Sure, it is easy to slide the plastic cover upwards, it is the resassembly/sealing that is a stinker. Trying to clean that plastic is near impossible, very difficult to reseal properly. You might get lucky and have the gasket either stay in place or stick only to the cover when you slide it up, but I wouldn’t know anything about that kind of luck. But, in the end, you may have no choice. Be sure to order a new gasket, and the retaining clip that is supposed to be on the shift rod to prevent it from pulling out of there in the first place.
PS: If you do have to replace the gasket, be very careful. The gasket is “almost” identical/symmetrical, but not quite. It will fit in place the “wrong way”, so be sure to make sure you have it right.
