B&M SHORT SHIFTER PROBLEM!@#$

[TOOgreezy]

i recently installed a B&M 40% throw reduction shifter
and everytime i travel far away... something weird happens
if im on the highway doin like 100-140 for a whileee it becomes stifff when shifting
so when i wobble the stick from side to side it'll get stuck on the side i push it to unless i manually put it back...
once i let tthe car cool down for a bit then it goes back to normal bouncing back in the middle...

my thoughts was maybe the heat from the exhaust is making it stiff up which makes it harder to shift .. because it only happens when im going fast for a while

i heard it can also be tranny :s but its weird because my stock shifter did not have this problem

what do u guys think?

[94mx3precidia]

Did you use the lube they gave you when you installed it? Whats happening is probably as the exhaust heats up it heats up the shifter linkages and the metal expands and because there is no lube it sticks.

thats what i think.

[wytbishop]

The stock shifter is long on top and short on the bottom. The short throw shifter is shorter on top and longer on the bottom. Because it's a large throw reduction, it will hang down quite a bit lower than the stocker. It may even be contacting the exhaust when the pipes get hot. Warm the car up and crawl underneatha nd see how close it is to touching the exhaust.

[TOOgreezy]

Did you use the lube they gave you when you installed it? Whats happening is probably as the exhaust heats up it heats up the shifter linkages and the metal expands and because there is no lube it sticks.

thats what i think.

ya it is lube'd
k i have another question its hard 2 explain but i'll try

if i look under my mx3 i can see the shifter i can move it from under the car
what i wanted to know was.. is there suppose to be a "heat shield" that blocks it from being visable so that the heat from the exhaust does not get to the shifter?
because mine does not have anything blocking it.. so maybe its missing

[TOOgreezy]

theres good space between the two
is there suppose 2 be sumthing shielding tho? or no?

[wytbishop]

No there is no heat shield between the shifter nad exhaust.

[TOOgreezy]

No there is no heat shield between the shifter nad exhaust.

oh really? thats messed up then...
wat ima do i guess is put the normal one back in and see if it does it or not
and go from there i guess

[Mi|<E]

My RS had a heat shield ontop of the cat and ontop of the pipe stretching over
the shifter area. I have since cut them both out due to vibration rattle noise.

[Mooneggs]

My RS had a heat shield ontop of the cat and ontop of the pipe stretching over
the shifter area. I have since cut them both out due to vibration rattle noise.

My GS had a heat shield on top of the exhaust as well... it had to be removed since the shifter was so low.

[wytbishop]

weird, none of the 3 MX's I've owned has that shield.

[TOOgreezy]

My RS had a heat shield ontop of the cat and ontop of the pipe stretching over
the shifter area. I have since cut them both out due to vibration rattle noise.

My GS had a heat shield on top of the exhaust as well... it had to be removed since the shifter was so low.

MOONEGGS! you installed short shifter? so ur heat shield had to be removed?
when u removed your heat shield did your shifter get heated and stiff when driving @ high speeds for a long time?

the place that put my short shifter in put more grease but idonno if its gonna solve the problem i might jus have to get a heat shield made

[Mooneggs]

I have noticed that my shifter does get very hot (if I happen to touch the metal) since it is reduced 75% puts it right on top/next to the exhaust... it's already pretty stiff being that short so I'm probably a bad example... maybe i've just gotten used to it

I would say grease and maybe check your linkage and such under the car... maybe something to do with where it connects to the tranny?? just guessing...

[TOOgreezy]

I have noticed that my shifter does get very hot (if I happen to touch the metal) since it is reduced 75% puts it right on top/next to the exhaust... it's already pretty stiff being that short so I'm probably a bad example... maybe i've just gotten used to it

I would say grease and maybe check your linkage and such under the car... maybe something to do with where it connects to the tranny?? just guessing...

ya but when you drive on the highway for like 30-45 minutes going really fast
does it get really hard to move?
for example with mine if i move it to the left when its in neutral it will stay there unless i manually move it back

but when its not heated it moves back like normal

i went back to the place i got it installed at, they put more grease and reinstalled it i jus gotta get on the highway for a bit and test it out

[TOOgreezy]

so my machanic is saying it may be a tranny problem and not the actual short shifter :S
did anyone ever get this problem before? where it gets really stiff after driving for a while expecially if its hot outside
if its cool outside like at night time it works perfectly fine tho :s so its weird

[Ubermx3]

i have had this problem before with my car, i was driving to a music festival (its about a 6 hour drive..) and i never noticed anything until i was stuck in 5th
i had to get towed to a shop
anyways i found out it was my release bearing wearing out, i went out and bought a new clutch kit and it fixed the problem like new..
if i had more money at the time i would have bought a performance clutch kit
i could be wrong but its just a thought.