I had difficulty getting a good purchase with the channel locks to push the pin in my 03 6 speed. I solved it by taping a 9/16 (or or a 12mm would work too) to the turret with the open end around the back side of the pin. That gave me a solid place to get a straight pull with the pliers. (I had to use a socket from a 1/4 drive because it is lower profile and gave me more room for the jaw of the pliers). I still had to use the "two pliers" technique to get enough pressure but I didn't have to fight using the pliers at an angle. OH.. and by the way- for the 6 speed the shift lever does have a "front" and "back". If you put it back in wrong the lever isn't located properly. That shift lever has a curve in it. Mine has a yellow dot that must face forward in the car to be properly located.
as an alternate to the squeeze the bejeezus out of the pin with two pair of pliers, I have found that using a drift pin with reasonably not so gentle raps with a hammer, I was able to easily push out the front pin. the pliers worked to restore it to it's normal position.
Nice vid. Just followed along and viola. The only thing I could say is that make sure you reorientate the shifter bend is toward the rear. I didnt realize it was bent. Just figured it went to the back.
22:26 my 94 actually has 1 slot and a plastic bushing in the slot. The kit I used had a new plastic bushing so I replaced it as well as the other bushings.
So I opened up my NB1’s shifter and it had fluid, not grease. What should I do? Drain and reinstall with grease or just keep adding transmission fluid?
I like the delrin bushings more than the bronze because it doesn’t rattle. Not quite as notchy but still an upgrade from the stock. Its a good intermediate option but you’ll have to order it separately
Great video! I have a '99 5-speed that is hard to shift into first when cold but gets much easier when warmed up. You had a question about this in the video and said it probably would be fluid - can you clarify if you meant transmission fluid, turret fluid, or both? (I haven't opened my shifter but being an NB I assume my shifter uses grease in the turret.) Also, any ETA for the shifter insulation kit being stocked again? Last time I pulled my console off I remember seeing one ratty piece of yellow insulation in there and want to upgrade it.
If it's hard to shift when cold, Brandon was referring to the actual transmission fluid. It's probably time for a fluid change. For the insulation kit, we apologize for promoting a product we don't have at the moment, but we are expecting more of those the first week of November.
If you pull up and down on the shifter should there be no noticeable movement at all in a rebuilt shifter? Is that a good way of assessing slopiness, given side to side is kind hard to separate normal movement from slopiness, unless it's extreme of course. thanks for vid :-)
On the NA/NB shifters, you should have very little play in the shifter when you pull up or push down. If there seems to be dramatic or excessive movement, the plastic bushings are probably worn and need to be replaced.
5 Speed NBs also use 80-95 cc of trans fluid, with a little grease. WD40 or silicone spray makes sliding both boots on and off MUCH easier, you don't even need to cut off the white plastic ring on the outer boot. DEFINITELY put the outer boot on AFTER screwing down the inner one. If you can't make the channel lock trick work you can pop out the front pin with a drift punch and pop it back on with a large vise grip. And finally.... NB 5 speeds have a white dot on the front of the shift lever so don't put in back in backwards.
You've made some good points but I wouldn't suggest using lubricants that might swell or degrade the rubber. WD-40 always makes me a little nervous on stuff like this. A soapy water solution is good or most silicone sprays. I've never seen a white dot on any of the shifters but have rotated them to notice that it wasn't in the same location once installed. If you don't have a white dot, I'd put a mark on it.
My 1999 NB has the white dot (even after 200K+ miles!) but you have to look really carefully to see it. WD40 is just fish oil, but I used silicone because it's supposed to be a lubricant for rubber. Thanks BTW for your GREAT vid. :)
Thank you for this. But, the kits are out of stock. :( Do you know when they might be avaialble again? Also, how do I tighten the bolts for the plate that sits atop the transmission? I was surprised to find that mine are lose? I can 'reach' the back two, but not the fronts.
If kits are out of stock, they should be coming back into inventory soon. For more specific ETAs or info, reach out to our customer support team directly via phone or email, they'll be happy to share any info we have. They can also probably help you with suggestions for the bolts!
My transmission has a lot of gear whine on accel and deccel, changing fluid hasn’t helped. I imagine I will need to replace it sometime in the future. If I put a rebuild kit on this trans, can I swap the parts over to the new trans? Or is that kinda janky?
Yeah, use only special 10th Anniversary Edition grease, anything else will cause the transmission to spontaneously combust into a giant blue mushroom cloud.
It may feel completely different, since you will be replacing everything with new bushings with tighter tolerances, but if greased and assembled property, it shouldn't make it hard to shift into gear. Feel free to reach out to our customer support team directly if it keeps giving you issues!
The NC 6-speed transmission is an interesting scenario. The basic process should be fairly similar in theory, but we don't offer an NC 6 speed shifter rebuild kit at the moment because some of the parts are only available by purchasing the entire shifter assembly from Mazda.
Some of the later NB2s had grease from the factory, so we recommend replacing it with whatever was currently in the turret. Some people have used both to reduce wear on the plastic parts, but you need to make sure to use a grease that will not dissolve in the gear oil. Give us a call at 970-464-5600 or drop us an email at support@flyinmiata.com if you need more info. Thanks!
This is going to vary depending on the year and transmission. 6-speeds need a high-temp long lasting grease, 5 speeds need transmission fluid in the turret. We have not used the Red n tacky grease so we unfortunately are not familiar with it.
