thanks for the responses guys, i didn't get to this thread in time to reply to everyone. and the replys are correct.

 

Thanks for the info. I have a few questions in response. Since the material is steel, has anyone thought abuot welding on a new post? It would save you from having to drill a hole in it. If you screw up, you can't exactly try again, but if you welded, you could knock it off. On that note, about how thick is the steel in the area where you would weld? I'd like to this method if anyone thinks it's feasible.

Also, would bearings be a possible alternative. Bearings would allow much more of a smooth shift would they not?

Thanks!

 

i dont think welding would hold up too long because the surface of the stud (footprint) is too small compared to the amount of force, and how many times you pull the cable every time you shift gears.
what do you mean by bearings?
the bushing inside the engine bay does not do much at all for smoothness. its mostly the ones inside the car, on the shifter mechanism that affect shifting.
the oem bushigs are made of softer rubber, and disintegrate over time. the es bushings are made from harder material.

 

Just so I'm clear on this, you moved that arm with the ribbed sleeve on it from where the yellow circle is to where the arrow points? Can you post a complete how-to of how exactly you get to the point where you're looking at that part? I'm a n00b at this sort of thing...I don't know what angle that pic was taken from or what you had to remove (if anything) to get there.

Also are there any long term effects from shortening the shift? Bushings/synchros wearing out faster, that sort of thing? It seems odd that Nissan wouldn't do this from the factory if there weren't any downsides.

 

the post circled in yellow is where your shifter cable is attached to. it is held by a small cotter pin to prevent the bushing from coming off the post. if you use small needle-nose pliers, the pin removal is easy.
scroll up the post (post #1) to see what moving the mounting point does.
moving it down (toward the front bumper) changes the throw distance, moving it left and right (closer to engine block <->battery) changes the position of the shifter inside your cabin.
it is easiest to check with two people, one holding the end of the shifter cable inside the engine bay, and second person moving the shift lever inside the car.
you can also see the shifter move, if you sit inside the car, and the second person moves the end of the cable in the engine bay.

 

Perhaps I'm misunderstanding the function of these bushings. They sit in the joint and reduce the friction of the two connecting arms/pieces right? Wouldn't a bearing give you the same function, but with much less friction? (think rollerblade wheel) Again, I haven't actually gone in and taken a look at things yet, so I'm pretty clueless.

 

no, the bushing just acts as dampening material to soften the force when you pull on the shifter. it does not rotate at all. you could theoretically put the end of the cable right on the stud, but metal on metal would be really harsh on the calbe and all the linkages when you shift. i think unless your oem bushing is shot, it should not be replaced with anything else. i beleive the softer rubber is a much better buffer than harder polyeurethane (sp?) bushing that ES sells.

 

All I know is that when I shift, it clunks into gear. Sometimes I even have to force it in. It is very very notchy. Perhaps something else is wrong? I have driven my friends 05 Altima and that thing shifts with the flick of a finger.

I bought the car about 2 months ago at 39k (2002 SE) and it was the same then as it is now, but the mechanic I had check it out guaranteed me that it was all in good working order. I trusted him as I had heard a lot about the 6spd just being a much stiffer shift.

Thanks!

 

You change your tranny fluid yet? Dump some MT-90 in there and get the ES shifter bushing. It will be stiffer, but smoother... I don't think we can ever be rid of the notchiness...

 

am i the only one that doesn't feel this 'notchiness'? i learned to drive on a '91 honda accord, and that shifter took a lot more effort to go through the gears than mine does....if anything, i'd say mine was kind of mushy, not notchy...my stepmom's 2004 audi A4 also takes more effort than mine, but i think that has something to do with the shorter throws....

it's funny because i just looked at this thread 2 days ago, and i'm seriously thinking about doing it....i just don't want to screw anything up, and i still can't fathom how that bolt does not pop out when shifting...what, exactly, would happen if it were to pop out? would it cause any other damage? i know you wouldn't be able to put the car in gear if it did until it was fixed, but would anything else be harmed?

 

I'm assuming you'd be stuck in (or out) of gear. I can't imagine what you would do to your engine stopping while in 6th, but it couldn't be good.


Puppetmaster Could you give me a few pointers? I'm a noob when it comes to cars, but I'm tryign to learn. Is MT-90 a specific tranny fluid or a type of tranny fluid. Also, where can you get the ES bushings? I have heard them talked about repeatedly, but have seen to links or numbers.

Thanks!

 

Here ya go...

Redline MT-90:

http://www.ogracing.com/eshop/home.asp?categ=195 and many other sites...

More info here http://forums.maxima.org/showthread.php?t=225766


ES bushings:

http://www.suspension.com/nissancars.htm

Or talk to Brian Catts - www.cattman.com

Discussed here recently http://forums.maxima.org/showthread.php?t=431159


Next time, is your friend...

 

"Notchiness" is subjective, but maybe have your clutch master/slave cylinder checked out? When the master cylinder was going out on my old car, I sometimes had trouble getting it in and out of gear because the clutch didn't fully disengage.

Still wondering if there's any long-term negative effects associated with changing the throw of your shifter.

One other question -- if I did this, and decided I didn't like it, I could just put the arm where it was before with a new cotter pin correct?

 

I used google.. It brought up a bunch of random things :-p I figured direct advice is better than guessing when I don't know anything about this stuff.


Thanks!

 

You're welcome...

Btw, I meant using Google in its pure form, not the Google search as per the Stickies. Type in "MT-90 trans fluid" and it will give ya a ton of hits, as will "Energy Suspension bushings nissan".

 

1. yes, if you dont like it, you coul always put it backon the original post. the only evidence would be the drilled hole. unliess somebody knew "exactly" what to look for, they would never even know.
2. if the bolt snapped off, you would not be able to shift out of gear you are in. the clutch would still work, but your would not physically be able to shift out of gear. if this hapened while driving, you could always get out of the car, open the hood, and put the cable back to stock position, and secure it with the oem cotter pin.
3. one thing i noticed: when you move the cable end to position it properly (center), it gets bent a little. in order for it not to bend, you would have to move it, and keep the same angle. this would still shorten your throw, but would displace the center position. this could be fixed by getting a 2nd peice of Cattman STS, and put in inside your shifter inside the car. this would lenthen the cable lenth, and center the shifter properly. or, you could ignore the fact that the end of the shifter cable is slightly bent and do i anyway. i am not sure if it puts any extra stress on the cable end.

 

Displacing the shifter only affects where it physically is, not the motion required to shift, correct?

 

1. That's one of the reasons (among many) that i want to do this..if i don't like it, or i ever (heaven forbid) consider selling it, the car could easily be returned to stock...
2. That's exactly what i figured would happen, in which case you would simply have to depress the clutch pedal until stopped, then turn the car off still in gear...but don't you have to take the airbox off to get to that? i think that would be a pain to do on the side of the highway unless you carry around a toolbox....that's they only thing i'm afraid of...although it hasn't happened to anyone yet, i would most likely be the first person for it to happen to..that's just my luck....
3. I noticed that in the picture as well, and don't quite understand as to why it does that... i mean, is it just the extra stress that the arm is putting on the bolt or what?

anyway, i think that i'm going to bite the bullet on this one and give it a try....i sure would like the throws to be shorter, but what i would REALLY like is for the actual shifter to be shorter like hct67 did to his, but i'd be even MORE nervous that that would break loose! lol

 

what do you mean exaclty?

 

doing this mod and moving that rod only affects where the shifter physically is, and how short the throws are, and not the amount of effort it takes to put it in gear, correct?


^^that's what i got out of it...

 

well, actually no. if you move the point of a fulcrum, it will require more force to lift the same weight the same distance. so you will have to use more force when shifting into gear. it is noticably more for the first day or two, then you get used to it. the shifter still feels a little different after about a week for me. its not bad to where you have to put a lot of effort into shifting, but it does feel somewhat harder. if you are considering doing the free sts mod, or getting a kit, don't let this fact stop you. the change in force is so small, that you will not regret it.

 

This is basically what I was asking...what I was getting at (should've just said it) is, if the shifter is not perfectly centered, does that do any damage? Bending the rod a little probably isn't a big deal, but if I find I don't mind the shifter being a little off center, might as well keep the rod straight.

 

This is awesome, just what I needed to see in order to do my SE-R. Is it easy to drill into that piece? I think I'm just going to use a regular bit.

 

It is not easy.....the metal is hard as hell and you will probably break a few bits if you use regular crappy bits......start off with a small bit and work your way bigger.

 

Gotcha, I'll use my metal bit then.

 

I figured most everyone without a sts already would have this mod. Even a local guy here that doesn't frequent the org sold his Watkins and decided to do this.

 

Im going to be taking my hp sts off and doing this mod because I hate how the hp sts moves the shifter foward.

 

Whats the HP sts look like?

 

on using small bits and working your way up....theres no way you can jump right in with a large bit and start drilling away....definitely tough steel (i think?>)

 

if you align the calble, so the shifter stalk is in the factory position, you will have to bend the cable. it will not be in a straight line. if you take the hp sts off, and try to line up the cable to the mounting point, you will see what i mean. i dont think it's good. there is some kind of grease-filled rubber boot on the end of the shifter cable. i think being bent will wear out the seal a lot faster. i am not sure what this little boot does, but it is the reason i bought an sts, and not drill the hole. if you want to put the shifter back in oem position, you can buy the second peice of watkins sts. i got mine from brian at cattman for about $80.

 

I just met up with an org member the other day who drilled his own and he did not have to bend the cable and it matched up pretty straight. The best part was his shifted a smooth as hell compared to mine.

 

i agree, you dont have to bend it, it is however "bent" by itself. you dont bend it in the same sence as you would a peice of wire. it will be "bent" slightly by itself, if you want to center the shifter stalk. take a look, and you will see what i mean.
i do agree that it shifts smoother if you drill. mine is notch as h3ll, and i hate it. i almost want to drill it, just to see if makes any improvement.

 

btw, for those who are concern with relability....i have had this STS mod for over 1 month, and i have no signs of problems...i believe deckdout02 has had this for much longer without any problems either

just remember to pick a good quality, sturdy bolt from ace hardware....and most importantly, do a good job drilling the hole

 

did you have to tap the hole after drilling?

 

yeah you needa buy a threader

 

i have had this mod for quite a while. to the point that i've forgotten that i've had it until the reoccurance of this thread. it has never given me any issues and i've enjoyed it from day 1.

 

a die tap is necessary. you have to thread the hole for the bolt.

 

oops, let me REPHRASE what i said earlier...

btw, for those who are concern with relability....i have had this STS mod for over 1 YEAR, and i have no signs of problems...i believe deckdout02 has had this for much longer without any problems either

 

Can you use a bolt that is half thread and half no thread and nut the underside??? or will the nut hit something?

 

bump on this one.