Ok, I just got through installing my short shifter... then reinstalling the stock one. I'm sharing my experience to spare someone the pain out there.
How to install a short throw shifter into a 6th gen civic:
- if you don't have access to a lift, then consider very strongly finding someone who does
- if you must do it with a jack and stands or ramps, then be prepared for a lot of frustrating contortions of your body and dropping the nuts 100's of times because there just isn't enough room and you'll be at all the wrong angles.
- lift the car so you can work under it with as much space as possible
- you'll probably need to temporarily remove the cat converter and B pipe. Yeah, that's a lot of work, but if you don't be prepared for even more body contortions and another 100 dropping of the nuts.
- with a 12mm socket wrench and a 12mm wrench to hold the other end of the bolt, remove the bolts at the end of the shifter which is attached to the shift linkage (the long bar going to the transmission)
- separate the shifter from the linkage and push the linkage aside; two rubber dust caps from between the shifter and linkage will probably fall off at this point.
- with a 12mm socket wrench AND extension, remove the 2 bolts holding the rubber housing which the plate of the shifter is jutting into. This will cause the shifter and plate to drop a little.
- with a 10mm socket wrench AND externsion, loosen the locking nut. After they are loosened, the bolt they are attached to will start spinning and you'll be wrenching forever. The bolts have a square head which lock them onto the leverage bar they are attached to. However, the square part of the head is VERY SHALLOW and you'll need to squeeze your hand in there and make sure it's aligned in the square hole. You'll probably need a finger rachet to get the nuts off.
- now the shifter and rubber socket and mounting plate will fall out or can be removed.
- pull the rubber socket off the stock shifter and put it on your new one (I have a POS Ebay APC short shifter). Grease it up good in there.
- put the plate on the rubber socket and stick it back up the hole onto the leverage bar (the long bar going to the transmission, but was attached at the ball joint of the shifter, dunno the right name for this).
- go up into the cabin of your car and make sure the stick is pointing in the right direction!! That would suck to find out later it was backwards.
- put the 10mm bolts back onto the mounting plate to secure it too the leverage bar
- put the rubber housing back on with the 12mm bolts, which pushes the shifter back into place
- if you have bushings or washers or dust caps, etc, put some grease on it and stick em on the shifter. The grease will hold them in place a little
- align the end of the shift in between the fork of the shift linkage and put the bolt through them to secure. Tighten with the 12mm wrench and rachet.
- NOW YELL IN FRUSTRATION AS YOU REALIZE THAT THE F^%&ING THING IS NOW BANGING AGAINST THE HEATSHIELD OF THE EXHAUST PIPE. It's not that the shifter is too long... it's that the counter weight which is a part of the shift linkage is lower than the fork of the shift linkage and now bangs into the heat shield of the exhaust pipe because of the longer shifter end.
I see a few solutions to this problem (if you know more, PLEASE let me know):
- remount your exhaust a little lower with longer rubber hangers
- cut off the counter weights and weld them higher
- don't buy Ebay/APC POS short shifters and get one that replaces the whole ball joint portion, like the B&M kit.
As you can see, I still need help. I'm still running with my stock shifter. Removing the heat shield isn't enough because it'll still hit the pipe, plus the shield is there for a reason.
HELP!!
How to install a short throw shifter into a 6th gen civic:
- if you don't have access to a lift, then consider very strongly finding someone who does
- if you must do it with a jack and stands or ramps, then be prepared for a lot of frustrating contortions of your body and dropping the nuts 100's of times because there just isn't enough room and you'll be at all the wrong angles.
- lift the car so you can work under it with as much space as possible
- you'll probably need to temporarily remove the cat converter and B pipe. Yeah, that's a lot of work, but if you don't be prepared for even more body contortions and another 100 dropping of the nuts.
- with a 12mm socket wrench and a 12mm wrench to hold the other end of the bolt, remove the bolts at the end of the shifter which is attached to the shift linkage (the long bar going to the transmission)
- separate the shifter from the linkage and push the linkage aside; two rubber dust caps from between the shifter and linkage will probably fall off at this point.
- with a 12mm socket wrench AND extension, remove the 2 bolts holding the rubber housing which the plate of the shifter is jutting into. This will cause the shifter and plate to drop a little.
- with a 10mm socket wrench AND externsion, loosen the locking nut. After they are loosened, the bolt they are attached to will start spinning and you'll be wrenching forever. The bolts have a square head which lock them onto the leverage bar they are attached to. However, the square part of the head is VERY SHALLOW and you'll need to squeeze your hand in there and make sure it's aligned in the square hole. You'll probably need a finger rachet to get the nuts off.
- now the shifter and rubber socket and mounting plate will fall out or can be removed.
- pull the rubber socket off the stock shifter and put it on your new one (I have a POS Ebay APC short shifter). Grease it up good in there.
- put the plate on the rubber socket and stick it back up the hole onto the leverage bar (the long bar going to the transmission, but was attached at the ball joint of the shifter, dunno the right name for this).
- go up into the cabin of your car and make sure the stick is pointing in the right direction!! That would suck to find out later it was backwards.
- put the 10mm bolts back onto the mounting plate to secure it too the leverage bar
- put the rubber housing back on with the 12mm bolts, which pushes the shifter back into place
- if you have bushings or washers or dust caps, etc, put some grease on it and stick em on the shifter. The grease will hold them in place a little
- align the end of the shift in between the fork of the shift linkage and put the bolt through them to secure. Tighten with the 12mm wrench and rachet.
- NOW YELL IN FRUSTRATION AS YOU REALIZE THAT THE F^%&ING THING IS NOW BANGING AGAINST THE HEATSHIELD OF THE EXHAUST PIPE. It's not that the shifter is too long... it's that the counter weight which is a part of the shift linkage is lower than the fork of the shift linkage and now bangs into the heat shield of the exhaust pipe because of the longer shifter end.
I see a few solutions to this problem (if you know more, PLEASE let me know):
- remount your exhaust a little lower with longer rubber hangers
- cut off the counter weights and weld them higher
- don't buy Ebay/APC POS short shifters and get one that replaces the whole ball joint portion, like the B&M kit.
As you can see, I still need help. I'm still running with my stock shifter. Removing the heat shield isn't enough because it'll still hit the pipe, plus the shield is there for a reason.
HELP!!