How to fix a shimano shifter that won't shift 

Joey, My front shifter is doing the exact same thing. Is it the same procedure?

I recently bought a used bike. I wasn’t able to shift to half of the gears. I thought something was broken and was going to replace the shifter, but I saw your video and tried to fix it myself. It works now. Thanks!

Thank you! My front shifter wouldn't click up to the highest gear and this fixed it. I didn't take anything apart...just sprayed a crap load of WD-40 into the shifter and worked the gears back & forth until it began working again. Repeated on the rear shifter and got it working better than ever!

Thanks Joey, I thought my Shimano ST-EF29-8 Speed on my Raleigh Tandem were done as I was out for a ride and they would not shift up to a harder gear, so I only had the front triple chain ring to work with. After getting back home, I thought I would look up this shifter and I would probably have to order another set. Then, like so many other things, I thought i'll just try and see if there is a fix on RU-vid and I happened upon your video. I have a lot of experience fixing bikes, but his shifter is a little older and I was unfamiliar with the internal mechanism. Your video made it easy and it did fix my rear shifter, so I also did the same thing to the front shifter. Thank you, you rock!

Joey, I LOVE YOU.. You just saved me more than $40 and lots of headache rewiring my Specialized HardRock. I thought for sure my shifter was broke, but after watching your video, I went out and tried your trick and OMG!!! IT WORKED!!! Genius level stuff right here folks!! THANKS A MILLION!!

Thanks!! Great!! I repared it my self! A friend told me that I should check the front derailleur??

Very common indeed. I hope this will keep people from replacing stuff that can be fixed. The sticky pawl pivot issue also may apply to older internal gear hubs, cassette bodies, freewheels and electrical switches. If a n y mechanism shows odd slowed down movement that rust or dryness wouldn't bring hardened grease is the problem. If you can reach the separate parts clean them and relube. Like in the shifter of course, you don't really look forward at disassembling it so the new lubricant sort of cleans out the old. Sometimes a pitch of heat from a micro burner right on the end of the pivot axle without blueing anything or overheating any springs can help speed things up. Freewheels and thelike can be heated to about 80 degrees celcius in engine oil or some SAE90 gear oil. Cables: The old style WD40 straw that never stays in the sprayhead(drill 2mm horizontally right up to the center and force the straw in for good-the complete head you now made is interchangable with the new Smart Straw head) fits into cables. For 4mm o.d. shifter cables use a so called "chili pepper". The braided inner cable will happily soak it up. Some lubricants are more likely to get sticky than others. The sticky winner is vegetable oil, chain spray can't be trusted, the most stable may be engine oil.

My shifter wasn't changing 3 high gears, ended up being gunk in the rear mech, a bit of WD40 fixed it.

Joey....thanks for putting this video together. Very informative! I had the exact same problem that you described. I haven't fixed it yet. Will let you know how it goes. Thank you sir. Very kind of you.

Bike shop told me my shifters “won’t come back to life”. I’m going to try this.

Great video....well delivered, clear, concise instruction/explanations...good camera angles & lighting...but most importantly, well spoken and explained in an easy to understand manner.. Great job! Thanks

Thank you! Sitting 20 years. 20 minutes later and im as good as new.

Thanks so much! I was looking to replace the shifter, and stumbled across your video. Excellent video!

I still ride a Gary Fisher '99 Aquila with thumb shift that was not working well, and I misdiagnosed that I would need to adjust cable tension. This was what I needed- worked exactly as shown. Thank you.

I had the exact issue with a 3x9 deore drive train, and this fixed it right up. You, sir, are a gentleman and a scholar, and I thank you.

Hi Joey, I followed your advice today and finally got my front shifter working again, thanks for the video it was really useful!

Joey, another success !!!. Thank you for posting this “fix”. Had my old shifters going again in five minutes......and five stars to you ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️.

God dam man you are amazing thank you. A bottle of brake cleaner and WD-40 fixed both my shifters ! And the shop wanted to just change them. Amazing

Me buying new one😗

I didn't have WD-40, so I tried silicone spray. It didn't work. I then reasoned that if the issue is grease, isopropyl alcohol might work, so I put 30 ml of alcohol in a syringe and blasted every hole in the shifter. It worked! I never would have thought of doing that if it weren't for this video.

Thank you! Saved me from buying a new shifter. That really is a simple fix.

I just want to buy you a cup of coffee for this tip. Thanks!

This worked perfectly, thank you. I had a really nasty stuck shifter here, that took several minutes of rocking back and forth with a small screwdriver - but when the penetration oil finally went in the gap, the pawl worked like before.

In my case, it took me some considerable time to work out that the problem had occurred because the "bullet" on the cable end had popped out of the pocket in the shifter and was then able to jam the mechanism. Went back easily enough and normal service seems restored. I do not know why this happened, because the cable was never completely slack as far as I know.

Oh man, thanks... you saved my bike! :D

Mine still doesnt work even with this. Its just not catching. Its literally a DAY OLD shifter and it just stopped catching

Thank you very much for this video. My bike hung in the garage for a few years. The front shifting was fine, bit the rear would only shift 3 gears, then stop. The only penetrating oil I had was WD40, and I did not want to use that. I sprayed some GUNK Silicone Spray inside the shifter and after about 30 minutes, it just started working. Excellent video!!!!

Good job, but you could of saved time by heating the bottom (after removing the plastic cover) with a heat gun or blow dryer. it very quickly break the hammer lose from the gunk, then apply the lube.

It works 😃

Great tips, thank you for making your video short, understandable and taking pix of the shifter while you talk (not the floor or ceiling like a lot of videos). Nice shop! I've been giving my legs quite a work out in higher gears because I put this off for so long...had to do birthdays, Christmas, taxes and now fighting Coronavirus in health care...but my vice is bike riding so had to git-r-done now because I pull a trainer with kids and sports gear!!

it works😃

Joey ... it's been six years since you posted this video ... and it still came to my rescue. I watched several other presentations, but yours was the only one I saw that addressed this issue as clearly and effectively. I was ready to order a new shifter...but your insights helped me fix the current one...all is well and I am grateful. Thank you!

Thank you for this video, I had the same trouble with my Shimano STI shifter on my old Diamondback Mountain bike. The front shifter wouldn't shift to the largest chain ring. Using your technique I got it working again.

Guess what, back working perfectly, #wd40,I was going to buy a replacement, Thanks 👍🏼

You are the Man! Thanks for the tips, I had a “Wingman Day” trail ride in Colorado Springs this morning with my base buddies - and had to only use the front shifter (so it was a Three speed!). This seemed to work great so next time I’ll be ready. It is a 1994 Bridgestone MB-1 with Shimano XT Deore 8-speed...

What if you dont have WD40? What can i use?

Thank you for this video.Thought my shifter was worn out with years of service but this tip got it working like new.Priced a new shifter ar local store £24 this tip Priceless.Cheers Brother.

I tried this on an old Specialized w/ a 3x left shifter not working 1-2 OK, but not 2-3rd. It didn't fix it after 1 attempt - and then I noticed I hole in the case - and figured they'd get dirty again quick, even if I could get it working. Next, when I found a new SET (both shifters) on Amazon for $30, free shipping, I went w/ that solution - yes, even for a cheapskate like me. Had it been a junk bike, I'd make do, or junk it out totally, but this is my best bike, and the oldest.

Hey man, this worked perfectly, thanks for the tutorial! After some working it back and forth and cleaning out 10 years worth of dust, it works perfectly again! My thanks to you Joey!

dude! I have this exact problem on my 2003 stumpjumper!!!! About 5 years ago, the front shifter did this and I had the shop fix it . . . But, now with COVID, there are no shops. !!!!!!!!

Genius! I could see which part was causing the trouble with this 20 y.o. XTR 9 setup ... just not how to fix it. One blast of WD40 and we're all good :)

I managed to "fix" the Deore shifter on my 2004 Sirrus Comp by removing the cover plate and applying a small squirt of CLP then just working the levers until everything freed up. Not a permanent fix, but it got the bike on the street after nearly 12 years in storage.

Great information but too much camera movement , otherwise excellent advice because I’m having this very problem , thank you .

Terrible advice. I didn't have a screwdriver so I used a hammer then when I got the cover off I didn't have any wd40 so I used an angle grinder. My shifter is now in about 60 pieces. Thanks for nothing! Jerk

I have a brand new electric folding bike. It seem to shift ok except if you shift to 5,6,7 it has problems wth higher gears. I think its the angle or something that got moved in shipping. Like I said 1-4 work fine. And the down shift button works OK.

Can you help. Mine will click but not change on the 1-8 gauge? Would this be same fix? Thanks.

Mine 3x9 SL-M530 looks different and only reaches ~half of the gear range (both sides) I tried spray oil and identify stuck elements but no success - any ideas?

THANK YOU! Dang, and I was about to buy new shifters...

Any tips if the shifter sounds like it's firing correctly (clicks correctly) but the cable doesn't move (moving to smaller rear cogs), firing and pulling cable at the rear doesn't budge it. I'm suspecting it's the cable may have moisture inside the sleeve and it's freezing as it only occurs in winter, and taking the bike in for a few hours fixes it, but then 40 mins riding in sub zero, and the rear jams again.

I had the same problem as you show here, however before I saw your presentation I tried to (forcibly) tighten one of the light springs and managed to completely ruined it. Are these springs easy to replace and install?

hey man i wanted to change my cable of my shift and i dessembled the whole thing thinking i could reattach all now i have a bike without a shift 🤣 can u make a video while u show how to rebuild all of that pls man i really need to see giw to reattach

really appreciated. It removes my problem w/o any replacement!!! Thanks a lot!

Joey I need parts for my Shimano shifter I have a broken spring and I misplaced the cover and screw do you know where I can purchase parts? Thanks J

Mine had a piece of plastic that broke off from screw shaft blocking the shift action. Still needed lube.

Wow! Same exact issue as shown here on a pretty nice and light bike. I was going to hvae to put on the bike rack on the car and take it in to someplace to fix (and probably not cheap). Took a few minutes to fix. Thanks!!!

I have a shimano shifter and I'm not too good at fixing bikes and this might help as I'm just learning to maintain my own bike as I've spent too much money in bike shops whenever I have a problem which is alot my shifter currently won't shift I've adjusted the cable on the derailer now let's see if this helps 😁

Will Finish Line Brake Cleaner do the job when fixing the shimano gear shifter ?

Hi Mr. Joey i'm from Indonesia,, how to unload and install the shimano deore 2 speed shifter, which is on the left..thanks

My acura front shifter gave out. Was going to gear up, and i heard A snap. Entire thing holding cable back broke as its crappy plastic

This video was extremely helpful to me. Thank you

Thank you so so very much. I had tried every adjustment needed and finally being fed up decided to take it to a repair shop which would have easily cost me 500-1000 Indian rupees. Came across your video and as advised I opened up the shifters sprayed WD40 and voila....it's working now. You saved me effort, time and money. Thank you once again.

My front shifter was working well but suddenly it is not working and the cable is losing what could be the problem, sir?

I tried to fx it but it goes from highest gear to lowest gear.. After that it just move to gear 1 & 2 only.. No 3rd gear.. The rear derailleur already rusted..

This video doesn't cut it for integrated shifter brake levers. Appreciate one on this setup. Thank you

I kinda figured it was something like this. Now that I know which way to come at it, the fix will be a breeze!

Great video! Thank you Master. This was very helpful.

Imma try this out. If it works, you probably saved me $30 to $100

My shifter will shift 8-5 then it stops. Is this still the same problem? It wont shift or click past 5. It will not got to 4-1. anyone???

nope didn't work for me, mine were fairly new as well. Bike was stored indoors at normal room temp and I use it regually. Shimano gears suck is my opinion

I just watched a guy take one of these apart, hell no! Spray it, get it loose and lube it again.

Have you got a video on repairing the red gear indicator. Mine has stopped moving. Everything else ok.

It literally just needs to be oiled. Problem solved (there is a little pawl in the shifter that can sometimes get stuck just oil it)

Just got my old Kona back that I lent to friend and which he never used in a decade. Had precisely this problem and this video helped me solve it. Cheers from rainy Scotland

I had a very problematic shifter that penetrating oil and degreaser couldn't solve. I tried boiling water poured into it and it worked instantly. Fresh lube after that and it worked well. Hope it helps!

Hey my thumb shifter goes down to number its supposed to go up while the index one goes up, how should I fix this?

Thanks for the video. This worked perfectly.

Dude you just saved my fucking life thank you.

I am trying that tomorrow for sure. Thanks for the idea

Fixed my front shifter in a couple of minutes. Thank you.

Thank you- this helped me on a slightly different shifter

Thanks for this, brown gunge successfully removed. Shifters working again. :)

thanks a lot pal, you saved me some $$$

Can't believe how well this worked. My problem exactly! Thanks SO MUCH.

i just want to tell you that i had this problem and YOU SAVED ME!!! THIS WORKED BEAUTIFLLY AND I LUV YOU BRO!!! THANK YOU!!!!!

Just what I needed. Thanks! Mine works perfectly now.

Thanks! I had a different problem, but your video showing that the thing won't explode if the cover is removed and how it works inside gave me what I needed to fix my problem.

I removed the lid and errously removed the nut, holding all parts together. I reassembled, but all gangs are not working any longer. Any video available on dismantling the unit, or is this not done and should I buy a new one?

just took my trek 930 down from hanging in the rafters and this was exactly what mine was doing. now i can fix by myself...thx for video

Thanks Joey my Shimano Deore LX shifter from 2000 had been in storage for ages and I only had a few clicks this worked great took it apart and sure enough the grease had caked up. Works like new now and saved me some money there well done!

Man you turn that sifter into fully auto with that quick trigger

I have exactly this model shifter on my bike, with exactly the same failure. In the bike shop they claimed it is "beyond repair" and they sold me some new shifters. Now withouth having to loose nothing, I opened the old ones, cleaned them and slightly relubricated them with a thin oil. Everything works fine again. Just like in your excellent video! So there was no need at all to buy new shifters.

thanks

Merci beaucoup You saved me € 150 cause my dealer said that this common problem needed to be fixed by replacing the shifter-set.

Your video was exactly my issue. Took about 2 hours of WD 40 and fiddling with it to finally free it up.

Mine is not working do you have instagram so we can speak pls?

Holy moley, that was easy. Thanks!

Thanks! My 25 year old bike with Deore shifters was would only move 3 gears. I just removed the cover and sprayed a lot of PB Blaster on and let it sit and hour then shifted it a few times and that did it.

Wow .. thanks for the video. I just bought a used e-bike with a speed shifter .. and had no idea how to use it. Pretty simple and well designed .. I'm saving this in case I ever need it .. thanks again.

The narrator sounds like Saul Goodman😎

Than you Bro 👍