Short Shifter

[Jay72]

if there was now space between first and second where would the neutral go?
nick

I just hoped that I wouldn't feel that neutral shift so distinctly. Almost like I have to shove it into gear. I remember my friends MR2 shifter was so smooth that you could practically tap the shifter into gear.

[mazdamx3sohc]

so do thisi know my pacesetter shifter is adjustable. get the pacesetter adjust it so that its very low inside the car, wich means it hangs lower under the car to make the throw stronger, that also makes the throw in and out of gears much shorter 1 and 2 are like an inch apart, then you can cut the top of the shifter shorter and rethread it to where you would like so that its even smaller between gears. hope that helps.

[Jay72]

so do thisi know my pacesetter shifter is adjustable. get the pacesetter adjust it so that its very low inside the car, wich means it hangs lower under the car to make the throw stronger, that also makes the throw in and out of gears much shorter 1 and 2 are like an inch apart, then you can cut the top of the shifter shorter and rethread it to where you would like so that its even smaller between gears. hope that helps.

The problem isn't the throw distance (the B&M sts reduced my throw quite significantly) it's the EFFORT that I have to put into shifting that I'm not sure about. I don't know if it should be that hard ,specifically for the B&M shifter.

[mazdamx3sohc]

what do you mean hard? literally hard? you probably over tightened the shifter at the bottom and/or didnt use enough of the supplied lube.

[Bochek]

or your shifters so short that the mechanical disadvantage is so great that friction is overcoming your strenght.

try making the shift a bit longer.

Bochek

[mazdamx3sohc]

or your shifters so short that the mechanical disadvantage is so great that friction is overcoming your strenght.

try making the shift a bit longer.

Bochek

no the shifter just needs a bit of time to adapt to its new surrounding, it will wear in right were its sposed to be, give it like a week from the day you put it in.

[mx3dude]

That's very strange to me that your B&M feels tight and takes a bit of effort to operate, Jay. I had no problems whatsoever the second I got my car off the jacks and drove off. I immediately noticed a MUCH smoother shift into every gear, definetly more so than my stock shifter. I can't see that it would be a lubricant problem because the shifter housing is made of bronzoil, which is self lubricating. The only real purpose of the lube applied to the outside of the housing is to make installation easier, or applied anywhere else for that matter. I would say that the shifter may not be seated correctly/fully, or that the shifter may be backwards maybe? The only other thing I can think of is a problem possibly down at your linkage. If it was installed incorrectly/loosely, you may be creating weird angles or friction where the linkage attaches to your tranny.

Hope this helps,
Chris

[mazdamx3sohc]

in that case the bushings are probably worn i found a topic on it last night that had pictures and all on replacing them, where the bootom of the shifter bolts to the pole, fallow that to the engine, at the end of the pole there is bushings, those wear and make it wobblie. hope that helps any.

[jamario]

I'm planning to buy a Fidanza short shifter.Is this a good decision. Does anybody has this mod

[mx3dude]

jamario

PostPosted: 24 April 2006, 09:29 Post subject:
I'm planning to buy a Fidanza short shifter.Is this a good decision. Does anybody has this mod

After doing a little research, I think B&M is the way to go. Although Fidanza produces very good products, it doesn't seem too different from a Pacesetter, which I believe is cheaper. I personally think that B&M is better because of the housing it comes with and the fact that B&M is a known, proven name in short shifters... and it has a 1 million mile warranty. Main point, I didn't see anything special with Fidanza. You can grab a B&M off Ebay for $96 shipped.

Hope this helps,
Chris

[tallymx3]

I agree with mx3dude i have a B&M short shifter and would totally recommend.

[Jay72]

Well, I think you're right mx3dude. Here's another thread that would probably explain why my shifting is "off". It definately isn't installed backwards and it isn't too short as it is not an adjustable shifter like the Pacesetter. If it's supposed to be installed like it is in that first picture then mine isn't far in enough. Like the bottom of thread says, I don't know how to install it like this without ruining anything.
http://www.mx-3.com/phpbb2/viewtopic.php?t=45808

[mx3dude]

Lol, mine isn't even installed that far down into the "shift hole" as I call it. If that's how far it's supposed to be, then mine isn't far down enough either, but it's still smooth as hell when shifting. Like I said earlier in this thread, I couldn't reinstall the retaining spring after the B&M was in either. I was practically standing on the thing and it wasn't going down any further, nor was it coming up for anything. So I don't know what's causing the harshness because it seems like our shifters are installed about the same, but one is harsh and one is smooth. Maybe try and get your shifter further down, let me know how it goes and how you do it.

Good luck,
Chris

[Grants]

The other thing you can do is modify your OEM shifter:
http://eunos30x.com/howtos/shifterswap/index.html

[Jay72]

No thanks. I spent alot of money on the shifter so I'm using it. Maybe I'll try to get it in a little further and finally replace those other bushings at the front end of the rod.