awesome!!  

Gotta run, advance auto closes in 10 minutes

Good Luck.

All I have to say is WOW!

You guys are awesome...especially lil_truck for giving me the quick responses at the last minute last night.  I just wanted to say thanks to everyone who helped me, without you guys I would have never known what to do.  No one here locally knew anything about it.  They all said put thinner fluid in it...  Anyway, I will post again when I have enough time...Going to get my digital camera and take a pic of the water that came out.  There was about a third of a cup of dirty water in there.  I just went out and checked this morning and it shifts just like normal!  Anyway, will post more ASAP with a pic of that nasty water!

Thanks a million guys!

Bryan

This was a great thread. We should make this a sticky. Or at least in a FAQ topic or something.. He isn't the first person to have asked about a frozen shifter.

Now ya just gotta be careful with those deep water/high pressure/speed water crossings.

~Nate

Not ya just gotta be careful with those deep water/high pressure/speed water crossings.

~Nate

Is there any other kind  

Glad it all work out for ya.

Kinda on the subject:

Has anyone come up with a good replacement boot for the shifter where it meet the trany?

My fix right now (mine was cracked) was to use a pedal bike intertube.  It fit nice and tight around the base where I used a zip tie to hold it in place.  I made it around 6+inches long so that it ended just under the interior boot.  I then used 3M (high quality) electrical tape to seal the top of the boot to the shifter.

Seems to be working ok.  So what has others done?

Note:  On electrical tape.  You ever notice at Home Depot you can get a stack of electrical tape for $5 or you can get one roll of 3M for $3.  All I can say is you get what you pay for.  This is one area I'd never skimp on.

So, uh, what happens when someone does this? Not saying I did, but what if??  

Ummm............? (In regards to filling the tranny at the point where the shifter goes into the tranny.)

Nothing, it never got to the trany though, but your shifter should be well lubricated!

If you think your trany needs to be toped off pull the side fill plug.  The oil should be level with the plug.

ANGTHER NOTE:  Dont drain the transmission untill you get the fill plug out.  That goes for the Transfercase, and Diffs also.  Several people have had this problem.  I always done it that way,until what I've read on this board, and have just got lucky to have no problems (for once).

Wasn't me going through the water in the first place...  The guy I bought it from went thru a hole that came up over the hood...  I won't go thru anything that deep anytime soon.  I need to seal up the top of that shifter with something...

I do have one question.  The inner rubber shift boot...is that supposed to be right side up like the outer boot, or upside down pointing down toward the ground.  Mine was upside down, so that's how I put it back...Just curious.

It's snowing here now, so as soon as I can get pics up I will...

Thanks again guys, O and I think making this a sticky is a great idea.  I know no one around here knew anything about it, so you guys were my saving grace.  

Bryan

The boot goes up when the truck is stock.  With a 3" body lift, the boot rides up on the shift lever and there's too much travel.

So people flip them upside down or leave them out.

Gotcha    Well I brought my digicam with me today so when I get off work I'll try to snap a couple pics of that muddy water that came out...

Bryan

OK BRIAN...THIS HAS BEEN MY PROBLEM HERE IN UPSTATE NY AS WELL. BEEN LOOKING AT POSTS FOR A FEW HOURS SINCE I'VE HAD NO TIME IN PAST 6 MONTHS OR SO TO KEEP UP WITH THINGS AROUND HERE. BUT WALLA HERE'S MY SAME PROBLEM AS YOU HAVE STATED. MINE WOULD AT 1ST BREAK FREE WHEN TRUCK WARMED UP, BUT WITH THE LATEST COLD TREND I'VE HAD TO PHYSICALLY BREAK IT LOOSE & THEN IT SHIFTS JUST FINE.
     I JUST HAD MY FRIEND CHANGE THE FLUIDS IN THE MOTOR, FRONT & REAR DIFFS, THE TRANSFER CASE & OF COURSE THE TRANSMISSION. I FIGURED SINCE HE OFFERED TO DO IT I COULDN'T PASS UP THE WHOLE ANCHALOTTA sp.  
  BUT STILL TO NO AVAIL IT WAS ACTING AS IF THERE WAS A KNUCKLE OR YOKE OR SOMETHING FREEZING UP AT THE BOTTOM OF THE STICK. SO WE WERE GONNA TEAR THIS APART THE NEXT TIME WE HAD A SPARE MOMENT. NOW I'LL HAVE A BETTER IDEA WHAT TO DO ONCE I GET IT APART. SO DON'T FEEL LIKE A DUMB AZZ CAUSE YOU HAVE HELPED ANOTHER ZUKER OUT WITH YOUR QUESTION.
INEW I COULD ASK THE QUESTION AND GET AN ANSWER, BUT I TRIED THE SEARCH OPTION FIRST AND SHAZAM HERE WAS MY ANSWER , AS I WAS THINKING IT WOULD BE WATER ON TOP, CAUSE THE FLUID IN THE TRANNY WAS MILKY.
        THANKS MATTY D.

The boot goes up when the truck is stock.  With a 3" body lift, the boot rides up on the shift lever and there's too much travel.

So people flip them upside down or leave them out.

Anyone ever try a set of shock boots of a dirtbike? They come is sets of 2....

OK BRIAN...THIS HAS BEEN MY PROBLEM HERE IN UPSTATE NY AS WELL. BEEN LOOKING AT POSTS FOR A FEW HOURS SINCE I'VE HAD NO TIME IN PAST 6 MONTHS OR SO TO KEEP UP WITH THINGS AROUND HERE. BUT WALLA HERE'S MY SAME ...<SNIP>

Try using water proof grease.. It may seperate the water from the grease enough to keep it from freezing.