Originally Posted by
mohair sam
The shifter itself seems to be the problem, it's like it doesn't have a grip on the cable to pull it, so it can only shift in the other direction. I'm a little nervous to tear the shifter apart and examine it, but I guess I can't make it any worse than it already is.
Thanks again for your help. Any other suggestions?
What else have people done with their 90's GT mountain bikes?
Sounds like the ratcheting pawl is not grabbing. Could be old dried up grease keeping it from moving (its a tiny bit of metal on a tiny spring). Or springs are old and weakened.
might try popping the cover off the shifter, then spraying all the internals with solvent(wd40) let it dry (compressed air jet), then soak it all in fresh spray lubricant (tri-flow).
If that doesn't work, I've had occasional luck with rebending the worn out springs.
could also replace the whole shifter pod with a cheap friction lever, those pretty much are bulletproof.