Ebay short shifter causing sloppiness???

[artur1808]

Hey guys and gals,

my problem is that I have a LOT of play in my shifter when it is engaged in gear. Almost as much as it would have in neutral. At first I thought the shift linkage bushings were bad so I replaced those and it seemed to have very little effect on the situation.
I'm pretty sure the PO had installed an ebay short shifter. I'm not sure on it, but I know its not the factory one and it looks really cheap. Would getting a higher quality shifter solve my issue? I'm considering getting the B&M shifter, but I don't want to spend the money just yet if there is another way to solve the problem.

Please help. Thank you.

 

[00_Civic_Si]

That's normally what you get for buying ebay quality. You get what you pay for.
Sorry to hear about your problem, but i'd go quality on this kind of a car part.

 

[R3dline]

could be the bushing, try that first

 

[VSP]

^^ This, or possibly the shift ball is too small (crappy fitting lends to a sloppy, loose shift feel). Hopefully it's not that, though.

 

[artur1808]

I know that poor quality is to expected, that is why I'm planning on buying the B&M. The Previous Owner of the car had installed this shifter, not me.

I also thought it was the bushings, but I replaced those with the energy suspension ones and noticed very little difference.

Can anyone confirm that it is the shifter itself being poorly made that is causing this problem? Or suggest something else? I would feel much more comfortable spending the money on a new one if I knew that it was most likely going to solve my problem.

 

[K20_EM1]

my buddies del sol did that with his ebay shifter, but it was actually the shift pin in the tranny causing the problem. Has it always done this or just since the short shifter?

 

[artur1808]

Well the shifter was installed by the previous owner, so i don't know how it was before that. But it has been like this since I got the car a few months ago.

 

[lethal6]

That's normally what you get for buying ebay quality. You get what you pay for.
Sorry to hear about your problem, but i'd go quality on this kind of a car part.

His problem doesn't have anything to do with the quality of the short shifter. The problem with quality in a part like this is the crappy cheap metal snaps under hard shifting. A short shifter is just a shaft that is shorter and has a different bend in it from the stock one. NOTHING to do with sloppiness from what I have experienced.

To be honest, I would replace the shifter regardless. Ebay ones tend to snap. Getting a B&M will give you a stronger part in the long run and keep you on the road longer.

 

[artur1808]

Do you know what could be causing the looseness of my shifter though? The only thing I could think of in regards to the shifter is that maybe the ball isn't the right size being that it is a poor quality part and it is allowing too much play?

 

[NIKE H34D]

my buddies del sol did that with his ebay shifter, but it was actually the shift pin in the tranny causing the problem. Has it always done this or just since the short shifter?

Have you looked into this?

 

[artur1808]

Unfortunately I have very little experience doing any work with the transmission. Is the pin in question the so-called "B**** Pin"? If so, could someone provide me with a link to some information on where it is and how to replace it? I'll look into it tomorrow, what specifically should I be looking for?

 

[lethal6]

I don't think it is the "ball", but I could be very wrong on that.

Get under the car and have someone work the shifter around. See if an obvious solution is found. You might be able to tell where something is not fitted right or loose.

I could be totally wrong, but I still don't think it has to do with the quality of the part.

About the "ball". If it was smaller and didn't fit right, I would believe that it would also have up and down play as well. Right? Pull up on the shifter and see if it moves.

 

[got traction]

i bet someone replaced the b***h pin with a bolt. Take the bolt out, put a b***h pin back in it and the problem will be solved.

 

[Ek4C707]

i bet someone replaced the b***h pin with a bolt. Take the bolt out, put a b***h pin back in it and the problem will be solved.

yeah i have the same problem, my shifter does the same thing and it doesnt have the b***h pin anymore. It has a bolt in it. hahaa.

I notice when i did my tranny swap

 

[artur1808]

Where can I get a new b***h bin? And how much should I expect it to cost?

 

[jon31562]

if i'm not mistaken the b***h pin is just a shear pin. not sure on the exact size but i know most part stores will have an assortment of them for like five bucks.

 

[artur1808]

I checked the linkage, and there is still a pin, not a bolt. Does anyone have any more suggestions as to what may be the problem?

 

[honda_by_hobby]

i just had this problem and when i put a new shifter in it fixed it. i went with an ebay one first to see if that was the problem. i didnt wanna spend the cash on a b&m just to find out that it wasnt the problem. but you can go under the car andsee if you grab onto the shifter if there is play. hope this helped.

 

[artur1808]

When I grab it from underneath it has the same amount of play. I can put it into a gear and move it side to side from underneath just as easily as I can from up top. But I don't have any up and down play, so I feel like it might not be the shifter that is the issue.