MX-3.com

Hey there

I've had this issue for a while where I get a lot of vibration / rattle from my shifter when in gear and cruising.

I think it's because the shifter is drooping too low and resting on the exhaust.

I'm looking to replace the bushings and possibly fabricate a bracket to hold it up but I can't find a place online to buy Mx-3 shifter bushings. I know the stealership has them but it's a hassle to go there and they are pricey !

any help ?

any guides or pics on how to approach it ? I

If your shifter is resting on the exhaust, you'll need to replace the whole linkage, depending on what's happened. There is someone who makes anti-drop brackets, but they won't fix your issue. they'll just eventually break.

The bushings just help tighten up the shifting when you're shifting, it doesn't raise/lower the shifter height off the exhaust

ask neuman, he's parting out two mx-3's. I bought my shifter linkage from him when I needed one, and he gave an amazing price. He may have another one that you can get. If you're unsure how to change it, we'll walk you through it, I can walk you through it myself. it's pretty straight forward, but can be annoying.

My Pacesetter STS in the '92 catches the exhaust under acceleration in 3rd gear only

You can remove your exhaust(if stock), and swap two of the sections for eachother easily; This should stop it from touching, if it's simply a STS that goes much lower than stock.

I checked again today and I doesn't look like the shifter is resting on the exhaust; it's just loose and rattles when in gear.

I want to try putting in new bushings and see if they fix the rattle but I can't seem to find any online.

Thanks for the replies !

you gotta suck it up and go to the mazda stealership

No you don't!

These will take care of the shifter and transmission ends of the linkage:
http://www.corksport.com/corksport-bron ... hings.html


This is the "3rd link" kit, also from CorkSport:
I actually can't find the link anymore... I think it's gone for good now.

Oh well, you can do this instead:
http://www.mcmaster.com/#catalog/118/1128/=g5vjxp

These will be TERRIBLE in any position other than the third link. They are an extremely tight fit, making them next to perfect for the third link.
Here is a guide to the 3rd link bushing upgrade:
viewtopic.php?f=15&t=77684&p=588177&hil ... er#p588177

The McMaster bushings will be very tight, you will want a rubber mallet to tap them into place, and a metric bolt(I forget the size, just take them to a home improvement or fastener supply store). If you do this, try to get a bolt with a smooth shaft, threaded only past the linkage.

I did hte 3rd link bushing by going to the stealership and getting bushings, an extra long bolt for the linkage on the transmisison side, a little dremeling and bam, all 6 bushings were changed. The stealership's pricing is cheaper than corksports... and honestly, rubber ones may be preferred for a DD.

I've run the exact setup I posted with both a stock shifter, and a PS adjustable(set VERY short) for quite a while now.
The increased vibration is negligible, and the benefit of never having to replace the bushings again would be worth much more... Besides, my local dealership wanted ~$19 for the stock bushings. I paid ~$35 for the Bronzoils from CorkSport, and under $10 for the McMaster bushings + the bolt and nylock nut for the 3rd link. $45 and I'll never have to touch it again, short of finding some that fit my PaceSetter. 1/4" of slop in the entire assembly, and 100% of it comes from the original PaceSetter bushings, which are also plastic...

The hardest part about the swap was getting the bolts adjusted just right. Too tight and your shifter will be a PITA to move, but just right and it's smooth as butter.

Edit: This is on a daily driven car... more than 40K miles with the bronzoils, and no complaints after properly adjusting the bolts.