What is this piece and how do I secure it?

[avantbenz]

Noticed a new and strange shifting pattern the other day and opened the hood to see this out of place. That's a new development. I popped it back into place and shifting returned to normal (still need to troubleshoot it because normal isn't great but at least it is consistent). It has the tendency to pop out every once in a while and then I pop it back in - no harm, no foul.

Is there a fastener that is missing? Here is a link to the Imgur album showing a few pictures of what is out of place (and then showing what it looks like when I pop it back into place): https://imgur.com/a/rCkRSav

Any ideas? I'm not sure what the piece is called so it was hard to run a search for information on it.

[Alec300SD]

You are missing a circlip that goes into the groove on the end of the shaft.
MB Part Number 006799007007 (also called a Lock Plate or E clip)

[avantbenz]

You are such an amazing resource. Thank you.

[avantbenz]

Piece arrived in the mail but I'm not sure how to attach it. It looks like a crescent moon with teeth. I'll try to take a picture later. It definitely doesn't look like it merely slips on the end of the rod that keeps falling out though. Any ideas?

[TJ 450]

Circlips or e clips as you describe need to be pressed on with a pair of pliers or similar. It sits in the groove on the end of the shaft.

If it doesn't fit then its likely the rectangular keyed spring clip you require.

Tim

[avantbenz]

Update: I finally got the piece on. I removed the piece held on with two bolts on top of what I believe in the valve cover in order to give me some more room. Make sure you hold on to that piece very tightly with the pliers - it's small and not something you want to lose! It also requires some manipulation to get it on the end of the shaft. Before I even tried (the second time) I cleaned the groove so it was nice and smooth and applied a small amount of wd-40 to give it some slip so I could get that stubborn e-clip on. I ended up wiggling it on with a lot of force and had the best luck coming in from the side (as opposed to top down).

Hope it helps someone else in the future! I was getting sick of having to pop that shaft back in every few days.