weird stick shift vibration/wobble

K

K_1

Member
My 2003, standard, MP5 is almost a month old now and I've been having a weird problem since I bought it. I don't drive it much, it's only got 1100kms on it and I was hoping the weird vibration would go away after I broke the car in. Basically, when I'm in gear and I ease up on the gas pedal to slow down, and then put pressure back on the gas pedal to accelerate, the stick shifter wobbles back and forth about 1cm for a few seconds until I get up to speed again. The car doesn't lurch like I'm going to stall it, I'm still in the correct gear for the speed I'm going. An example would be, your driving in 3rd gear, coming up to a red light, you ease off the gas to wait for the green, you get the green and accelerate. This wobble is significant - you can not only feel it in your hand, but without you hand on the stick, you and your passengers can watch it move. Does anyone else have this weird wobbling?? It also wobbles if you rev the engine in neutral but the wobble isn't as severe. I don't remember feeling this wobble in the car I used for a test drive but my mind was on other things at the time anyways. Should I be worried about this wobble or is this normal? - I've driven 5 other standard cars (all old), two of them Mazda's proteges, and I've never felt this before.

Karen:wtf:
 
Downshift!!!!
I know what you are talking about. You are going to slow for the speed that you are in, and the car can't get power. Also trying accelerating smoothly. Don't just floor it.
 
I've been testing out the "wobble" and in some cases, downshifting is not an option. It does it in 5th gear going 110km/h - I'll ease off cuz there's a guy merging in front of me, drop down to 105km/h and then hit the pedal (gently of course - it's still a new car) to get back up to speed and the gear shift wobbles. I have never floored my car, I only have 1100kms on it so I've been very gentle. This is why I don't understand the wobble, it seems to do this for no reason!!!
 
it is because the shift linkage is a rod type, not cable type. the rod type allows for better feel when shifting, but has the side effect of transmitting vibrations. it is totally normal. and the 'wobble' you mention when getting on and off the gas is from the engine rocking back and forth in its mounts, and causing the shift linkage to move the shifter around. again, totally normal for this type of shifter set-up.
 
What is your rpms?

I haven't driven a 5 spd P5, but if the rpms have dropped below where the engine torque is sufficient to accelerate the car, you will get driveline shake. Any manual transmission car will do this. I'm betting that anything below 1,500-2,000 rpm will not let you accelerate in 3rd gear smoothly. That's the way my '88 323 LX 5 spd. was. Jim
 
The same exact thing happens in my P5. I never really even thought about it because the same thing happens in my Eagle Talon. I just thought it was a characteristic of a manual transmission.
 
We're automatically assuming this is rpm related. If the shake is THAT bad to complain about...maybe it should be looked at closely...
 
I may be wrong but I don't know if what he is actually refering to is a shaking or just movement. I think in any manual tranny car there will be some amount of shaking felt through the shifter, I'd say its inevitable.

If I drive and let off the gas and then hit it again I can watch the shifter move front to back (or vice versa). The movement has gotta be less than 1/4" total (1/8" in in each direction).
 
Soft Motor Mounts?

Someone posted here earlier about the P5 having really soft motor mounts. This could also contribute to some movement when you accelerate/decclerate. If the gear lever is rigidly attached to the transaxle it will move with the rest of the drive line. Jim
 
I am having this same thing. It is kind of annoying and when I took it to the dealer he said it was completely normal for reason listed above of it being a rod linkage and not a cable. A tech at the same dealer actually said that some better bushings or washers in the shift linkage could help the problem out and limit the movement. I was kind of hoping that when I do my short shifter the problem would lessen. I don't expect it to go away completely but for a car with only 130hp it moves a little too much for my taste(something that I did not notice during my test drive) I wonder if the kartboy shifter bushings would help those of you out that don't want a short shifter option.

DOES ANYONE WITH A SHORT SHIFTER KARTBOY OR OTHERWISE HAVE THIS SAME PROBLEM???????
 
This is normal. Every manual transmission car I've had with a rod-type shift linkage (Honda, Nissan, Mazda) has done this to some degree.
 
Mazda 6 manual

bmorton said:
This is normal. Every manual transmission car I've had with a rod-type shift linkage (Honda, Nissan, Mazda) has done this to some degree.
Click to expand...

At work, I was testing the new Mazda 6 I4 manual, and it has zero shake from the shifter. That was the first thing I noticed, between my P5 and the 6 was the quietness of the shifter. It almost feels as if your not attached to the car. I personally love that shake in my P5, it gives the car some character, and I can feel the car. I don't like the 6, how it feels on the shifter.
 
SHAKE BABY SHAKE:)

Only shaking problem I had with my car was that my garage door remote control was vibrating and the shifter was shaking a little. After the mods, I only feel some vibration from the shifter and no shaking. But the vibration is expected from this type of linkage.
 
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