Ive installed it into my 2001 Outback but im sure its not too different between models or even cars in general...
Here are the tools required
Take your gear knob and untwist until it cant anymore
Gently pull the whole surround towards the back of the car until it unclips. My tabs broke and yours probably will too. No biggy, it still reattaches no dramas
Take out the tray by unscrewing the 2 scrwes holding it in place
Pull off these white clip things holding the rubber and foam down.
Rubber and foam will now lift out
You will now see what holds it all together
Undo bolt from the linkage. I used pliers to hold the bolt in place and spanner to remove the nut.
Now that the shifter is loose, turn it 180 deg and use leverage to up-pop it from its socket. This will take some effort.
Clean off grease from old shifter
Take out the old shifter's innards
Put them into the new one
Put new grease into the socket. I'm using bearing grease. Not sure if its the right stuff but it seems to be working ok
In the easiest order:
-Secure new shifter to linkage with existing nut and bolt. This is easier to do before it is popped back into the socket.
-Using rubber mallet, whack the shifter back into the socket
-Tighten the bolt until it feels comfortable to use. The tighter you go, the harder it is to select a gear. Its not hard to get back down there and alter it if you get it wrong the first time
Put all the foam/rubber/clips back together
Put tray back on using the 2 existing screws
Put gear surround back on; lining up the tabs into the holes either side of the tray or if they are broken off, line it all up and push, it will click in.
Tighten gear knob back into place
Viola
Enjoy your happy short shifting days
I have a demo video uploading but its taking too long so ill finish it off later.
