Another Shifter Linkage Thread

[Grizzly5984]

So, considering that I couldn't source the shoulder bolts for the advance linkage mod, I wound up buying bushings for a Kia Sephia. Everything I've read says that they'll work for a while.

Today when I got home from work, pulled my festi in the garage, up on jack stands, and crawled under it. Found the universal, seen where it had no bushings anywhere, and decided to check out the shifter. Apparently, my cousin that I bought the car from installed bronzeoil bushings before I got the car, so that joint was fine.
Back to the front, and my question.

Seeing how many people have fixed their linkage, I thought it would be easier than it looks, and it may be. Do you have to take the skid plate and motor mount loose in order to get tools to the joint? I've seen where people said it took 5 mins to do. Am I missing something?

[WmWatt]

Many people have repaced the rear bushings because of sloppy gear shift levers. Can't recall reading much about replacing front bushings.

[TominMO]

Back to the front, and my question.

Seeing how many people have fixed their linkage, I thought it would be easier than it looks, and it may be. Do you have to take the skid plate and motor mount loose in order to get tools to the joint? I've seen where people said it took 5 mins to do. Am I missing something?

No, you do not need to remove those. You just need to find the right tool to get in there; maybe a box wrench or slip-joint pliers, or a socket on a U-joint.

Very cool that you have the bronzeoil bushings. The rear bushings (i.e. under the shifter) tend to wear the most; the ones at the tranny end tend to last longer. I replaced the front bushings on the joint that just unbolts with stock Kia bushings; that alone will make a noticeable difference too. For the ones on the "unserviceable joint", the kwik fix is to stick something in there to take up the lateral slop, like a very small zip tie or a twist tie. The better way, long-term, is to grind off the riveted end and deal with it via a shoulder bolt setup, like Advancedynamix shows. Or a regular bolt that is the proper OD to use the Kia bushings. You may have to enlarge a hole on one or both joints for your chosen mods, with a drill bit. No big deal, and the Kia bushings will probably last for tens of thousands of miles. Having done all the hard work the first time, the next time it will be a simple matter of replacing the bushings, if you stick with Kia ones rather than doing an actual permanent fix like Charlie.

[Grizzly5984]

No, you do not need to remove those. You just need to find the right tool to get in there; maybe a box wrench or slip-joint pliers, or a socket on a U-joint.

Very cool that you have the bronzeoil bushings. The rear bushings (i.e. under the shifter) tend to wear the most; the ones at the tranny end tend to last longer. I replaced the front bushings on the joint that just unbolts with stock Kia bushings; that alone will make a noticeable difference too. For the ones on the "unserviceable joint", the kwik fix is to stick something in there to take up the lateral slop, like a very small zip tie or a twist tie. The better way, long-term, is to grind off the riveted end and deal with it via a shoulder bolt setup, like Advancedynamix shows. Or a regular bolt that is the proper OD to use the Kia bushings. You may have to enlarge a hole on one or both joints for your chosen mods, with a drill bit. No big deal, and the Kia bushings will probably last for tens of thousands of miles. Having done all the hard work the first time, the next time it will be a simple matter of replacing the bushings, if you stick with Kia ones rather than doing an actual permanent fix like Charlie.

Honestly, if the car had been on a lift, I may have been able to. With the room I had to work with, I couldn't get to anything. (5'10" 275) I'm not a small guy. Short, but not small. Lol

I may be able to take a cheap wrench and bend it so that it will fit in there. That's the only thing I can think of.

I intended on doing Charlie's mod, but I can't find the shoulder bolts anywhere around me.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G890A using Tapatalk