Step 1:
Remove the pull out tab from the cupholders and either pull up with your fingers or use a small screwdriver to pop up the console piece.

 

Step 2:
If you have navi, pop up the controls and take out the wiring harness.

 

Step 3:
Unplug the seat warmers and remove entire piece of the dash by uncliping each of the 4 corners.

 

Step 4:
Unscrew these two screws and pull firmly with the lid open to remove the ashtray/cig-lighter.

 

Step 5:
Unplug this harness from the back of the ash tray.

 

Step 7:
Using the harness supplied with the Illuminated Shift ****.

Insert its connecter into the back of the ashtray, then plug the connecter you just disconnected into the open port on the supplied harness, on the side closest to the fuse also located on the harness.

 

Step 8:
Take sticky foam (supplied) and place it over the fuse to prevent damage.

Then zip-tie (snip the tails) the Illuminated **** harness to the harness running along the center console.

 

Step 9:

SCREW THE ILLUMINATED SHIFT **** ON NOW.

There is insulation provided when you purchase the Illuminated ****.
Use that in combination with pieces of the stock insulation to obtain the desired girth.

Place the illuminated ***** wire between the two layers of insulation and put some tape to keep it all together.

 

Step 10:
Connect the wire coming from the shifter to the vacant harness you zip-tie'd in the vicinity.

 

Step 11:
For detailed instructions on how to install, either the supplied shift boot or a custom genuine leather shift boot from Polak Graphics, see this thread:
https://www.rx8club.com/showthread.p...008#post786008

^ follow those steps and you're all done. Notice how my custom shift boots white stitching matches so well with the white stitching on the Illuminated ****.

 

Looks good! Where did you get your illuminated shift ****?

 

Trussville Mazda, tell em Polak sent yah. http://www.trussvillemazda.com/parts...004/Mazda/RX-8
Last item on the page.

 

Nice DIY, Mark! Well done. :D

 

Good DIY. Has anyone had one of these apart, If so I would like to see some pictures,Did search no luck. I'm looking at doing a DIY job with LED's, but don't want to damage it.

 

Canzoomer had mentioned to me a long time ago, he was looking for a way to do it to the stock shifter, but in the end he said it was practially impossible.

 

I took mine apart, sins it wasn’t working.
http://www.verlinden-productions.com...d_Stick_Shift/

 

Thanks for the pictures, but how did you take the top off ?

 

With the point of a xacto knife and pry up...
It’s glued on there, but comes of easily....

 

I'll give it a go ! Cheers for that.

 

How hard would it be to change the emblem? I like the light up idea, but I think it would be cooler to have something like the image of a gear or the text "RX-8" like the auto shifter has, lit up, instead of just the gear indicators. I know where my gears are, and I don't want anyone else ever driving the car anyway :-D

 

Not hard at all....
I only need a drawing, preferred on digital format and can laser cut one....
It would be a black label that sticks underneath the clear top part.
(You can get the 6speed "logo" of with Go gone...)

 

Took it to bit's, Would need to drill thru the chunk of steel for wires, and there is not much space in the plastic top for even surface mounted LED's, But then the logo bit would have to be modifyed to let the light thru, I'll have a good think and see if I can suss something out.

 

I bought a LED shift **** from Auto Zone and love the way it looks. I have the AT so I don't need the numbers. The shift **** I bought lights up blue, red, green, and then multiple combinations of the three. During the daytime it stays black with a little gunmetal/greyish color to it and at night with the touch of a button it will change to any of the colors listed above. Best thing about it is that it has internal batteries so there are no wires to deal with. You can pick one up for about $20.00. I will post some pic's once I get a decent digital camera.

 

Thanks

 

Just installed my illuminated shift ****...this thread was a big help...thanks a lot for posting it...the shift **** looks great and I know it' a bit tacky, but I got the RED ****...I think it adds a great accent to the mostly black leather interior :D