wut do i do to my 96 hatch?

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curiousguy

Junior Member
the shifter is very loose, so im thinking of gettin a short shifter.
cuz even thuogh im in 1st gear, you can move it around like its
in neutral...so would a b&m short shifter fix that?

and also, how dx's have no rpm gauges... wut do i do?
buy a cheap tach?
sorry for a noob question..
 
new bushings will fix it
every B&M short shifter i have seen sucks ass (rattles, squeeks, etc)
if you MUST get a shifter get the skunk2
probly still need bushings though


and you can add an external tach or get a cluster that has one
 
my friend had the same problem. One time I started his car and he was standing infront of it and he had left it in 1st gear but I moved it around and didn't know his bushings were bad so I thought it was in neutral and for some reason his idle was about 2000rpm, I think his IAC valve was bad. well anyway I let off the clutch thinking it was in neutral and I ended up running over his foot with his own car and hitting the car parked infront of his. :ph34r: :ph34r: :ph34r:
 
i searched on ebay for
civic bushings, and they ween't that expensivie...
so that and a short shifter would totally fix that prob?
and about clusters...can i fit any cluster into the civic?
 
so wait, short shifters are bad? i thought that were good...
are is it that they are just bad on civics?
 
The problem with short shifters:

1. The aftermarket wants you to believe that the solution to the problem is shifting faster. 'Short shifters' do this by decreasing the shift throw, allowing you to feel like you are shifting faster. In reality, the transmission regulates how fast you can shift, not the shifter. Shifting too fast causes synchro wear ('crunching' between shifts), and forcing the shifter into gear (easy to do on short shifters) bends or breaks the shift forks inside the transmission.

2. 'Short shifters' are all shorter (height wise) than the stock shifter. While this may look 'cool' or give the illusion of 'performance', it is the furthest thing from the truth. The stock shifter is too far away from the steering wheel to provide proper shifting and steering techniques in the first place. So the worst thing to do is move the shifter even farther away from the steering wheel (with a shorter shifter).

3. Most all short shifters are made of aluminum. Aluminum is inexpensive and easy to manufacture, but it is soft and easily broken. There are many cases where even expensive short shifters from reputable companies shear off during shifts, in some cases causing over revving and engine damage. See the picture below:

bg_brokenshifter.jpg



Steel is a better material due to its strength, and won't shear like aluminum short shifters. But steel short shifters still suffer the same basic design flaws as aluminum ones.

4. The other problem with aluminum is weight. Due to their lightness, aluminum short shifters transfer engine and transmission vibration directly to the driver. The stock shifter is made of steel, so its weight helps dampen the annoying vibrations and rattling expected with aluminum short shifters. A few steel short shifters are available, but again, all short shifters suffer the same basic design flaws.

5. Aluminum short shifters upset the counterbalance of the shift linkage. The shifter is connected to the transmission via the shift linkage, so when you shift you are moving both the shifter and the linkage. The stock shifter feels so smooth because its steel construction provides increased weight to counterbalance the weight of the linkage. Aluminum short shifters feel much worse because the weight balance of the shifter and the linkage has been upset. Shifting is now 'bottom-heavy' with a lighter shifter moving a heavier linkage.

6. Short shifters feel notchy, due to a combination of factors (weight, drastically shorter throw, etc). But another reason is the linkage bearings. Most short shifters use the same linkage bearings - metal 'roller blade' bearings that make shifts feel notchy and rough. Shift feel worsens as the bearings wear. The stock shifter uses rubber bushings that help dampen vibrations, but the rubber deforms easily and deteriorates quickly, making shifting very sloppy.
Click to expand...
 
hm.. but the skunk2 short shifer i see on ebay says its made out of stainless steel...

so the bushings would fix the prob though? bushings were like 20 bucks... are they simply DIY or...
 
are all bushings compatible? to other short shifters?
like i get a b&m bushings, but get a skunk2 shifter?
 
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