Shifter slop

[Alby]

I have a 91 festiva 5 speed the shifter has a incredible amount of slop and is wanting to push through the floor... do I need to replace the shifter assembly?

[fezzy]

It's usually 4 plastic bushes underneath the car where to linkages are.

[firebush357]

Most of them just need new bushings. Here is a link to a Thread with a lot of info about it.

[Alby]

Right on thanks

[Stargazer]

Does anyone know where to get these shifter bushings, i cant find any ANYWHERE lol. Kinda frustrating

[theastronaut]

There is a great write up on swapping out the bushings for shoulder bolts and nylon washers here on the forum. You won't have to order parts from the dealer this way and they shouldn't wear out as fast. I've had them in my car for the last ~13,000 miles and they haven't loosened up a bit. I also swapped in a $7 buck Civic short shifter from eBay to decrease the length of the throw, and it comes with ball bearings already installed instead of bushings. It's a straight bolt in fit and makes the car much more enjoyable to drive.

http://www.fordfestiva.com/forums/showthread.php?39051-Advanced-Shift-linkage-write-up

http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_sacat=0&_nkw=civic+short+shifter&_sop=15

[william]

Napa, kia stocks them mazda possibly too.
There where napa part number on here somewhere.

http://www.fordfestiva.com/forums/showthread.php?39051-Advanced-Shift-linkage-write-up&highlight=shoulder+bolts

Here's how to fix it for good without bushings

[william]

He beat me to it^

[denguy]

NAPA might have some door hinge bushings that are the same size.

[TominMO]

Does anyone know where to get these shifter bushings, i cant find any ANYWHERE lol. Kinda frustrating

Read the thread firebush357 provided, the info's there.

[Eaglefreek]

I did mine with the Napa bushings and they lasted about 6 months. I was installing my engine yesterday and just used a piece of heavy poly tubing that was 1/2" OD and 3/8 ID and added 2 washers on either side. Not sure how long it will last, but it works good for a quick fix.

[bravekozak]

Forget plastic. Use bronzoil bushings for nice crisp shifts and never have to go bush hunting and bush diving ever again.

Close tolerance. Proper material. All edges chamfered. Long term. No more shifter slop.

[200KGPGTP]

^^^details on those?

[harpon]

I have a quick question aside here:

My Aspire has been having syncro ring problems but working otherwise, as I've been also looking at possible other cars to replace it. I was literally going to look at another used car today, and the 40 miles to St Augustine were too much for my transaxle- I think it's still overfull-

Any- got off the Interstate and the transaxle was VERY stiff, and as I was trying to force it too much- something snapped or broke. The manual 5 speed shifter got really loose feeling, and I can hardly get any gears with it. Do you think it's these bushings? Or is there some other failure of the shift lever? It still moves around very loosely, and I got a few gears enough to get on the Interstate and get home.

I have the feeling that the tranny is still in the same syncro problem condition otherwise, but not really that sure.

I also literally bought a an 04 Hyundai Accent I already had test driven, n the way home. It's a 1.5 with a lot of zip, but heavier and I don't think a replacement for the likes of Festy or Aspire or geo, but that's how the trends have gone. No I'm sorta depressed at the possible death of my Aspire- only 121 K and everything else still going great.

THe one good thing bout the Accent is that the wheels are 4 x 100 13's 9or 14's- I have alloy Escort wheels, and used Honda alloys on the Aspire now) so I can still keep a relatively narrow tire on.

So anyway- do you think the prob is these bushings, and can an entire shifter still be had otherwise?

Anybody got pictures of any of this beyond the bushings, or any links to pictures or schematics.? Thanks in advance.

[FestYboy]

Harpoon, I suspect that the shifter gate is broken (internal). You can't overfill a trans, it will spit out the excess through the vent tube. Also, is the aspire on the factory clutch? There may be a clutch issue here as well, but the main thing here is the trans needs to be swapped.