Right now, this seems like an impossible task. I have used all sorts of tools. I cannot get the shift lever collar pressed down and get enough grip on it to turn it. I'm not sure how I'll get it done.

Another thing. I seem to take longer than anyone when doing a job on my truck. This was supposed to be a 30 minute job, according to the articles I have read. It's going on an hour and I cannot get the collar to turn!

This is so dam frustrating.

I'm tearing the collar up and getting metal shavings all over. This isn't working.

Update: I got it all put back together.

The problem was that my original seat-bushing had split in half, with one upper piece and one lower piece. When I put it back together, I left the lower piece in place since I thought it was a separate item. I did more reading online and read of one person who had theirs split like mine. It struck me that maybe the extra thickness with that piece included in the "sandwich" was preventing me from pushing the collar down far enough to turn. I took that piece out and everything went together fine.

Hey thanks for coming back and posting your solution, it may help the next guy in your position. I hate looking for a solution only to find someone asking the same question and then later post "Never mind, I solved it." Whenever I run into that I'm like... WHAT DID YOU SEE!?

Usually computer related, but I guess that's my own fault for poking at the bios and registry.

I was going to ask if you were installing an OEM or Marlin Crawler bushing as the MC specifically states to NOT reuse the rubber washer as their UHMW disks are slightly taller than OEM to accommodate for the absent gasket.

Absolutely. I always like to bring my questions to closure, so that the next person reading it doesn't have to stumble through it as I might have. I'm just like you in that I hate looking for an obscure problem's solution and reading the "don't worry; fixed it".

I am using a Marlin Crawler shifter seat. I read a lot of their documentation, but I don't remember reading about the rubber washer. I still need to take it out for a test drive, but shifting is noticeably less spongy.

Glad you got it figured out! BTW, when someone says it took them half an hour they're probably downplaying it from 2 hours. Kind of like when I say I've been with 16 women in 2 weeks.

Don't feel bad sir, it took me about an hour to fix the shifter. All came out and went back in easy, but wrangling the little bushings in took me about 25 minutes. And I didn't look at an instruction thread like I should have.

Shoot, I saw this too late.

The exact same thing happened to me last year.

Glad you figured it out.

We know you've had more than 16 ladies in the last 2 weeks

Thanks I was really putting a lot of torque on it last night and it wouldn't budge. I'm pretty happy now that I have it figured out.

After my first test drive, I can report that shifting is nice! It is not too firm or too notchy, but I also don't mind a little notchy feeling. I like my shifting to be solid and precise (my other car is a 6MT G35). I did a bunch of stops and starts in first gear; it only used to slip out of gear in first. Everything went fine, but only time will tell if this is fully fixed. It was a sporadic problem that usually only happened when cold. In the end, I would highly recommend this modification for any 5-speed 4Runner, whether or not you are experiencing shifting/gear issues. The one complaint I have: Marlin Crawler charged me $10.45 (the cheapest shipping option) and the piece arrived in a simple padded envelope. That's a little excessive if you ask me. Overall - worth it!

So what were the parts you replaced? Mine shifts fine except it's a little stiff going into 1st.

I replaced only the shifter seat/bushing. The one I used for my R150F transmission is the white one at this site: Heavy Duty Seats

I did not replace the lower nylon socket at the bottom of the shifter, but some people do that part as well. Once I had the seat in place, I coated the contact surface with a little multi-purpose grease. I cleaned the "ball" piece of the shifter thoroughly and put it in place. I put a little bearing grease on the outside of the collar and reinstalled it.

Get the LCE short throw kit, it replaces all the wear parts and feels way better than the stock w59 setup.

Ok, you have me interested but still skeptical I have had short throw shifters on performance cars that I have owned. I am fine not having a performance shifter on my SUV. I wonder, what are the drawbacks?

1. Is there any greater chance of slipping out of gear, like I was experiencing? I'm guessing not, since you said it replaces all wear parts.

2. Would this be an advantage or a hindrance in offroad driving? The main focus of this vehicle for me is trails, snow, rocks, while I still want it to be comfortable on-road.

It's not super short, it really just gets rid of any slop in the system, the shortening of the throw from gear to gear is very easy to get used to, it also feels much more precise. I'd say it puts it kind of in the range a regular sports car shifter would be in. Zero popping out of gear, actually makes it easier to go into first due to having less slop, it also uses a UHMW shifter seat that is much slicker than the factory rubber, so it makes going from gear to gear pretty seamless.

Most of my offroad driving is mid to high speed trails, and I feel like it gives me more tactile feedback than the stock shifter, and makes it easier for me to hit shifts while focusing on more important tasks like not running into anything.

I've had it for a few months and wouldn't change a thing, wish I would've sprung for it sooner in fact.