot and the chassis. it appears to have had adhesive on both sides at one point as there was cellophane material pealing off after the boot was removed not sure where to get this gasket but i may just put some blue atv in there to seal it before i put the boot back down)
Note: Our rigs seem to collect a lot of crap under the consoles etc. found glass from the truck damage in 2014 but back to the info.
2. The nuts that hold the upper shift arm on the gear shift are 13 mm nuts the bolts they attach to are welded into the upper shift arm.
3. with the upper shift arm and black boot removed we found the culprit of the leak the little orange boot was there and the center ring was rotted away from the outer rings and was slopped with fluid and it even slopped fluid to the underside of the black boot. i removed the orange boot with the use of a scraper that was thin but ridged and it made it easy to pry up the outer large ring with minimal issue. The inner ring came off with just dragging it over the lower half of the shift arm.
4. I cleaned up the shift tower and am really stoped at this point. I am letting the orange boot warm up a bit on the warm trans tower ( just came back from a short drive) to see if i can get it to b a touch more playable on the lower large ring to get it to seat.

the next update should have lots of pics ill use the steps above to narrate them.

Note if the orange boot i have becomes problematic i may go to kragen's and get the alternative ATV boot that seems to be the recommendation.

but we are making progress......

[TwinStick]

Good to hear. Just an FYI, if you are replacing with Mopar part, there is a high probability that you will end up replacing it again at some point if you keep your truck a long time. If so, use the atv boot I listed. That should be the last one you will ever need, or so I have been told. You may or may not need to trim to fit around thickness of steel gear shift lever but it is easy to do.

[TwinStick]

[chromedragon]

Ok its all done. Well it was done yesterday afternoon. i'm going to organize my notes and my observations and pics and make at single seperate post as an how to. im sure some one can suggest where to put it. the ammusing take away from this adventure. 1. even the right parts aren't necessarily the right parts. 2. youtube how to mechanics need to stop and remember they may be educating people with far less experience and skipping steps that " should" be obvious is a big red flag for any one making a how to video.

The Mopar replacement part simply would not fit with out either to much force thus damaging the part or process that may have artificially shortened its life ( heating the part up to help it slip over the base)
so i went with one of the ATV boots. The Doorman one from Kragen's ( O'rilleys) and it worked like a champ but the clips that come with it are a pain with out some special tool Maybe the kit Twinstick references will work better because it says it has a tool but mine didn't so i gave up on them and went with some 3/8 host clamps in appropriate sizes.



so all in all and interesting experince and this next weekend after the fluid arrives ill be draining the trans adding the TDS plate for one of the pto covers and then filling it up with some Redline MT 90.

if some one has a suggestion where to place the write up on this fun boot replacement process please comment and ill post it there vs having to pester ace or one of the other admins to move it around.

[TwinStick]

I'm sure it is probably all done by now but, some HD zip ties also work well for these, if the hose clamps interfere or rub on the outer most boot (once it is all put back together). They can be had in 30lb, 50lb, 75lb, & 175lb breaking strengths.

[chromedragon]

i updated my build thread with all the particulars and pics of the process for the boot.

i have not hit an interesting issue where i cant get the 14 mill ratchet attach between the exhaust pipe an the drain plug. Any clues on where to get a 14mm allen wrench that i can cut down am going to try the local usual shops but if there is a place that has a tool specifically for this configuration I'm all ears. all the diesel guys are just yeah use a 14 mm and i see there exhaust does not go over the drain hole...what a lovely design. Id rather not take it to a shop to do this work....

[Colibri]

If you need to improvise to get it done in a hurry, double nut a bolt and use that and a wrench to remove and install the plugs.

[chromedragon]

It took me a bit of time to wrap my head around your suggestion but i as i was running around trying to find one Allen key it clicked and well i went with it after 5 different tool stores failed me.

so i have built the suggested tool and i think its brilliant ill go see if it works shortly.

[TwinStick]

Here is what i did: Went to my local machine/welding shop & asked for a 2" piece of 14mm hex. They did not have that so they gave me 2, 1" pieces of 9/16" hex stock. Did not even charge me. I took it home & filed each side of the hex until it fit perfectly in the 14mm fill plug---which is the same as the drain plug. Then I took a toothpick & bottomed it out in the 14mm fill plug & added just enough to fit flush in the boxed end 14mm wrench. Cut it with a hacksaw to that length. Then you can fit it up between the crossover pipe & still get the box end wrench on it when it is in the drain plug hex (which is also 14mm). To keep from getting showered with trans fluid, I took an old w-washer 1 gal jug, cut the very bottom off, then cut 2 U shaped slots in each side to fit over the crossover pipe. Unscrew the top, put your drain pan under it & hold it by the handle.

[TwinStick]

OK, I am in the middle of replacing my shift boot seal as well. Man, I guess I got lucky. Mine has a simple rubber reusable seal that came right up once the bolts were out. The trans seal is cracked/ripped & I can see that it has been leaking from there, but like others, there was no tell-tale sign that it was leaking, because it drips right onto the exhaust crossover pipe & gets burned off. I never once had any drips or spots on the driveway. I have even checked mine a few times & fluid was still above the fill plug. It started dripping when it was half unscrewed. I put one side on ramps so i can get an extra 1-1.5 qts in it. OK, guess i better get back to it for now.

[TwinStick]

OK, all done. Easier than I thought. Longer to remove & clean all the plastic, cup holders & shift boots. Old boot was actually separated into 2 pieces, completely torn. Wonder how long it was like that ? New atv boot went on easily. Even though it came with the tool to tighten the metal band, I used zip ties. Much quicker & simpler & no sharp metal to rub on new boot or boot cover. Pics are uploading, so stand by.

















And of course, I sprayed all the holes, bolts, screws & nuts with Fluid Film to prevent future rust.



Done for at least another 9 years I think.

Thanks for the pics and write up chromedragon, made it easier for me.

[chromedragon]

Glad to have been of help.

[TwinStick]

I had to get-er-done, I have my mandatory 5 year inspection for leaks coming up within a year, to keep my "lifetime powertrain warranty" in effect & valid.

[chromedragon]

ok finally got to get the servicing of the Transmission done i updated my build thread with all the pics of what i found and the new pto cover I installed as part of the process.