DamonB

Tranny lube; whatever you put inside the transmission. Just fill enough to cover the "cup" that the shifter sits in; don't fill it to the top.

WaLieN

I just got the nylon bushing -- I'll let you guys know how the install goes.

twinturboy

I had a fairly new nylon bushing with my b&m but it still rattles. I just recieved my aluminum bushing from mazdatrix and will put it in soon. Hopefully it will cure it. I'll post the result once its put in also.

WaLieN

I put my bushing in, and it cured my shifter rattling. Also, it made the shifts MUCH firmer and precise. I would reccomend that anyone with a sloppy or rattling shifter should replace the bushing.

Just Bring It

mine doesn't rattle, but there is some kind of vibration when i hold the shifter, it could be the ****, who knows. I can live with it though.

WaLieN

Yeah, mines still has the vibration, but I don't mind it either.

vchacon

Seal it with what?

WaLieN

You're supposed to use high temp RTV to seal the shifter base/tranny base up; this prevents any of the oil from coming out.

Again, I can't stress enough on how such a little part made such a huge difference. You guys should really replace your bushings.

alberto_mg

No vibration or rattling from my B&M. Also no wierd problems with it resting on the sheet metal. Thats wierd btw.

Anyway, I think there was a thread where it was advised to add some tranny oil to replace the few ounces that you loose when removing the stock piece.

You might want to replace the tranny oil anyway since it doesn't sound like you have done that any time recently. I suggest Redline MTL. It made shifting a lot smoother in my car and the tranny transmits less heat to the cabin as well. Win/win situation.

spoolin1012

iTrader: (2)

If someone could help me out, I have the stock shifter but its very loose even when its in gear. Would replacing the bushing get rid of that?

SpiritR

Mazdaspeed and C`s both dont rattle.

WaLieN

YES! That was exactally how my shifter was in Neutral -- as loose as Paris Hilton. Anyways, I replaced the bushing, and now it is TIGHT. In Neutral, I have VERY little play. It almost feels as if neutral is a gear, how tight it is.

wiblergt

aluminum bushing will transmit more vibration than the nylon one. Usually isn't enough to notice.

if you have a rattle, check your shift **** (if using an aftermarket one), the other possibility could be the shield between the tranny/drive shaft and the undercarrage. you can see it when you install your shifter. when using the B&M, the shield touches against the shifter base. this may be the cause of your rattle. Just bend it away from the shifter! mine works great.

I love it

big will

twinturboy

I finally got around to installing my aluminum shifter bushing(3 months later). I previously had a fairly new plastic bushing, and thought the aluminum bushing would cure the rattling. Well It seems the shifter rattles just the same with the aluminum bushing compared to the plastic one, possibly worse. When I had first installed my shifter I had some problems with rubbing against the heat shields and the transmission tunnel, but was able to cure that by bending everything out of the way with a big screwdriver and some pliers. My rattling seems to be coming from the shifter due to the vibration of the transmission. It only rattles in 1st, 2nd and 3rd, not in 4th or 5th. My shift **** is a mazdaspeed screw on **** and is tightly attached , so i know that isnt causing it. I have learned to live with the rattling and I dont think it will cause any problems. I will try some dynomat on the shifter and see if that does anything. Anyone else have any luck curing their rattling shifter?

WaLieN

Try these two things...
1. Putting a little foam weather striping on the end of your shifter ****.
2. Switch to a nylon bushing.

Both helped solve my rattling problem -- it still VIBRATES a little, but it doesn't rattle.

t-von

iTrader: (8)

I just installed a new nylon shifter bushing on my short shifter and it stoped my rattling. For some reason when I first installed it, the bushing fit so tight in it's housing that my shifter wouldn't move freely So I had to remove it and grind the bushing around it's circular edges slightly. Then I re-installed it and now it works perfectly.


For some of you guys who complain about your shifters rattling even with newer bushings, you might want to recheck your mounting bolts. Do to the thickness of aftermarket shifter housings, the stock bolts aren't long enough to properly fasten down the shifter. I installed my shifter 2 months ago and it was loose. Half way during my bushing install, I decided to replace the bolts with longer ones. So I drove to the auto store with all my panels removed. It was kind of weird driving the car and seeing how fast the drive shaft spins. While driving I couldn't help but notice how close the thicker aftermarket shifter housing came to touching the body frame when the drivetrain torqued during acceleration. I have a torgue brace and my drivetrain doesn't move that much but my differential mounts are going bad. Anyways actually seeing the drivetrain movment made me wonder if you guys rattling problem could be due to excessive drivetrain movement/vibration. Weak drivetrain mounts(engine,diff,trans,ect) will cause excessive vibrations and could cause the aftermarket shifters housings to rub on the frame and vibrate within itself. Only way to tell is if you remove all your shifter panels like I did and take you car for a spin to look and listen of unusual noises.

miatrx

I just put in the Gotham short shifter(same as B&M, they say) last night and had the dreaded rattle and quite a bit more engine noise too. Went back in this morning and took care of the problems and am VERY happy with it now.

1. the shifter base had a small rub mark on the right where it was rubbing the thin metal lining under the painted tunnel. It was close enough that I had to pry the shifter base a bit to the left to fix a rubber mat in between them. (Dymanat might work too, but I bet it would wear in this situation.)

2. I had already used sealant so I took the 4 Allen head screws off of the top of the base and removed the shifter to add more Redline. There was lube in there already, but not enough, I think. While I had the shifter out I relubed the ball.

3. I slipped 2 thicknesses of rubber tubing around the lower part of the shifter so that its o.d. was similar to the stock. Then the upper shift boots would stay in place around it to make a good seal for noise and fumes from under the car.

When I had it all back together it worked great and was almost as quiet as stock.

FWIW Gotham included the bushing and lubed the ball. Great deal now on sale.

Tom

rotorhead333

I have the B&M shifter with the original nylon bushing. It rattled a bit at first then went away within a small amount of time. Break-in period I guess..

badass7

Anyone else have any success in eliminating the rattling ?

This is what Mazdatrix has to say about ALL short shifters and rattling :

http://www.mazdatrix.com/shiftrat.htm

badass7

This is what I got off the Mazdatrix site in regards to the short shifter rattling.......

" The one thing we found that made a BIG difference, was to be sure and have the oil level in the shift tower ABOVE the socket the lower ball goes into. The shifter is still in his car -- the neat short shifting is worth the trade-off for the noise. "


Now, they are saying to fill in the fluid FROM the TOP of the shifter after undoing the HEX bolts. The base of the shifter is SEALED. My question is, where does the fluid go if it overflows out of the top of that socket ?? Do they mean to fill it up until it overflows ?? Any info. is appreciated.

John Magnuson

Your B&M shifter is making the "rattling" noise because the oversized box it hitting the transmission tunnel. Sometimes this will go away with time because the rubbing will wear away the aluminium on the shifter where it is contacting the trans tunnel. The reason you're only getting rattling now when you accelerate is that the torque of the engine under load twists the powertain to the side a bit causing the shifter and trans tunnel to contact again.

I switch to the short throw shifter from Mazdatrix. Problems solved plus a much better shift feel.

matty

mine rattles in 5th gear---if i push the shifter up i can make it go away...any ideas on how to fix?

badass7

Mazdatrix website says that their shifter also rattles on certain cars.

My rattling is only audible if the windows are up and radio off.
However, I know its there and its annoying. I took the shifter cover off and could not see where it touches the Trans tunnel. If it does touch, can something be bent back or dynomat placed in between ?

WaLieN

Are you sure your shifter bushing is in good condition? If it isn't there will be a lot of play at the ball of the shifter, causing it to rattle.

badass7

Can anyone confirm that an Engine Torque brace eliminates any short shifter rattling ??