smoother gear changes

F

Flav

Member
:
2002 Mazda Protege 5
well.. I'm a 100% newbie to owning my protege/a car..
i've got a 2002 protege and have owned it for about 2 months now.
and was wondering if someone could edu-ma-cate me on how i could get some smoother gear changes, it seems kinda rough sometimes to change gears, mostly 1 and 2.

my noobish thought would be to flush out the tranny and put in some new oil?
also, if that IS the case, could someone recommend a good brand of oil (dunno)

THANKS!
 
yeah, going from 1 to 2 is always kind of notchy. I don't think there is really anything we could do about that. But, changing your trans fluid would help shifting a little. I use Redline MT90 in mine and love how it feels. I have nothing but good things to say about it. I believe some people also use GM synchromesh too. Some other members will chime in soon with their opinions and experiences soon
 
There are a lot of things that can cause crappy shifting on these cars. I'd say start at the cheapest option and work your way up. Here's what I can think of:
  • Replace shifter bushings and related nuts/bolts - see below
  • Change transmission fluid - link
  • Change motor mounts
  • Change entire clutch assembly (believe it or not, this helped someone) - link

Replacing your shifter bushings is a very easy job that will cost you about $10 in parts. Looking at the attached diagram, you need to replace all the hardware and bushings at both ends of the "Change Control Rod" (#2 on the diagram). This amounts to: 4 bushings, 2 bolts, and 2 nuts. Any good Mazda dealer will stock all these parts and will know exactly what you're talking about if you show them the diagram (I could get you part numbers if you really need them). This won't fix the "nochiness" of the shift (that's most likely a transmission issue), but it'll really make moving the shifter around a lot easier. I'd highly recommend doing this before anything else.

The transmission fluid can be swapped out but in my experience, you don't get any very noticeable gains (you should still do it, it's cheap and good for the tranny). Depending where you are in Canada, you might find it hard to find a good selection of gear oils (I can't find royal purple or redline products where I live). You might get lucky and find some castrol stuff at Canadian Tire (not that it's anything special, but it's better than using ATF or motor oil).

The other two options are expensive and not worth looking into till you try the first two, good luck!
 

Attachments

  • shift-linkage.png
    shift-linkage.png
    58.4 KB · Views: 2,799
Hey thanks a lot cheese helmet, really helpful information!
should i just go for the stock bushings? or are there some after market ones i should go for?
also, was thinking of getting a short shifter, am i gonna see a big difference with that?
 
Flav said:
Hey thanks a lot cheese helmet, really helpful information!
should i just go for the stock bushings? or are there some after market ones i should go for?
also, was thinking of getting a short shifter, am i gonna see a big difference with that?
Click to expand...

I think the stock bushings are fine, although they probably have a shorter lifespan than the after-market ones (they tend to be made of metal instead of plastic).

I haven't tried any after-market control rod bushings or any short shifters, hopefully someone else can chime in. I do have an after-market bushing on the other rod that holds the shifter to the tranny (this one), I don't think it's worth it. I bought it because I damaged my original one and haven't noticed any difference in shifting because of it.
 
You should be a short shifter to get full enjoyment out of the bushings you have at the moment.
 
on the topic of short shifters, which one should i get?
what makes one shifter better then the other?
i did some ebaying and found a few that are about 50, let me show you an example..
and you guys can yell at me why i shouldn't get it :) LOL

http://cgi.ebay.ca/Mazda-Protege-Me...r_Truck_Parts_Accessories&hash=item3f012afbd7

http://cgi.ebay.ca/MAZDA-PROTEGE-MP...r_Truck_Parts_Accessories&hash=item27b2db7bc9

http://cgi.ebay.ca/Short-Shifter-4-...r_Truck_Parts_Accessories&hash=item5193b4f530

http://cgi.ebay.ca/RACING-SHORT-SHI...r_Truck_Parts_Accessories&hash=item35aaa061ed
 
For short shifters i would recommend B&M, TMW, or Kartboy. This is no place to cheap out... You get what you pay for with short shifters.
 
B&M or TWM short shifter, Kartboy shifter bushings (from Protephile or Corksport), bronze oil shift linkage bushings from Corksport, Redline MT90 and/or GM Synchromesh for gear oil.

New motor mounts should help too.
 
I'd get Kartboy or Fidanza, just because of cost. Not much feedback on the Fidanza, but some good, no bad, and it's a known brand. No way would I throw a $15 ebay special in there. Snap!
 
Anyone know the part numbers for the shifter bushings and bolts? Do the bolts and nuts need to be replaced with new ones or only the bushings?
 
Please log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

Y
Transmission won't change gears in "Drive", but changes gears fine in manual mode
Replies
1
Views
2K
pcb
P
T
O/D Light on at cold start. Can anyone explain this? 2002 Protege5
Replies
13
Views
2K
TX_SilverP5
T
O
Car won't start after running with a quart of oil over
2
Replies
28
Views
5K
pcb
P

Latest posts

Back