wobbly shifter!!!
 

hi, i'm new here

anyways, my shifter is wobbly. It wobbles from side to side and it even wobbles while it's in gear.

it only wobbles side to side and not up and down. I can also shift it into neutral while pressing the gas while moving. from what i understand, the shifter is supposed to be locked in while accelerating.

It's a 1995 Mazda 626, 5 speed, 4 cylinder. Great car for the money paid for it


thanks in advance,
-albert

RE: wobbly shifter!!!
 

Welcome bertbert2oo6...

Without knowing more I'm not sure anyone will be able to help you.

Let's start with the obvious stuff...

Model and Model year. e.g. 1987 323
Engine size if there are options (Probably irrelevant in this case)
Manual or Automatic transmission and any relevant detail
Anything else that you think we might need to know, better to put as much in as possible than have people asking you more questions

So as an example...

I have a 1987 323 1.6 DXi with power steering and a 5 speed manual transmission.

I know that in my car it is possible to shift gears without using the clutch. But it will grind and it is not good for the gearbox. Moving from gear into neutral though isn't as bad. It doesn't matter if I'm accelerating or not. I have never heard of a manual transmission that locks the gearshift except some with a flange that needs jiggling to get into reverse. But that is more it locks you out of reverse. Automatic transmissions tend to have detents that stop you changing gear by just hitting the shifter, you usually have to press a button on the shifter somewhere to shift. Having said that, it depends on the age of the vehicle, and some of those detents don't work too well.

As for the sideways wobble, how bad is it... less than an inch, more than three inches? According to the Chilton manual for 1978-1989 Mazdas most of them are adjusted with shims as they are installed. Of course not knowing about your car makes it harder to say.

Z.

RE: wobbly shifter!!!
 

my bad, i forgot to give details... my fault

it wobbles maybe 1-2 inches both left and right. on each side. Not a huge deal but it's annoying sometimes and it doesn't seem right. Still runs beautifully though

I've edited the original post, thanks for the heads up

RE: wobbly shifter!!!
 

i had same problem with mine(same car) not sure of exact name for it but i replaced a bushing on bottom of shifter linkage under car. was a dealer only part but cheap, $3 or $4. easy to replace. get under car and have someone wiggle shifter and you should be able to see it. careful not to let car roll off on you!

RE: wobbly shifter!!!
 

yeah, actually, my girlfriend's car had the same issue, and on the linkage underneath the car there is a bushing where the shifter meets the shaft underneath. this bushing for some reason, likes to go bad, but like turkey said, it is a very easy and inexpensive fix. about the being able to pull the car out of gear? that happens, it happens in all manual transmissions, you just have to pull harder on some :) but like zwack said, it is not good, you have a clutch, and i would advise using it, haha!

RE: wobbly shifter!!!
 

i stumbled across the part # for that bushing try 46-062A at the dealership