hahah i just keep finding awesome things about my car.

when sitting in the drivers seat you can see the concrete bellow via the shifter. at first i thought "Hey its an old car maybe its supposed to be like that". All lies i just started reading an article about bushings and sloppy shifting. Then i noticed that other Rx-7's had a bunch of stuff under their shift boots than the open road. I dont even think i have bushings... or is that possible? ill try and get some pictures after i get my car back from the shop(N/A-Tll swap, front mounting intercooler) and maybe someone could shed some light upon this rather strange problem.

 

Your shifter boot / cover is missing.
From the factory, the cars came with a leather shifter boot / cover that has a small "tie" at the top by the shift **** and flares down to the plastic surround that snaps into the center console.



-Ted

 

i have a shifter boot cover, its red. also there is a rubber boot thats under that, but i had to jerry rig(=screw it into the metal dealy under the console) it just to cover up the gaping hole to the ground. is that normal??

 

You should have the shift boot, insulation, then the rubber cover. The cover ideally bolts to the transmission tunnel. You'll probably find that the metal brackets are still there, but the boot is torn and the insulation is removed. Hack-job mechanics often leave those pieces out. If they are gone, you end up with excessive road noise, fumes in the car, and hot-shifter syndrome.

 

aaah i was wondering about the fumes and the heat. good call.

 

I can't believe you actually thought that was supposed to be there...

 

Depending on where you live, that extra heat might be a good thing.

 

Mmmm.... automatic warming seats AND shifter

 

rotfl I never thought of it that way... good point. ;D

Mine is worn insanely... I swear I can't imagine how someone tore it up so bad short of soaking it in water and then slashing it with a razor, then moving it around a lot... or something... seriously don't understand.

--Gary

 

Personally, I enjoy my warm shifter. I think it contributes to my connection with the car. Or something.

 

i have an auto and i think there is supposed to be a bushing that is between the selector and this metal piece that goes to the tranny. but there isnt and it wobbles alot. I got heat too. and the black slider is broken so i can see the ground all the time.

I <3 fumes and heat.

 

Hey man, I have a rubber boot for the S4 auto shifter. It's the piece that goes around the bottom of the linkage rod and under the shifter thing. It covers up the hoel to the road.

 

hey, during cold days I often hold my hand over my ripped shift boot. Easy hand warmer

 

Hell yeah.

It keeps my shifting hand warm when I roll thw windows down.