Here's my $.02. My bushings were so far gone the pin on the shift lever wouldn't interact with the parking switch, which consequently led to my key getting stuck in the ignition.





There are a total of 4 bushings. Two on the tube connected directly to the shift lever, and two below the floorpan after a linkage.



The top two are the ones most discussed here and those made a huge difference. Replacing them eliminated all of the side to side movement and gave the pin good engagement with the park switch.

It's blurry here but you get the idea:



I replaced the lower two for good measure since I was in there. I couldn't get the snap rings off the linkages, which I think would have made it a lot easier.

You can undo all 8 bolts that hold the metal shifter bracket down, then wedge something under it to have a few inches of clearance. It's a paint to get this bolt out but it's possible. The nut is 13mm and the bolt on the other side is 14mm.



Undo the nut, take out the bolt, shove the linkage around until you can put in the new bushings, then reassemble.

This lower set of bushings helped a little with the forward/backward movement in the shifter, and I'm sure it helps some, but it almost doesn't seem like it's worth it.

I wish they were bronze bushings instead of soft plastic. I hope they last awhile in the desert southwest heat.

Just doing the top two bushings today and I broke something but I'm not sure what. Here's a picture of the dangly white part in question.

What does that thing do and how can I fix it?

The two bushings I removed seemed fine too, so I'm guessing the lower ones might be my culprit for the wild forward and backward shifter motion.

i think thats the thing that lets you get your car out of/into park with your key if the steering wheel is broken.

I replaced these bushings also and now my shifter is tight as a tick!

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Not sure what that is then. Or rather, how it's supposed to be connected. There's a small white plastic piece that may have come off its end too.

It is the manual override for the shift interlock switch. When you put it back together it just kind of slips into place when you screw down the shifter surround. It took me a few tries but it goes back fairly easy.

Cool. Happy to report that the shifter slop got a lot better. However, I'm not convinced it was the bushings since they looked ok. I think it might have just been tightening up that bolt that the bushings go around.

Glad you got it all back together. When I did mine it basically eliminated side to side play, but there is still some forward/backwards play. I didn't see any other wear parts in there so I assume mine is as good as it's going to get. Way better than it was, and my keys no longer get sick in the ignition. also my car no longer slips into 2nd gear.

Yeah, I didn't do the lower two bushings even though I had 4 new ones to replace all of them with. It was hot out, and I compromised that I could see how just doing the two went and get back in there pretty easily if I felt I needed to do the lower two.

The shifter used to go back-and-forth and side-to-side quite a bit when I'd be going over bumps, etc., but it's tightened up a lot now. The actual action of shifting is a lot tighter now too, so that's cool. I can't imagine having it slip into 2nd on its own!


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just to add info guys, replaced mines in the base model 2.7L 4runner you only need two bushings 33501G part 90385-11003, I think the sr5 and limiter require 4 bushings but I´m not sure, now I´m happy with a firm shifter not shaking on the road

Just did this today on a 99 Limited 4x4. It helped when I removed the rubber boot on the shift linkage on the underside of the main bracket held down by 8 bolts. I would have had a very hard time getting to the lower bolt and nut otherwise. I was also super careful with the white plastic piece on the right side that prevents the shifter from working on start up without your foot on the brake. Shifter is rock solid now! Very happy I did this. Even found 3 lost quarters in the process.

lucky, all i found was old french fries from the previous owner

Just did this myself.. Somewhat PITA but totally worth it. I replaced all 4. All but 1 were completely disintegrated and the other was on it's way out.

As a note for those with the multi-mode 4wd. You will not want to remove the 4wd shifter. This in itself is a tedious task. Therefore you have to separate the rubber lining under the shifter plate that connects to the 4wd shifter boot. You only need to do this if you're replacing all 4 bushings.

You will do this after you've removed the 8 bolts that mount the plate to the body of the tunnel. I believe there are 4 spots where you have to do this. 2 in the middle on both sides and 2 towards the rear on both corners. Where the bolts come out of is a piece of the rubber acting as a grommet and a small little metal 'tube' piece in the center. Push the metal piece out by hand. Maneuver your hand under the plate and pull the rubber portion away from the plate near the hole. This will slide the grommet portion out through the hole. I've attached a picture as a representation of what the rubber and the little metal tube looks like. You can see it in the top right corner of the picture. Once you've separated the rubber from the plate, you can maneuver the entire assembly past the 4wd shifter and away from the truck.

Keep in mind before you go yanking, disconnect the multi-mode shifter electrical plug located to the left of the lever near the floor.

Once it's free you can flip it over and you will see another similar rubber lining. Under this boot is where the other shaft is hiding. Remove 2 corners the same way you did before for the 4wd shifter liner and the boot will move far enough out of the way to reveal the shaft.

Hope this helps.

You don't have to completely remove the entire assembly and flip over. Just remove the 8 bolts, lift the assembly a few inches, slip a screwdriver underneath to hold it up, then slip out 2 of the rubber grommets to expose the shaft above the tranny tunnel.

I fixed my 4runner 2.7L RWD shifter, even paint the rusty base in gray glossy color
looks much better

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