This car is starting to suck

So I installed an AFE shifter a few weeks ago. Haven't driven much since then, maybe 200km. Today I go to leave my house only to realize that the shifter will no longer push down to go into reverse. It's in the fully up position and shifts fine. Just no push and no reverse. Wtf?

Any ideas? I have the shifter assembly apart in front me right now. Nothing is obviously broken. The return spring for the up down movement moves freely on its own. Starting to feel the problem is deeper in the trans...

 

But with the stock shifter it goes down no problem...

 

Check the lockout tab on the shifter and the plate. Sometimes the tolerances are a bit tight and it interferes.

 

This is my first guess, as well.


Worst case scenario, I'll buy the shifter off you for tree-fiddy.

 

Ugh. So, when I installed the shifter (which is used), I didn't like the beat up lower pivot bushing it came with, and used instead my original Mazda bushing. What I didn't realize, but is obvious in retrospect, is that the AFE bushing sits much higher on the pivot ball than OE, because the AFE arm is longer. Using the OE bushing makes the shifter too long.

Picture of AFE bushing attached. I reached out to AFE to see if I can get a replacement one.

The problem with the AFE shifter using the AFE bushing is the shifts are very uncertain and 5-6 are problematic because of the lock out tang. It works great with the OE bushing though, except for the whole reverse business...


Side effect, I had to drive around the block to get into my garage nose first, after having disassembled the shifter in the street. Driving with a removable shifter is fun. Makes a hell of a racket.

 

Can you trim down the OE bushing to match the AFE bushing dimensions? Or just call AFE for a replacement bushing?

 

You know we are going to give you a hard time about this right 😎 The bushings are quite different.

Call Richard and get a new bushing....he has changed them a few times over the production runs and the newest ones work better

 

I can send you a factory shifter with stainless bushing, works pretty slick