Well my shifter in my 88 rx7 non turbo 5 speed manual does not want to return to center when pulled towards first and second. It does when going to the fifth and reverse gears. I later noticed that the spring broke that holds the bottom of the shifter lever(the round ball). I was wondering if i have to drop the trans to change it.

 

no, you can get new equipment from www.Mazdatrix.com

I got my shifter bushings from them for less than 50$

i'm sure you just need new hardware.. prolly 50-80$ for all the parts.. remove the plastic shifter surround. you'll see three gold color bolts, remove them, than pull the shifter out of the socket, than proceed to replace the parts. put about a small amount of oil into the hole, reinstall the shifter unit, than bolt everything down

-Mar (KUS)

 

That spring is only to hold the lever in place during assembly.
What you need to do first is drain & refill the tranny with SYNTHETIC GEAR LUBE.
That stuff is next to majic in the Mazda tranny.
There are several brands - any one of which will make a big improvement in the performance & life of your gearbox.

 

My shifter doesn't do this either. I don't think that it's suppossed to?

 

The shifter should center itself when you let go of it (out of gear, obviously). I test drove a few fc's that the spring broke/was disconnected. I havent looked, but I doubt you need to drop the tranny to add a new one.

 

It should slide freely between the 1-2 neutral & the 3-4 neutral. It should spring against the 5-R position.

 

Thats not what hes talking about. Go sit in your car and press the shifter to the left and then let it go. It bounces back to the center.

 

It should, at least. If the bushings are worn, it won't.

edit: 500th post, woooeee

 

OK - I see what you mean - a light spring tension from left to center.
Stiff shift lever bushings could easily mask it.
I'm looking up where that spring is in the FSM.

 

Ah Ha! Here they are

 

Oops - got ahead of the server.

 

how do you drive out the roll pin. Thanks for your help

 

Did you buy both the upper and lower bushings on Mazdatrix? What's the difference? Do I need both? Thanks.

 

those bushings won't help it spring back to the center. i've purchased them and they do help the shifting feel. but my spring is still not there inside the assembly and it still doesn't spring back to the center from the 1-2 position.

 

The shifter should spring back from the 1-2 plane to the 3-4 plane. If the spring is broken it will flop freely back and forth. The shifter bushings have nothing to do with this.
If I recall a previous thread correctly, it is possible to replace the spring with the gearbox in place, but it is extremely difficult, and not worth the effort considering it makes hardly any difference to the shifter's operation while driving.
Please correct me if I'm wrong, because I'd love to fix mine!

 

Dont worry about the spring, its too much effort to fix from what ive heard. Just start knowing where your gears are and you'll be fine, i thought bushings would only help in gear shifter "play", correct me if im wrong. Which i probably will be

 

Ok but how does one replace that said spring?
(I know this thread is a decade old)
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Update:

I found a thread with directions to replace.

https://www.rx7club.com/2nd-generation-specific-1986-1992-17/replacing-centering-spring-manual-trans-871351/

 

The centering spring can and should be replaced, Mine broke decades ago and it always bothered me!

I found a rebuilder and sent him a new spring to install so now I finally will fix this issue.

I plan on running conventional gear oil for the break-in period and then replace the oil with a synthetic oil for smoother shifting.

I have not been happy with the way the stock transmission shifted since I purchased it new from the show room floor.

As for replacing the centering spring yourself, it can be done at home. Please look at some of the postings on how to do it.

The major PITA is removing the roll pin, driving it through with a punch is tricky, making a puller that screws into the roll pin sounds easier.

 

Hi everyone,
I received my rebuilt transmission, now I have a return spring again!

But, the hole that the shifter ball sits in is much wider than what was originally used. I have a Mazdatrix short shifter and do nor remember if it came with a nylon adapter for this type of mismatch in size. I had a cheap one with an insert but tossed it in favor of the Mazdatrix shifter.

Now I need to find a suitable adapter.

This is a normal size opening, mine almost reaches the outside!

I thinking that someone widened to fit a particular shifter.