I want to make my shifter more smooth

[stivine6]

Hey guys,

I just picked up my second protege a few days ago, this time a 5 speed. The car drives great but the shifter is a bit stiff and doesn't engage as smoothly as I would like. I drove my friends mazda 3 and it was buttery smooth.

Would replacing the bushings with polyurethane ones fix this problem? My goal is to have it buttery smooth and notchy so I can feel every gear engage. How should I go about completing this goal?


Also possibly looking to get a short shifter but want one with an extension, does twm performance sell one that also has an extension?

- thanks guys!

 

[hornsfan10609]

I would suggest replacing the fluid first, you can replace the bushings but I didn't notice a huge difference after installing them.

 

[pcb]

My shifting was stiff as all hell and it turned out to be the bushing under the shift knob. lt was so rusted up it was almost seized.

Getting some oil on that bushing made a huge difference but replacing the bushing fixed it right up.

You have to remove your heat shield to get to it and you might wreck it in the process. Lots of people have been running without that heat shield for years with no problem.

hornsfan is from Texas,... He should take a trip to the salt belts to see the crap we're dealing with. lol

 

[rj1784]

I have the TWM shifter in mine and they do sell an extension you can make it taller with. I would not describe the shifter as buttery smooth though. It is extremely notchy and requires a good but more force than the factory shifter. This does let you know when your in gear and the throw is much shorter. If you want a smooth shifter the factory shifter will always be much smoother.

 

[tweety2300]

It's a gseries thing. New bushings and fluid will help but they're just notchy all together and always will be

 

[stivine6]

thanks guys, appreciat ethe quick replies! I guess i should do the bushings first, change out the oil and see how that goes?

I'm getting the fluid changed on tuesday, do you guys recommend any specific brands that i can find in stores here in Toronto? The shop is going to use gear oil

 

[ap123]

When i first got the car it had what ever the dealer puts in it. <--- acceptable
Then i put GM ACDELCO Synchromesh <--- Best IMO
Im currently using AMS Oil 75w90 <--- Good

I like GM synchromesh the best, ill be switch back next time i change the gear oil.

 

[digitalslacker]

I have redline in my trans, TWM short throw shifter with their bearings and its still notchy. I'm honestly pretty disappointed with how it shifts compared to my other car.

 

[zdigg]

Going to steal the topic... My car is slow to shift 1st through 3rd when rev'ed past 3,000 rpm or so... what would cause this? is it an aging transmission or do I just need to do bushings and fluid? is a MT.

 

[lowlevel]

Mines also very difficult to shift... pretty sure cleaning up the linkage and putting in new bushings will fix it.

 

[kosteniuks17]

New bushings honestly doesnt do much, trust me. I am reworking with my short shifter right now and now noticing im missing a few rubber parts causing the rattling from my shifter. I would say there no way really to make it smoother, these transmissions just tend to be notchy and not smooth. I drove my friends prelude and the transmission is smooth as butter, seriously. Makes me wish these cars had a better trans. even after clutch and trans fluid swap, bushings, new short shifter and all the correct bushings, it still not smooth at all. If you want smoothness stay with stock, or get a weighted shifter, thats the best youll get with the p5s.

 

[lowlevel]

I think we're talking about two different problems here... what I have (and I think PCB had) feels kind of like Hulk Hogan holding your shifter below your hand raising your shift effort up substantially.

 

[pcb]

I think we're talking about two different problems here... what I have (and I think PCB had) feels kind of like Hulk Hogan holding your shifter below your hand raising your shift effort up substantially.

Yeah mine had a sort of crunching rubber sound that you could hear and really feel.

I remember reading a thread about guys that took a torch to that connection under the shift knob, then hosed it down with PB Blaster.

I just did the PB Blaster then caked it with grease. It made a big difference.

I've pretty much only ever driven old Mazdas, so I don't know what buttery feels like.

It's good to not know what I'm missing.

 

[stivine6]

good suggestion guys, i'll update you guys tomorrow when i do a tranny fluid change. I'm starting to get used to the shifter, it's still notchy but in a good way so i know every gear i engage. Hopefully after changing the tranny mount that will help it feel better.

Also another way i figured was to get a weighted shift knob which makes the throw better, now i know a regular protege, P5, and msp shift knobs are M10x1.25mm but i have a protege MP3 with a M8x1.25mm thread pitch. Anyone know a good round shifted knob to get??

 

[sonick]

I had terrible hard-shifting when hot on mine, it turned out the cap to the brake fluid reservoir was cracked. Replaced it and it completely fixed my hard shifting, so keep a look out for that too.

 

[Stickman]

As per other posts, there are a number of isues to check.
Mine was really terrible, particularly when hot. Turned out to be bushings.
Check out attached website for instructions on fix.
http://www.carinstructions.com/hard-shifting-on-manual-transmissions/

 

[hat1018]

good suggestion guys, i'll update you guys tomorrow when i do a tranny fluid change. I'm starting to get used to the shifter, it's still notchy but in a good way so i know every gear i engage. Hopefully after changing the tranny mount that will help it feel better.

Also another way i figured was to get a weighted shift knob which makes the throw better, now i know a regular protege, P5, and msp shift knobs are M10x1.25mm but i have a protege MP3 with a M8x1.25mm thread pitch. Anyone know a good round shifted knob to get??

I have a JBR weighted knob in my P5 and love it. Except when it is in the sun for a while (burning hot) or when its cold out (frozen hand). I solved the problemwith a pair of baby socks in the cold weather and a styrofoam cup in the summer.

 

[stivine6]

I have a JBR weighted knob in my P5 and love it. Except when it is in the sun for a while (burning hot) or when its cold out (frozen hand). I solved the problemwith a pair of baby socks in the cold weather and a styrofoam cup in the summer.

Good idea man! And thanks for all the feedback guys, I went to do an mtx fluid change and added a weighted shift knob, it made a huge difference a lot more enjoyable to drive. I'll definitely try that sock idea because it's so cold now

 

[lowlevel]

I have a JBR weighted knob in my P5 and love it. Except when it is in the sun for a while (burning hot) or when its cold out (frozen hand). I solved the problemwith a pair of baby socks in the cold weather and a styrofoam cup in the summer.

So... another case of a mod making the car worse than stock I'm considering a leather one to replace the stock golf ball.

 

[rj1784]

Yeah a baby sock works great to keep your hand from freezing and it will keep it from burning too. Plus if you get a black one it blends in well and doesn't look that bad.