The shift lever boot may be removed in order to access gearbox components, to replace a broken shift lever base-ring, or to replace leaky lever assembly gasket, or while installing floor and tunnel heat shield insulation. The boot, when installed properly, will reduce excess transmission heat and underbody noise into the cabin.

To remove shift lever booting using your fingers, simply pinch and pull the rubber booting out from one corner to the other. The insulation foam underneath the boot may make pulling the boot out in certain corners a difficult task. Use a flat head screw driver to gently pull out boot rubber in areas that cannot be pulled out easily by fingers. Once the boot has been loosened, proceed to removing the high and low gear shifter button, unscrewing them by hand in a counter-clockwise direction. Remove buttons. Slide up and remove shift lever boot. To remove the shift lever assembly, proceed by first removing the gray insulation foam located underneath. Use a flat head screw driver to pull out the insulation carefully to avoid puncturing the insulation material. Once loosened, slide and remove insulation. You will find four bolts mounting the shift lever assembly to the gearbox. These bolts must be removed in order to replace a leaky shift lever assembly gasket, or to replace the base-lever ring. Unbolt all four bolts. Remove assembly. Pictures above and to the left show assembly removed, base-lever O- ring, boot, insulation, and assembly gasket. Refer to LT77S gearbox, R380, Clutch, and LT230-T transfer box pages for more information.