what i mean is i just installed new shifter boots and washers with the springs on my shifter.. now the shifter **** vibrates fast. i thought it was my vision blurring but i held a Snapple bottle lightly to the **** and it was
mixing my drink like a friggin blender. why is the **** doing this. did i do something wrong on the install? And further more the shifter still sticks to the driverside when at a stop light. Are these the signs of a tranny failure?

 

when i replaced my bushings it made the shifter have a slight vibration as well. . .and I think I heard others say the same thing. . as for the sticking, I dont know but the vibration is normal, I may be wrong tho. ..

- james

 

Did you remember to pour some oil in there? Mine was pretty stiff because I didn't put enough oil in, but once I added a little bit more it loosened up a bit.

 

oh yeah oil in the top AND replaced the tranny fluid too. you think it could be clutch related. like the pilot bearing going. ive had the car for 2 years and NEVER replaced the clutch. for i know it could be the original! damn im stupid.

 

your kidding rite?

 

Why's he supposed to be kidding?

Anyway, when I did it, I filled it so that the socket the ball sits in was just submerged in oil, as I read somewhere previously, then I bolted it all back together and it fixed my sticking problem. As for the vibration, check under the car to make sure none of your mounts are bad.

 

Check your tranny mounts!

 

A bad front U-joint can also do that.
Mine failed at 156,000.

 

even with a bad U-joint the car is still drivable right?

Just might make a clunk or even a shudder everyonce in a while. I am pretty sure that my U-joints need to be replaced. 211,000 miles. Stock tranny, stock clutch stock rear end (car handed down from my father) YEAH! Rotarys forever!

 

to check the u joint easily, put the car in reverse, then as you let up the clutch and it starts toi move, you will hear a momentary bang sound. otherwise you have to go under the car and feel for play. and you are susposed to fill the top of the trans shifter hole with trans fluid.

on a second note, what ive found for people with a rattling shift ***, not vibrate, but the ones that rattle on hard high rpm accel:

i fixed mine, i did this: first push down on the shift ***. if you feel it go down when you push on it about a millimeter, take out the shift *** assy and cut a small piece of rubber and place it on the bottom of the hole it rests in. put it back together and fill the top with trans fluid. never heard it again.

 

Wouldn't this be the front diff mount?

 

Bad diff mount goes "thump" or "clunk"
Bad U-joint goes "tink" as you start out.

 

yea. you also have to ba a little harder to get the diff mount to clumk. a worn u joint will make nois as soon as wou start rolling.

 

I thought the shifter was suposed to return to the right because of a spring. Also it is probably just vibrating because it is not broke in yet and when the engine shutters or if it idles ruff, it will shake the shifter to. Seeing as how they are conected it is very possible.

 

im not sure there is an actual break in period for the shifter.

 

Well I don't think there is either I mean the amount of time before it is not really tight any more, and that it is more free moving.

 

You might want to check the return spring in there. And for the vibrating, I replaced all the little bushings, and had to push the little alignment thing all the way in. It's the little stud that is in the front of the shifter area.

 

yeah the return spring is a bitch to get in there right, it may have gotten outa wack when you installed the bushings, btw sure you can drive a car with a bad U-Joint, But not if one FAILS like my 89 did the front U-joint just snapped of!!! and the driveshaft was hiting the ground, it also broke off my shifter column, not fun stuff there.....

 

thanks for all the help guys. and yes my U-joints are bad(pinG!!!). im replacing the drive shaft next week. BTW can i do this myself? or do i need some pro with a shop? WHERE CAN I FIND ONE TO BUY ANYWAYS?

 

You can replace the drive shaft yourself. Its not hard at all. And you can get a new one from mazdatrix.com with replaceable u-joints so you wont have to replace the whole drive shaft if it happens again

 

You could get a driveshaft hoop to keep the failure from being too bad, but that would probably cost as much as a new driveshaft.

 

holy cow 242! thats expensive. but i guess it would be dumb to buy a used one huh?

 

i got a used drive shaft off my vert. i have it because i changed to a t2 drivetrain. ill sell it for 25$. it had no noises or clings or bangs. pm me.

 

I redid all my bushings a few years back and the shifter started vibrating violently, like you say, and you could see definite throttle pitch when I gave it gas. I got in trouble because of it when I told my girlfriend to sit on it and tell me if it feels good. outside of that had no problems.

If it were a bad U-joint you would be able to feel and hear it only while the car is moving.

 

A driveshaft "loop" can be as simple as a five dollar piece of iron welded below the driveshaft at one point along the driveshaft valley.