I did this install today - About an hour all together. Nothing terribly difficult to do, and the results are impressive.

The OEM shifter is a painted black steel ball sandwiched between two nylon "sockets" which has about as much feel as . . . . oh, well, you all already know that part.

The B & M unit is machined stainless, with a bronze ball rotating in an aluminum socket with no play in any direction.

The new shifter lowers the shift ball about an inch and a half, shortens the throw to nearly half what it used to be, but most importantly, is gives some real "feel" to the shift linkage - Much more like my Miata than the FWD hodgepodge it used to have. "Click - click" from gear to gear, with no discernable slop anywhere. The neutral slot between 2nd and 3rd is so tight, it takes some getting used to - My wife used to "aim it" toward third, and she found the new linkage to be a little unsettling until I reminded her that all one need do it push it forward - It will find 3rd all on it's own, without any help from you.

I didn't remove the heat shield, but "lowered it" a quarter inch or so using a hammer and a piece of wood stuck down through the shift hole while the shifter was absent - Plenty of clearance.

If you're at all considering this, I'd say not to hesitate - You'll probably love it. For those of you who haven't driven anything lately but FWD cars with their inheritantly sloppy linkage, you're in for a real treat - It IS possible to have real linkage and FWD all in the same package

Don

 

Sounds Great!

So...
Where did you get it?
What's the part #?
How much did it cost?

I have an 87' Tunderbird Turbocoupe with a nice tight 5-speed. I love the 2001 Protege ES, but I'd like the shift linkage to be tighter as you did.

-Jeff

 

I believe I sold it to Don. I have it for 145.00 (well, actually B&M has been slow lately, I've had a big order in to them for about 2 weeks but havent gotten it yet....expect it at any time I hope!) I sell alot of them & my shipments so far have ended up preselling before I got the shipment in so every time I've had to turn around & immediatly ordered more (so this time I ordered about 3 times as many...figure that should last!) E-mail me if you want one.

 

AND.....if you do a search for B&M install on this board...you will find other threads....I put one up some time ago, right after I did the install...included pictures of before and after....not to mention there is a picture of the stock shifter next to the B&M as well....as Don said....once you make this switch...you will wonder how you did without it up to this point.

oh heck...I went and found it...here is the previous thread I posted.

B&M shifter install complete

 

Hey Jeff...

I was just wondering...where did you get your Rotas? I noticed you are running a 215/40 tire on a 17.

What offset are you running on those?

 

I'm about to order that shifter from Mitch. However, in the meantime I'm very curious to see what's involved in the install. Can someone please scan the instructions and e-mail them to me at ericm@pdabuzz.com please. Thanks!

 

Nope....I can't do that...I don't have them anymore....they went by the way of the trash...HOWEVER....Hawkeye....back on Feb 22....on the OTHER thread about this very subject...the one that is linked above in my previous post...you ask a similar question....about the details of the install anyway...and I described in detail what the job entailed.....Just use the link above...and scroll down to the previous post....that will give you the information...although no step by step....the important thing you need for this job other than just a few combination wrenches...is a pair of internal snap ring pliers...and if you don't have any...you can by an inexpensive pair at most auto parts stores for about $7 that will do the job just fine.

 

Your siggy says you already got it installed! Was it hard??

Don

 

Sir Nuke, I remember that other thread. Thanks for the info.

Don, actually my sig says a "Short Shifter mod" which is simply shortening the shift lever by removing the extension piece, but it doesn't shorten the throw. That's why I'm going to order the B&M shifter.

 

Ahhhhh

It's not a terribly difficult install. The shifter surround piece of plastic pops off, as does the piece which surrounds the hand brake. Then two "capped" screws (one on either side of the console, forward of the shifter) are removed, two down in front of the hand brake and one on either side at the rear - You have to move the seats forward for these. Don't bother trying to remove the shift boot as a separate piece - It comes out with the console.

The snap ring is difficult - It's a very stiff sucker, and I doubt most cheap ring pliers would get it either. Clean off the top of it, so you can see what's there. The "secret" is that you can pry inward on it at a small slot about 1/2 inch back from the end of it with a small flat blade screwdriver, while prying UP on the end with another, and one end will pop out. Repeat with the other end, and you're home free.

Under the car, there's just one bolt to remove. It holds the shifter arm to the shift linkage. Pull the special bolt out, and keep the nut and lockwasher handy for the re-install. I did the lower work with the car up on my "Rhino Ramps" but a pair of jackstands would work just as well.

Topside, pull up on the shifter, and it will pop out of the hole. Keep the rubber "O" ring for use on top of the new shifter.

The lower shift boot gets removed from the OEM shifter, and reinstalled on the B & M. The nylon bushings from the lower hole in the OEM are reused on the B & M as well. Lube them with the supplied Lubriplate.

Lube both the rubber rings around the new shifter, especially getting plenty on the bottom side of both rings. Lube the hole in the car well too. I popped the exhaust heat shield with a stick of wood and a hammer to get a little extra room for the longer shifter - 1/4 inch or so is plenty.

Push the shifter all the way down into the hole - This can be difficult to do, especially if you don't keep it square with the hole. I had to take it back out two times, and apply more lube. Put the "O" ring back on top, and press the back center of the snap ring into the hole, and work around to both ends, using your small screwdrivers until the ends snap in place. I tapped it down all around to make sure it compressed the "O" ring and was seated well.

Under the car to replace the shifter bolt, remember which way it came out - It will only go back from that same direction. Having someone up top to move and rotate the shifter a little makes finding the hole easier. Torque it down, and take it for a drive before you button the console back up.

Piece of cake - Should take you about an hour to an hour and a half. The results are "priceless."

Don

 

That pretty much sums it up in a nut shell......the screw driver trick with the snap ring WILL work....but it can be a real pain in the butt...as Don mentioned...its a strong spring.....the cheap-0 snap ring pliers will work though....in fact I went to an O'Rieley's auto parts store and got a set of four for the $8....large and small in both straight and 90 degree.....now I am a maintenance guy at work...and I realize that a set of $8 snap ring pliers are NOT gonna be top quality and last forever...but no more than I use them...they will be just fine....and they worked like a champ....I didn't even make up any new 4 letter words getting that snap ring out....nor if it POPPED out and ended up getting a nice GREASY spot on my brand new seats or floor.....just something to think about. one of those things have a lot of stored enery in them and can go flyin.... :{D been there done that!

also...on the little caps that cover the screws up front on the console.....look at the cap very closely with a flashlight....there is one spot on them that there is a little groove that is ment to be pryed on to get them off...the little plastic retainer for it is VERY fragile and will break VERY easily....so take care in prying the caps off of those screws.

you WILL love this shifter.....after driving my p-5......it really takes some getting us to if I drive my wifes anywhere.

 

Thanks guys! I'm a plumber by trade so I've had some experience with snap rings. They're used by many tub/shower faucets to hold the stem in. BTW, we often use the screwdriver trick when we're too lazy to go to the truck to get our pliers.

Thank you both again for the very complete info. I'm always so excited to get something that I want all the info I can get. I e-mailed Mitch already, and I plan to PayPal him the money tonight. Can't wait!

I first decided I had to have a short throw shifter when I was at the Chicago auto show and I went through the gears on a Subie WRX sedan. That had such a nice feel that it made my poor P5 seem so sloppy. So this will be a welcome addition!

 

NOOOOOOOOO PRO BLEMO!! our pleasure....any time!

 

It's not really that the B & M piece is so great (although it really is) but the fact that the P5 has such really .... poor stock linkage - ANY improvement would seem like a BIG change. Mazda should be ashamed, as it's the one really BIG glaring fault with an otherwise fine car.

They should REALLY be ashamed, since they also make the Miata linkage, which is WAY on the other end of the spectrum.

Don

 

Hey where can I get the B&M short shifter it's not listed on their main site; only MX-6 and RX-7 short shifters there. Any help will be greatly appreciated.


Thanks