Shifter Linkage Removal

[J3alz]

I am in the process of changing the clutch and flywheel in my 2003 P5, and I am having a bit of trouble removing the shifter linkage from the transmission side. I have removed the nut from the bottom side, but the bolt just won't come loose. Anyone have any suggestions? I have tried, spraying it down with penetrating lubricant, and beating on it with a hammer, but not having much luck.

A picture of what it looks like disassembled: http://www.mazdas247.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=19609&d=1086220799

 

[justanothermp5]

you cant get that off? is it rusted on?
normally those are pretty easy...

 

[CulRidr]

They can be pretty hard, trust me. I F'd up my bolt by hammering under it and had to go in to a shop to have it replaced (as well as the bushings since that was what I was trying to do in the first place).

 

[J3alz]

you cant get that off? is it rusted on?
normally those are pretty easy...

Haha thanks for the re-assurance It must be rusted! I have been beating on it all morning with a hammer... I remember doing the rear when I installed my short shifter, and that was cake.(Different angle, but same idea) Any ideas on how I could apply more force in the cramped location?

 

[justanothermp5]

impact wrench?
lol thats what i use

 

[CulRidr]

You can use that for the nut, but the stud needs to be pushed upwards... impact wrench won't do that, and trust me I get exactly how frustrating this job is.

 

[yangsui]

I am in the process of changing the clutch and flywheel in my 2003 P5, and I am having a bit of trouble removing the shifter linkage from the transmission side. I have removed the nut from the bottom side, but the bolt just won't come loose. Anyone have any suggestions? I have tried, spraying it down with penetrating lubricant, and beating on it with a hammer, but not having much luck.

A picture of what it looks like disassembled: http://www.mazdas247.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=19609&d=1086220799

Ugh, that rust-free picture is so unfair. I had the same problem trying to replace the bushings. Mine is rusted tight. I couldn't hammer it off for the life of me. I just gave up and put the nut back on. If I had more patience, I would have tried more penetrating oil then hammer, then more oil, then hammer, then more oil, then hammer...then repeat until it came out. I can't think of any other non-destructive way.

 

[CulRidr]

Ugh, that rust-free picture is so unfair. I had the same problem trying to replace the bushings. Mine is rusted tight. I couldn't hammer it off for the life of me. I just gave up and put the nut back on. If I had more patience, I would have tried more penetrating oil then hammer, then more oil, then hammer, then more oil, then hammer...then repeat until it came out. I can't think of any other non-destructive way.

You would have eventually destroyed the threads, just like I did (a couple of mis-angled hits is all it takes, and that's rather easy to do from under the car...)

 

[shane02pro5]

Can you maybe wedge a block or something above the bracket to get a good solid strike on it without allowing the bracket to flex and absorb the shock??

 

[J3alz]

Well I'm happy to hear I'm not the only person to have this trouble... I have class right now, but will be back out to work on it after. So if anyone has success stories, or ideas let me know...
Thanks

 

[J3alz]

Can you maybe wedge a block or something above the bracket to get a good solid strike on it without allowing the bracket to flex and absorb the shock??

Not a bad idea, will give it a shot.... Not sure why I didn't think about it

 

[yangsui]

You would have eventually destroyed the threads, just like I did (a couple of mis-angled hits is all it takes, and that's rather easy to do from under the car...)

That's what I was afraid of so I gave up as I didn't have a replacement bolt on hand.

 

[CulRidr]

^I kept going until I was too tired to deal with it. If hits like that didn't take it out, city driving wouldn't dislodge it so I drove it like that to the shop and said "fix it"!

 

[CheeseHelmet]

HAMMERTIME!

I had a lot of trouble getting it out too. Spray it with penetrating oil then beat the s*** out of it with a hammer. Replace everything (nut, bolt, and bushings), it'll cost you less than $10 from Mazda.

 

[J3alz]

HAMMERTIME!

I had a lot of trouble getting it out too. Spray it with penetrating oil then beat the s*** out of it with a hammer. Replace everything (nut, bolt, and bushings), it'll cost you less than $10 from Mazda.

Haha sounds good, time to look-up part #s... I'm almost at the point of just disconnecting the linkage at the shifter and dropping that with the transmission. I'm just worried it will be in the way when it drops...

 

[95blkprobe]

when i atx to mtx swapped my probe, that bolt was very easy to come out. i would just do like they have said above and just oil it then hammer it out, be ready to have a new bolt to go in unless you are using a hammer with a softer metal.

 

[justanothermp5]

You can use that for the nut, but the stud needs to be pushed upwards... impact wrench won't do that, and trust me I get exactly how frustrating this job is.

wasnt frustrating for me at all...lol i did it in like 2 mins when i was taking my engine out

 

[J3alz]

So I never had any luck getting the bolt out... But I did get the transmission dropped. Instead of taking the bolt out, I dropped the linkage from the shifter, which got the job done. Hoping to get it back together this weekend. I'm changing the clutch and flywheel(lightened). Anyone have any suggestions what else to change when I'm in this deep?

 

[shane02pro5]

Pilot bearing and throwout bearing and new axle oil seals since many times they get damaged.

 

[CheeseHelmet]

Pilot bearing and throwout bearing and new axle oil seals since many times they get damaged.

^This. I was reading that even if they look fine they'll still leak if you don't replace them. The guys at Mazda also seemed to think it was quite important.

Be sure to use thread-locker (the medium strength blue stuff) for the flywheel and pressure plate bolts.