quick shift improvement
Thread Starter
Drifting
Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 2,235
Likes: 2
From: Atlanta
quick shift improvement
Since the first time I drove it, I knew the shifter in my car was abysmal. The rest of the car is so good, it was really a letdown to drive because it was so hard to shift. 1st and 2nd were particularly difficult to find. So after reading every single thread on shifting, making my shopping list for Carl's cup, a new coupler and various other things, I jut spent 10 minutes making the most dramatic improvement to my car's shifting.
I pulled the **** and boot off and looked down inside. I didn't see the open tunnel of so many pictures here, but a lot of factory insulation that blocked the view of the forward shift cup. And after confirming that the full short-shift kit is indeed present (shame to hide that red anodized rod) and installed properly, I looked at the ****. Two things jumped out at me. First, the **** was split on two sides and that can't help. Second, it never was actually pressed down all the way on the rod!
I can't fix the split right now (but a new **** is now on the shopping list), but I buttoned everything back up and used a piece of wood and a dead blow hammer to get it fully seated. Wow it's a lot lower now and whaddya know, it's MUCH easier to find the gears now! I guess we all like a solid ****.
I pulled the **** and boot off and looked down inside. I didn't see the open tunnel of so many pictures here, but a lot of factory insulation that blocked the view of the forward shift cup. And after confirming that the full short-shift kit is indeed present (shame to hide that red anodized rod) and installed properly, I looked at the ****. Two things jumped out at me. First, the **** was split on two sides and that can't help. Second, it never was actually pressed down all the way on the rod!
I can't fix the split right now (but a new **** is now on the shopping list), but I buttoned everything back up and used a piece of wood and a dead blow hammer to get it fully seated. Wow it's a lot lower now and whaddya know, it's MUCH easier to find the gears now! I guess we all like a solid ****.
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Rennlist Member
Rennlist Member
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 16,015
Likes: 815
From: Temecula, CA
Mark,
Over the summer I noticed that shifting into 1st became difficult after a really hot summer day and a long drive. What had happened was that the heat, combined with age had caused the rubber bellows which suround the shifter to split and deform. This caused shifting into first difficult at times depending on where the rubber placed itself. When I moved the rubber out of the way shifting was smooth again. So as you may have seen in my other thread I'm replacing the rubber and the foam. Others have suggested the short shift which it appears is on your list already. You may also want to replace the small plastic bushings. Dosn't take much to get the car shifting better.
Over the summer I noticed that shifting into 1st became difficult after a really hot summer day and a long drive. What had happened was that the heat, combined with age had caused the rubber bellows which suround the shifter to split and deform. This caused shifting into first difficult at times depending on where the rubber placed itself. When I moved the rubber out of the way shifting was smooth again. So as you may have seen in my other thread I'm replacing the rubber and the foam. Others have suggested the short shift which it appears is on your list already. You may also want to replace the small plastic bushings. Dosn't take much to get the car shifting better.
Thread Starter
Drifting
Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 2,235
Likes: 2
From: Atlanta
Thanks Afshin. The rubber bellows on my car is almost gone, leaving just a "ring" of rubber. So that will definitely get replaced along with other things. I do notice a little fore/aft play when in gear, and a bit more side-to-side play so it does look like I need to replace both the front cup and rear coupler. While I do have the short shift kit, there is a tiny bit of play in both the bushings there too so those are up for replacement too.
