Are there any products or mods I could use or do to improve the smoothness and notchiness of my stock shifter? I'm not looking to shorten the throw, just smooth things out a bit (although I'm not opposed to a shorter throw, I've never used a short shifter that made things smoother than they were). I haven't spent enough time in other FDs to be sure my problem isn't unique to my car, and I'm sure the condition of my tranny itself has something to do with my shift problems, but I though I'd check for options anyway.

Thanks in advance

 

Stock is smooth. There are wearable parts in the shifter that can be replaced (bushing, gasket) or you can use the aluminum bushing instead of the nylon one if yours has cracked. Most likely you are blaming work motor mounts on the shifter if it's all the gears otherwise it may be a synchro for the particluar gear. There are also roller bearings for each gear that wear out. If you can't replace the motor mounts and they are inspected as bad then a cheap temporary solution would be an engine damper/torque brace.

 

Be sure the motor mounts and diff mounts are in good condition. Replace all the shifter bushings. There are three: a plastic disc that the large ball in the middle of the shifter rests on, a small plastic one that fits around the index pin and a plastic one at the base of the shifter where it engages the shift mechanism. I recommend using the metal bushing available from Mazdatrix and Mazda Motorsports in this location.

There is no short shifter out there that feels as good as a stock shifter in good shape. The shifter bushings are cheap but many people's problems are due to poor motor mounts and diff bushings.

 

One of the biggest things you can do is put good synthetic gear oil in, like Redline, Royal Purple, or Neo. Good gear oil is a night and day difference in shifting.

Dale

 

I think all of these suggestions help.

Redline MT-90 is a good synthetic that shouldn't break your budget, and probably needs changed. When you drain the old stuff (phew, it stinks) look for metal shavings, etc. If one gear in particular is rough, and you see metal shavings, it suggests a bad synchro. Unless you're into doing tranny work yourself, a very expensive repair due to labor. Unlike others, I've never noticed a difference by changing tranny oil in either of my cars. So I guess this experience isn't universal.

Also change those shifter bushings. The bushings wear, and the wave washers break. It's an extremely easy thing to do yourself, just buy new wave washers and bushings and swap them in. On the attached pic, the old parts are in red, the new ones in blue. I also replaced the small rubber boot since it was torn. The plastic cup on the end of the shifter is the one also available in aluminum. I chose to get a plastic one (saving the cost of an additional order to another vendor) and figure if it wears out I'll try aluminum next time.



Motor mounts and diff mount aren't so easy, but important. Also kind of expensive, plus you have to remove heat shields to inspect them. The torque brace would help if the mounts are worn.

It should be less than $100 to do a tranny fluid change and shifter bushings if you DIY. If a shop does it, I'd guess an hour of labor to do both and inspect the mounts.

Dave

 

I wouldn't use the metal shavings on the drain plug as any sort of indicator. EVERY single tranny I've pulled the drain plug on has had a bunch of metal shavings on the plug. Even RX-8 guys with brand-new trannies have metal shavings on the drain plug. It's just normal wear on the tranny - it's not an indicator of anything.

Now, if you have a big hunk of metal on the drain plug...

Dale