I agree it's in a **** of a spot, and the LH AC drain drips onto it, too.
I stripped and rebuilt mine back in December and it had bugger all moisture inside, but enough to stop the car starting. The joys of lots of causeways here and lots of rain. And an AC that runs all year round. I think we're the second wettest part of the state? (no where near what Tully, Nth Qld or Darwin cop though!)
It used to regularly throw trans faults/limp mode/3rd gear whenever I drove through a causeway, too. <_<
I used a nice smear of silicone grease on the O ring and packed the cable entry, too. How long it lasts before playing up again = how long is a piece of string?
You will still need that cable and lever to move the internal piston to manually change gears on the trans, but how much mucking around is there to move the micro switches to the shifter area?
Anything can be done with time and $$, I've just never thought about it.
I suppose it's the compromise that happens when you convert a fully hydro-mechanical trans to electronic vs a clean sheet of paper ECU controlled 'box.
