B&M and clone short shifter 2nd gen eBay Megan [Merged 3-7]

[KRAZYKOREAN]

Originally posted by 44pirate
I disagree with all you naysayers on the B&M. Maybe you guys should tried to adjust your linkage once you got it in. I have mine set at 50% and it shifts smooth as butter. I have also the RRE bushings in. That made it tighter. I know a few other guys who have it and it shifts the same for them.

I have the shifter kit also with the new aluminum bushings I tried to adjust everything just didn't seem to change. So I guess you are a lucky one and also your friends but mine sucked, oh well I like the stock and i sold the shifter already. NO regrets.

 

[toshi128]

Have you tried the RRE bushing with the B&M short shifter??? or you have the aluminum one from machv? coz i have the same set up (B&M short shifter and RRE rubber bushings) and it shifts good... not as smooth as the stock form, but not as bad for having a short shifter...

Originally posted by KRAZYKOREAN



I have the shifter kit also with the new aluminum bushings I tried to adjust everything just didn't seem to change. So I guess you are a lucky one and also your friends but mine sucked, oh well I like the stock and i sold the shifter already. NO regrets.

 

[Smoothie97]

I put in the B&M short shifter in with Symborski bushings. Now when I shift to 1st, and let go of the knob, the knob automatically will move to the neutral position, however the car will still stay in 1st. Now since my shifter is in the neutral position physically, I have to push to the left and then down to get into 2nd. When I let go of the knob in 2nd, the shifter moves automatically to the neutral postion again yet the car is still in 2nd. Now the easy part, to shift into third, I just push straight up! To get to 4th is straight down. 5th gear and Reverse are good (the knob actually stays in the correct location physically).

In 5th and Reverse, when the gear clicks, the gear will try to return to neutral due to the tension of that spring pulling it toward the center...yet something..I don't know what...keeps the spring seprated and keeps the knob in gear. However, When I look at the spring in 1st or 2nd, I notice that the tension of the spring is moving the shifter back to center (like it should) yet that mysterious something is suppose to hold it in place so that the spring is still separated. However in 1st or 2nd, the spring does not stay separated and it looks identical to Netural. But the car is in gear.

Every gear I shift into, I do get the clicky sound so i know I'm in gear. That 1st to 2nd shift is really hard now! But 2nd to 3rd got super easy. What is wrong?

 

[Defiant]

Other than putting it in backward, or some of the parts on backward, I don't know what you might have done. Did the bushing job mis-align anything?

 

[onegee]

i'd check to see if all the symborski bushsings are tightened correctly..and if anything UNintsall the B&M and try just the symborskis..if that has no problem, try the B&M w/o symborskis...if no problems there reinstall both together..maybe it was an install error?

 

[Smoothie97]

I don't know why everybody raves about the Symborski bushings. That seemed like a waste of money to me. All the bushings do is keep the entire large shifter plate from moving around. The stock rubber bushings are fine too. My plate never moves anyway. Mechanically, the Symborski bushings have nothing to do with what gear you are in.

I spent 3 hours doing this install and it should've been 1 hour. I double checked everything. You can't install the shifter backwards...it only fits one way. And the instructions that came with it are very clear.

I need help from people who have done this install!! Where ya at?

 

[Smoothie97]

To install the Symborski bushings, this is what I did.
1. Pop out the 4 stock rubber bushings in the four corners of the plate.
2. Put the 4 flat bushings underneath the shifter plate.
3. Put the other 4 bushings (the ones that have the raised surface...with raised surface upside down) on top of the shifter plate. Align the flat bushing, shifter plate, raised bushing on all four corners.
4. Secure each corner with the stock bolt and washer.
5. Replace the stock rod with the Symborski rod with the smaller internal diamter.

I don't understand how these bushings are suppose to help people "feel" their gear. I personally think it was a waste of $42. It feels exactly like stock to me.

 

[onegee]

http://www.plymouthlaser.com/symbor.htm

should be similar..i felt a big difference with mine...reason being the previous owner took out the rubbers for stupid thin washers..anyway its just another variable to check..did you try what i suggested to you? if not try that first...late

 

[el aguila]

Did you install that spring in the same position it was before?

 

[Smoothie97]

I did install the spring correctly. I know that you just can't slip it on. I know you have to actually compress the two ends and cross them and then slip it on.

I have a feeling that the two cables (one for vertical movement and one for horizontal movement) are broken. The weird thing is that the one for horizontal movement seems to not move much when I move the shifter...yet I didn't even touch or disconnect that cable (your not suppose to for the install).

After disconnecting the cable, I tried to pull on it with my hands. I notice that it is suppose to recoil automatically. If you pull/push hard enough, the cable actually clicks and snaps into gear and stays there. My cable isn't staying in postion. I pull and it retracts byitself. However, once fully assembled again, I CAN shift into a gear. The gear just looks like it's in neutral and there is ALOT of shifter play in ALL the gears. So much shifter play that shifting into a gear is difficult because the shifting pattern is no longer defined.

 

[L2RTSiAWD]

I have the B&M and symborski kit with no issues.

 

[markGSX]

The Symborski kit is worth the money for what it does. The parts probably cost $5 to make, but it gives everything a more solid feel.

 

[Smoothie97]

Well I'm not having issues with the Symborski really. Sure the shifter plate is rock steady and doesn't move. My problem lies in the shifter itself. I have it set at the 50% redection. I tried to put it back to stock shifter. I loosened every bolt and clip. Now for some freaky reason, I can't slide off the B&M blue shifter pivot!!! I know it's suppose to just slide in and out...but mine won't budge at all.

 

[44pirate]

Check in the engine compartment where your cables are held in place at the tranny. There are these clips that hold the cables in place. Sounds like one fell off.

 

[jdk906s]

With the motor off push in the clutch, pull on the cables the same as the shifter would. If you can get it in gear, your cables are connected, if you can't check to make sure their keepers didn't fall off.

I'm almost certain that your cables just need adjusted. It sounds like your forward/backward cable just isn't being pulled far enough forward to put it in gear.

I know when I installed my shifter kit my cables needed a bit of tweaking, it can really make a big difference in smooth shifting. I think I spent an hour just getting them all perfectly adjusted - shifts like a wet dream now.

 

[jdk906s]

By the way, for you the Symb. shifter kit probably didn't make a huge deal of a difference since your car is pretty new.

Those rubber grommets get really soft overtime and leads to really sloppy shifting, ask any 1G that's done it, it makes a huge difference.

It was WAY worth the money on mine, my grommets were smooshing down all the way practically. Lead to some scary mis-shifts during races...

 

[Smoothie97]

I don't think that the clip from inside the engine compartment fell off. I drove the car fine with the stock shifter. Then I installed the B&M and now have these problems.

Hmmm...well, actually if I pull/push on the backward/forward cable (passenger side) with my fingers, I can get the car in gear. The problem seems to be the left/right cable (the one on the driver's side). Pulling/pushing on that cable...it doesn't click into place anymore nor does it fullyg retract back to the neutral positon...it retacts like about 5 mm. I know it sounds like I have to adjust these cables. But how do you do it? What kind of tool/size would I need? The fitting for the cable is weird looking. And when I adjust the cable, how do you do it? Just tighten or loosen the fitting? or completely take it off?

Thanks you guys seem to be more responsive then THAT other DSM forum...

 

[jdk906s]

Basic tools, It's not that hard just go a little at a time. See:
http://www.vfaq.com/mods/shifter3.html

 

[Tallen]

umm, did you try adjusting the shifter plate. that has a verry little bit to do with how the car shifts. when i did the homemade symborski kit, mine wouldnt stay in 3rd, so i adjusted it....works fine now.

ignore the above. it does not pertain to us. also check this out. this is what i think was my real problem....http://www.geocities.com/qwik93awd/Vfaq/shifter.htm

 

[Smoothie97]

Hmmm...what do you mean by adjusting the shifter plate? I mean the thing only fits in one way and it is rock solid tight with the metal sumborski bushings in there...

If I completely remove the shifter plate, is there something underneath the plate that needs to be adjusted (besides the four Symborski bushings that is)?

 

[ddimestalon]

Does anyone have any pics of a short shifter install, like B@M or OBX?

 

[Defiant]

They aren't that much shorter in height, it's in travel. Maybe an inch less tall?

 

[ddimestalon]

Originally posted by Defiant
They aren't that much shorter in height, it's in travel. Maybe an inch less tall?

I should of reprahased that question. Does anyone have install pics of a short shifter?

 

[Defiant]

Do you mean installation instructions, or a photo of it finished? Guts or glamour?

 

[ddimestalon]

Originally posted by Defiant
Do you mean installation instructions, or a photo of it finished? Guts or glamour?

I want guts. The installation instructions. Ive seen the finished product before. It looks really nice. I just wanted to see if anyone had took pics of them taking out the factory shifter and replacing it with the aftermarket one. But the installation instructions would be nice too.