I had to replace the gasket between the shifter cover plate and the transfer case, which required removing the shifter. You can see the orientation of the spring in these pictures.
Here is a crappy picture of when I pulled it:
Here it is after I cleaned up the mating surface. Not sure the orientation of how I am holding it in the picture but you get the idea.
Basically when installed correctly, the spring puts pressure on the left side of the bottom of the shaft, pushing it to the left as others have mentioned.
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2000 SR5 3.4, Manual, 4x4
Icon 2.5 extended coilovers & 2.0 rear, JBA UCAs
265/75R16 General Grabber X3 on LC80s
Full Skid Plates