Shifter issues

[jay-red]

Ok guys, so this shifter issue is killing me, i have been searching and keep getting the same answers.

Here is the deal, i have a 90 awd that i just gor running not too long ago, i was coming from a 91 fwd laser and the shifter in that was fine, i even did the skateboard bearing trick and it helped a but.

I had the car driving for a few weeks and decided that the shifter needed some adjustment. I did the bearing mod again, and adjusted the cable via the vfaq. Also i looked and all the bushings that are on the pivot points of the lever were gone. I took them off my laser and it made it feel more tight. I didnt seem to adjust the cables right and 1,3,5 feel good, 2 4 and r are so soft feeling you cant tell when its in gear barley, like once it goes into gear the lever can move quite a bit more. I keep adjusting the cables but cant seem to find a decent spot to make it ok

Now if there for some reason my cables are bad is there a way to swap everything from the 91 car ( shifter base, cables, bracket on the trans) Or is there anything else i should check out?

 

[BrokenTsi]

You should look into switching out to the 91 parts. Its most likely that your cables are bad. 90 cables aren't available anymore, but we can still purchase 91-94 cables. They are much better.

A "soft" feeling is usually due to stretched or worn cables. Have a buddy move the shifter in all gears. If there is any extra movement or flexing, it will cause your shifter to be loose and sloppy.

 

[jay-red]

Thats what i wanted to do, just want to make sure it can be done. Also when looking at the shifter, when going into 1,3,5 the shifter this the stopper, but when going into 2,4,r, once in gear it has about 1/2 inch of travel before hitting it, and thats what seems to cause the softness, its not being stopped. But when trying to adjust this better, there isnt enough adjustment to make it work.

 

[slowboy101]

91 cables are differnet langth from the 90 cables just so you know

 

[BrokenTsi]

Thats what i wanted to do, just want to make sure it can be done. Also when looking at the shifter, when going into 1,3,5 the shifter this the stopper, but when going into 2,4,r, once in gear it has about 1/2 inch of travel before hitting it, and thats what seems to cause the softness, its not being stopped. But when trying to adjust this better, there isnt enough adjustment to make it work.

Just swap all the 91 parts on to the car and keep adjusting it. You'll get it eventually. Make sure the bracket on the trans doesnt move at all. Make sure the cables are secure on the shifter base.

 

[jay-red]

ive been fighting this stupid shifter for days now, if i can get a definitive answer if i can swap all the 91 stuff that would rock, i have every part from my 91 laser, the car isnt here with me though, otherwise i would be trying to swap them already.

 

[BrokenTsi]

The definitive answer is yes. Parts from a 91 are WAY better than a 90. The first thing I did to my 90 was switch it all over to 91.

 

[jay-red]

yeah, i have swapped everything from my 91 engine wise, wiring harness gauge cluster. Looks like now the shifter. Good thing i didnt junk the laser yet!