engine and drivetrain my shifter bushings were gone!

[KFunk]

can't believe i've been driving this car for ~9 months, and there were no shifter bushings (the ones at the 90 degree joint). I've had new ones sitting in my trunk for a while, but never did figure out where they were supposed to go...since I didn't see any old ones anywhere.

So finally today I take all my shift tower out to replace the shift tower mounts and other stuff. Thats when I figured out where the shifter bushings fit. The dowel pin has been worn pretty bad near the end with a big chunk missing. My shifter didn't look like the one on the FAQ diagram. The horizontal rod just came straight forward into a tension bushing, then straight into the transmission. I didn't see a 90 degree joint like I was expecting. I tried getting that linkage out, but the dowel pins in it didn't seem to want to go.

I took all my stuff down to Hawaii Import Parts, but they couldn't find any of the big dowel pins like my worn one. The only other parts they could get are the two pieces that go around the ball of the shifter, and they ordered them in.

So anyways, I just put back together with new shift tower mounts and new bushings, and holy crap it feels much nicer. Its no longer like driving a diesel truck.

I doubt the shift tower mounts made a big difference because my old ones looked fine. But I went ahead and put in the new ones I ordered.

For some reason on the first drive my radio kept cutting off whenever I put it in reverse.....

I had to re-wire the reverse switch after I broke the wires, but I'm sure its connected the same. Oh well, it went away and works fine.

[SteveH]

Can the upper bushings be replaced without removing the "lower" linkage in the tranny tunnel?

[KFunk]

probably not, but thats just a matter of a quick slide under the car and removing an allen screw. The hard part was removing and replacing the shift tower mounts. Access to those bolts was not easy...