Originally Posted by
jimmuller
Hmm, the one I took out easily did not have that clip, part 17. FWIW, it would seem unnecessary.
Originally Posted by
Cougrrcj
The 'clip' holds the three [curved plates] together at the 'notch' in the middle of them, not at the aft end.
And it holds the whole assembly together as a unit, facilitating installation. You could presumably use a rubber band to do the same thing, but it would likely disintegrate over time so if/when you remove the shifter, it would come apart instead of remaining as a unit. Probably not a big deal as long as you retrieve all the pieces.