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shifter rattle

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Old 10-27-11, 07:44 AM
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shifter rattle

Hey guys, i did search but didnt come up with any fixes,

My shifter started that annoying rattle about 2 months ago and i cant stand it anymore. Is there any fixes to it?

What i got from searching was just some cars do it and some dont. has to be a reason.
Old 10-27-11, 08:56 AM
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http://www.mazdatrix.com/shiftrat.htm
Old 10-27-11, 09:20 AM
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yeah, i read that so there is really no fix for the noise right? just have to deal with it?
Old 10-27-11, 09:53 AM
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unless you can figure something out that mazdatrix doesnt know. mine rattles too.
Old 10-27-11, 10:06 AM
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do you have a metal ****? i'm wondering if the **** i have makes the noise louder?
Old 10-27-11, 10:15 AM
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I fixed 2 by replacing the clutch back to oem. Both times the rattle was generated after the clutch was replaced. One was an RX4 and we put a solid clutch disc in it(no dampner springs). Another was an RX7 the rattle developed after replacing the engine and the clucth used was some aftermarket one. I remembered my 1st experience and replaced the clutch with an oem, noise gone. Apparently it is a result of vibrations transmitted though the clutch to the transmission and causing the rattle.

My current '81 GSL has that noise, but it is not time for a clutch yet.
Old 10-27-11, 10:27 AM
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That's interesting and i do have an aftermarket clutch but I would think if the clutch caused it at least in my case the sound would be more consistent maybe increasing with speed, but mine is intermittent. and it just started one day. I also have some twist play in the shifter it self, minimal but it's there, I'm going to take it apart this weekend and try some different ideas If i get anywhere I will post
Old 10-27-11, 10:49 AM
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First try replacing your shifter bushings. The rattle that Mazdatrix describes usually appears after installing a short shifter.
Old 10-27-11, 11:07 AM
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i have a short shifter not the stock, so i am getting the same problem they are.
Old 10-27-11, 11:25 AM
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No fix. That I know of.
Old 10-27-11, 11:41 AM
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Well the fix would be to swap in a transmission that doesn't rattle. But there is no way to know without actually installing it. Or go back to a stock shifter.
Old 10-27-11, 12:05 PM
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Originally Posted by RXSpeed16
Well the fix would be to swap in a transmission that doesn't rattle. But there is no way to know without actually installing it. Or go back to a stock shifter.
it is not transmission specific.
Old 10-27-11, 12:11 PM
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i was on google and youtube looking at other situations with the same issue, different cars. I saw a good amount of responses saying the rattles were from the short shifter making contact with the exhaust, i don';t know/think that's the case with the rx7 and i'm deff not swapping clutch/tranny to see if that solves it, lol
Old 10-27-11, 12:42 PM
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How on earth could a shifter ever come in contact with the exhaust?
Old 10-27-11, 01:16 PM
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^^^ now thinking about it, your right, lol it must have been a FWD car they were talking about the linkage, i didnt think that one all the way threw.
Old 10-27-11, 01:19 PM
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I've always been able to cure shifter rattle by using a complete set of new shifter bushings including springs as well as making sure the tension spring is in place. It has worked consistently on 5+ TII and NA transmissions.

None of these had short shiftes, however. Only stock.
Old 10-27-11, 01:38 PM
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yeah i don't see why the short shifter does this
Old 10-27-11, 01:58 PM
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Originally Posted by 87 t-66
it is not transmission specific.
From the mazdatrix rattling page. "On a customers '89 GTU we installed a Mazdatrix short shifter. The shifter did not rattle at all. The customer then replaced the transmission-the shifter now rattles."

Mazdatrix calls it "car" specific but they mean transmission specific. I've read that thing 50 times trying to figure out the rattle LOL!

The takeaway being, there isn't any reasonable fix to this issue.
Old 10-27-11, 02:27 PM
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Originally Posted by a2dadamm
That's interesting and i do have an aftermarket clutch but I would think if the clutch caused it at least in my case the sound would be more consistent maybe increasing with speed, but mine is intermittent. and it just started one day. I also have some twist play in the shifter it self, minimal but it's there, I'm going to take it apart this weekend and try some different ideas If i get anywhere I will post
In every case that I have ever seen it rattles the most in 4th gear, and some in 5th and 3rd, not at all in the 2 other gears.

Funny thing is, when I had an "02 Firehawk, this was also a topic on the forums if you changed to a short throw shifter. I avoided it then by using a B&M solid billet short throw shifter. So maybe the shifter does have something to do with it.
Old 10-27-11, 06:39 PM
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I think the extended part below the pivot point picks up vibrations otherwise canceled by the stock shifter? The world may never know
Old 10-27-11, 08:22 PM
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Originally Posted by jerd_hambone
First try replacing your shifter bushings. The rattle that Mazdatrix describes usually appears after installing a short shifter.
Originally Posted by a2dadamm
i have a short shifter not the stock, so i am getting the same problem they are.
i got this problem after my short shifter.
on top of that i have soild tranny mount
and metal shift ****


just gotta have your hand on to it all times iguess
Old 10-27-11, 09:27 PM
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my s4 had the dreaded rattle when i bought it. when i swapped in my current motor i replaced some stuff on the trans as well. long with seals and such, i replaced both bushings, the tension springs, and the rubber boots. the old bushings and tension springs were completely broken down/destroyed. after swapping all this out my shifter is quiet as could be
Old 05-24-15, 02:44 AM
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My shifter started to make the buzzing noise after I replaced the tail shaft bushing and shifter bushings. I'm not sure if the if the spring could've been reinstalled wrong or if the bushing can be installed in the wrong order or maybe one of the springs popped off on the re install. I'll take it apart tomorrow and see if I can get it to be quiet.
Old 05-24-15, 08:36 AM
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My stock shifter started rattling after rebuilding my engine and replacing the motor mounts with the mazda comp ones. New shifter bushings did not cure it.

After replacing the inner rubber shifter boots, it went silent.
Old 05-24-15, 10:21 AM
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Another thing that helps is packing the shifter box full of thick grease, rather than just filling with transmission oil.


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