Shifter hitting exhaust

[logan]

I just bought a 1990 festiva LX 4 speed. I noticed after I got home when you push the shifter down it sounds like its hitting the exhaust. This is my first festiva and stick shift. What causes this? I read the falling shifter but looks like the bolts are fine.

[Zanzer]

You shouldn't be able to push it down. Is there actually up and down play in the stick? If so it's either the mounting bolts or something is up with the shifter housing itself.

[logan]

Yes and when I push down I can hear it hit the exhaust I putting the cover up and looks like the "housing" is still bolted up.

[Zanzer]

If the housing is secured well then it sounds like something internal with the shifter. It's a pretty simple design. It's 2 plastic pieces that capture the shifter ball, a spring to push down on the assembly and hold it all together, and the housing itself. I wonder if something has happened to the bottom plastic insert (the taller of the 2 with the split in it) or possibly the retaining lip on the bottom of the housing that keeps everything held in place on the lower end.



Here's a pic from Skeeter's DIY shifter thread. All the internal parts are laid out on the silver shifter. As you can see, there isn't much to it.

[scitzz]

AS the victim of drop shifter on 2 separate occasions, I would say that is the problem. The rubber "boot" inside the housing stops gripping. Pain in the butt. Skeeter also has a thread, IIRC, on how to fix the problem. One hole drilled, one bolt, one nut. Someone else recently posted of using a PL sealer to make a new boot.

[logan]

It sounds like the bottom retaining plate is gone.

[logan]

I pulled it off and looked at it. The seal around the ball had come loose so I pulled it back up and pushed the other seal around it like it looked like it went and seems ok now. Thanks!

[Zanzer]

^^ Good deal, glad to hear it's fixed! :thumbup: