Knob attach and release mechanism for stick shift of a vehicle

A shift knob assembly for a stick shaft of a vehicle, a stick shift shaft coupled to the transmission of the vehicle, the stick shift shaft defining an annular retention groove, comprising:

• a shift knob;
• a mounting sleeve secured to the shift knob, the mounting sleeve being adapted to slide closely onto the stick shift shaft, the mounting sleeve having at least one hole extending laterally through sleeve, the at least one hole having a larger opening a first end thereof and a smaller opening at a second end thereof to provide a retaining lip, the at least one hole adapted to align with the retaining groove when the mounting sleeve is received on the stick shift shaft;
• at least one retaining ball retained in the at least one hole by the retaining lip at the second end;
• a retaining sleeve coaxial about the mounting sleeve and axially slidable relative to the mounting sleeve between attach and release positions, the retaining sleeve having an eccentric surface acting upon the retaining ball during the transition between the release and attach positions, the retaining sleeve urging the ball radially inwardly when in the attach position such that a portion of the retaining ball projects inwardly beyond the retaining lip such that the at least one retaining ball engages the retention groove when aligned with the retaining groove;
• and
• a biasing mechanism urging the retaining sleeve toward the attach position.