Shifter and 'third link' rebuild tips

[stevesei]

I recently installed a short shifter and found a couple of ways to make the task a better experience.

1. I used bronze bushings. New rubber bushings and shafts will do most of the same job. Try to get new, un-worn shafts if possible.

2. The bushings helped, but there was still a good deal of slop. The "third link" bushings were shot as well. This is a factory swaged shaft, not intended to be replaced or rebuilt. We'll fix it anyway, and save a bunch of money.
a. Use a small grinder to remove the smaller swaged button.
b. Tap the shaft out. Replace the shaft with a new or used threaded shaft the same as the front shifter bushing shaft. Use new RUBBER bushings and grease them well!
c. If at all possible, use a thin nut to secure the shaft. Use a Dremel or small grinder to trim the bolt-end so it won't drag on the engine link.

3. On my car, the rubber collar that provides a vibration isolator at the shifter (inside the car) broke. I fixed it permanently by cleaning the area well and filling the void with 3M window urethane. This is an air-curing one-part urethane, $13 per tube. If you do this with the car in neutral, and support it well while it's curing, it is a very permanent fix. I have not noticed any unusual vibration from this fix. I would do this even if the rubber isolator did NOT break! Just be careful not to get urethane in the shifter itself!

4. When installing bronze bushings, find and use 'nylock' nuts and do not over-tighten the shaft. Over tightening will cause the bushings to bind. The nylocks will allow you to adjust the shaft nuts snuggly without fear of them loosening and falling off. Do this for both front and rear bushings.

[hppwdn]

They sell a kit for this at Corksport that was originally made by SRD when Luke was still making parts. http://www.corksport.com/corksport-3rd- ... g-kit.html

I got a set of Bronzoils for all three locations in the shifter from SRD way back when and they still worked flawlessly when I sold the car recently. The bronzoil is cool because it requires no grease and provides a lifetime of squeak free service.

[stevesei]

You're right, Coksport does sell the kit, $30 US is today's price. The fix above has a total cost of maybe $10, on a DIY basis.

The rubber bushings I used give a little vibration insulation for street use, and don't allow any slop at all. Either fix will work and improve the quality of your shifting by a huge amount.

[MrMazda92]

Giggity for 3rd link:

http://www.mcmaster.com/#5448t5/=dtwtym

I already sprung for Bronzoils for the front and rear on one car, I'll be attempting these for the '93. I justified $30 at the time for front and rear, but I just couldn't bring myself to pay $30 for just the 3rd link.

Good write-up, and you're dead right about overtightening. It took me a few tries to get it just right, but it was well worth it. I still have that ~1/4" of slop that the 3rd link leaves, and I'm excited to finally get rid of that.

The one thing I would add to this write-up is that occasionally the shift linkage itself is bent(the flanges that connect to the trans, as well as the shifter) In my case, I very gently and patiently had to press the shifter side closer together; It's a beefy piece of metal, so it takes a fair bit of pressure. Just make sure you don't overdo it, and only do it if there is an abundance of slack WITH THE BUSHINGS INSTALLED. There is a ton of slack before you install them, so remember to test fit. Measure twice, cut once... you've all heard it before.

Oh, and rust proofing isn't a bad idea either, since the linkage is probably missing a fair bit of paint, and may even have surface rust already.

[MrMazda92]

Do NOT, I repeat do NOT buy the bushings I linked to in my last reply, unless you are comfortable putting in a hell of a lot of time fitting them. They are NOT the exact size of the bronzoils, and were too tight for all 3 areas needing replacement. Shifter side, Trans side, and 3rd link are all too tight of a fit. I am considering hammering them into my 3rd link spot and cranking the bolt down as tight as it will go. I can't see a single reason that should be able to turn anyways, Mazda should have just made that a solid spot... I believe they did it for machining purposes, to save money.

[Mooneggs]

For me, it was worth the money to buy the bronzoils for all links. This is a part I don't intend on ever replacing and has already lasted me 7+ years and have had smooth shifting that entire time... durability/quality was worth the price for me

[MrMazda92]

I've been completely happy with the bronzoils I purchased, and am actually going to get the 3rd link through Corksport now. Now I just need to find something comparable that will fit my STS... The bronzoils were nowhere close.

[stevesei]

Good info from everyone!

1. I found that my shift link had been over tightened previously, and needed to be sprung apart some. I used the rubber bushings on the third link because I had them. I discovered that they left essentially NO slop in the joint. They do have the drawback of eventually needing to be replaced - $8 and 30 minutes. Of course good bronzoils will work as well. I tend to leave some rubber insulation on street driven cars anyway; personal choice.

1a. BTW, I tried tightening my bronzoil shaft nuts normally and found that the car could barely be shifted at all, hence the nylock nuts and gentle tightening.

2. That 3rd link is there to allow for subframe/engine movement. A solid joint would most likely cause the shifter to bind. I can't see Mazda/Ford spending the money to engineer a flexible joint and put it in several million cars (MX-3, Escort, Protege, etc.) for years if it didn't serve a good purpose.

3. A little rustproofing and paint never hurt any assembly like this. Good point!

[MrMazda92]

I did actually manage to get the McMaster-Carr bushings into the 3rd link. I would NOT put them on the trans side, or shifter side of the linkage though. My method for install? BFH. It got them in very tight, and I managed to spend about 5 hours swapping my shifters and perfectly adjusting the linkage(bending carefully and fitting things perfectly), all to get literally zero shifter slop. No noise, no slop, 1" throw, and I'm a happy guy.