Just thought I'd bump this up to say thanks to everyone who commented on the B&M short shifter. You talked me into getting one, and it's the best friggin thing I've done yet!!!!!

 

me to... damnit!
I thought I was done with the mechanical upgrades for a while and could start doing causmetic changes!

 

how hard is instalation, i have never done anything with the tranny but is it something a novice could install or should i be taking it somewhere?

-Mike

 

The install's cake. There's one bolt that might be a pain to fish out, but it's all straight forward.

I'd like to comment on the tranny whine. I notice that not everyone's trans is whining through the shifter. Mine did, at certain times. When the shifter was tightened down, the shifter bushing was too tight against the cup it rides in. This is where the vibration/whine comes from. If you clearance the bushing a bit on the bottom, or make a gasket (thick paper or thin rubber), this will be enough to relieve the tension between the two pieces, and stop the noise.

Dynamat helps to hide the noise, but doesn't do anything to fix the problem.

Hope this contributes to someone's install.

--Dave

 

Oh, yeah... The installation...

Easy. Had to fiddle to get the supplied bolts to fit, but all done within 20 minutes.

 

Haha, I think that's awesome. My girlfriend would freak (in a really bad way) if I gave her a car part as a gift, but I would -love- to get a short shifter for my birthday. It's so cool being a guy....

 

okay everyone, NO MORE RATTLES even with my MOMO shift ****!!

I basically forgot to pop that plastic thingy off the tip of the old one and have it put on the new one. I then put a piece of foam on the right side where the shifter is really close to the frame. Next, I wrapped the shifter rod with a 4" silicone hose where the momo **** screws on and voila! Thanks to everyone who helped me.

 

I installed mine last night and it works like a charm. Very crisp, very precise, snaps into 3rd.

You need sealer-gasketing material, Permatex RTV blue and you should probably go to your Mazda dealer and get a new bushing for the bottom of the shifter before you start. No bushing comes with the kit. Part number 039817462A. My old bushing cracked as I was pulling out the old short-shifter (brand unknown) so get the part first. It is nylon and just snaps on the bottom of the B&M.

There is one other wrinkle. In my car the transmission was rotated a bit to the right, making it difficult to access the two bolts on the right. Ideally all four bolts would be squared up and easy to get to. I needed a pry-bar and lots of effort to get the right hand bolts in.

Worth every drop of sweat & then some.

 

And by the way, I have no noise or vibration of any kind.

 

Easy installation, no noises or rattles

 

Do you recommend an OEM Mazda bushing or an aftermarket urethane one (if they make one; i.e. Energy Suspension)?

 

I can't see why the stock one won't work just fine... Good luck buying the car BTW!!

 

Thanks for your support! Seems unlikely though...I need a lot of cash to start my business.

 

The bushing on the bottom of the shifter is nothing more than a white, "nylon" cap. It just snaps on the ball at the bottom of the shifter. It's a $7.00 part at Mazda & there is no reason to consider anything else - if anything else is made. They wear a bit over time so while you are in there you may as well go with a new one even if the old one looks OK.

I think you are referring to suspendion bushings which is a whole different story.

 

Hehe...I'm used to working on Hondas so I'm always looking to upgrade the shifter bushings even w/ a cartridge bearing. Sorry for the stupid question.