Last night the ashtray was stuck 1/2 way open and would not close. I couldn't reach under to see what was jammed in there so I removed the shift knob to pull the boot. (I did the short shifter on my S4 & the knob is threaded & the boot just pops off.) I twisted off the shift knob & noticed that the boot did not lift off the shifter. I popped off the whole boot & trim & found that the spring had come off the ashtray.

Anyways, my problem is that I can't get the shift knob to go all the way back on now. It has a white tape inside & it seems to have air pressure keeping the knob from going all the way back on. ALso, the knob twists really easily & won't stay in place. Hope I didn't ruin it.

Any suggestions?

Ew. You twisted off the shift knob? That's unfortunate because it doesn't twist off. It is held on with a hose clamp. To get it off you first need to pop off the wood trim piece at the base of the leather boot and then lift the whole assembly consisting of the wood trim and leather boot up over the knob so that the leather boot is inverted. This will reveal a hose clamp at the base of the knob that you loosen and then the knob, wood trim and boot can all be lifted away as a single assembly.

I am not sure what damage you may have done to your shift knob. Hopefully none, but it doesn't sound good. Good luck with it. If you need anymore specific pointers, ask away. I am the guy that put a UUC short shifter in.