Gear Stick Gaiter

[dan1981]

Is it easy to fit a replacement?

Mine is knackered.

Presume the centre bit of plastic needs removing. Baring in mind i have a fog light switch installed there as well as an LED for the alarm / Immobiliser.

Also will the mk3 gaiter from mx5parts fit a mk1?

Cheers

Dan

[OnlyMX5ives]

Dead easy.

Loads on Ebay.

No idea.

[GravelBen]

Not hard to do at all. Also worth changing the shifter gaiters beneath it too, almost certainly ripped or fallen apart on older cars. Helps stop heat, noise, dust etc coming up through the shifter turret.

[MX-5 Lazza]

Mk3 gaitor is for a mk3, that's why it's called a mk3 gaitor. On a mk1 you need a mk1 gaitor

[MX-5 Lazza]

GravelBen said:

Not hard to do at all. Also worth changing the shifter gaiters beneath it too, almost certainly ripped or fallen apart on older cars. Helps stop heat, noise, dust etc coming up through the shifter turret.

Good point. Replace both rubber boots along with the gaitor and top the gearbox turret up with oil (any oil will do, doesn't have to be gearbox oil).

[GravelBen]

Just be careful with the 3 bolts holding the lower (small) shifter boot/gaiter onto the shift turret, they're very soft and if you're not careful you'll shear them off like I did to one yesterday

A cheapo shortshift kit fell apart on me (plastic bushing on the bottom of shifter disintegrated) so had to take things apart to reinstall the factory shifter, managed to rip the lower gaiter getting it off the shifter as well.

So if you're tempted by a cheap shortshift kit on ebay or the like...don't.

Edited by GravelBen on Tuesday 17th February 22:59

[MX-5 Lazza]

Couldn't you just fit a new plastic bush? They sell them at MX5 parts...

[GravelBen]

MX-5 Lazza said:

Couldn't you just fit a new plastic bush? They sell them at MX5 parts...

I guess I could, but not sure how long it would last if the failure was caused by extra pressure/friction from the shortshifter - that one only lasted a few months.

[GravelBen]

For the OP - theres a good guide to changing the gaiters here:

http://www.mx-5.com/me%20my%20mx-5/tips%20tricks/a...

[OllieWinchester]

MX-5 Lazza said:

GravelBen said:

Not hard to do at all. Also worth changing the shifter gaiters beneath it too, almost certainly ripped or fallen apart on older cars. Helps stop heat, noise, dust etc coming up through the shifter turret.

Good point. Replace both rubber boots along with the gaitor and top the gearbox turret up with oil (any oil will do, doesn't have to be gearbox oil).

Do what? What is this oil for then? I presume it doesn't go in the g'box, but you've confused me...

[GravelBen]

The turret is a small square box on top of the gearbox which holds the shifter mechanism - once you take the lower shift gaiter off you can see into it.

It should be full of oil, but it may have leaked out over the years or if the gaiter is ripped it will be full of dust and crap. So suck it out with a pump/basting syringe or something and pour some clean stuff in - any oil will do as its not under pressure and not shared with the gearbox internals.

Edited by GravelBen on Friday 20th February 11:08

[dan1981]

ordered a new one so shall let you know how i get on!!

[browno]

GravelBen said:

So if you're tempted by a cheap shortshift kit on ebay or the like...don't.

Slight Hijack, but did you find that yours had terrible shift quality, and needed lots of force to get between gears? I've just bought a 1991 UK car, with an ebay shortshift fitted, and the shift is rubbish... I fitted a new clutch yesterday (which was not helping - the release bearing came out in FIVE pieces!!!), but if anything the shift is even more obstructive now...

I've just ordered a standard gear lever assembly from MX5 heaven - so hopefully that should make things work a little more smoothly...

[dan1981]

Well i managed to change gaiter and gear knob!

Of course the lower rubber gaiter was damaged / knackered but i hadn't bought replacements but now i know its not a difficult to job to get to it all so i'll have to do it soon.

I started out with this:



I didn't like the gear knob - it was an aftermarket one and seemed very high up and the chrome was peeling off. The gaiter was riped and falling to pieces.

The gear knob confused me for a little while, the sleeve at the bottom unscrewed and then i needed a tiny little t10 screw driver to release the knob. Once the knob was off it left an annoying plastic sleeve that had obv been used to make the knob fit.

The centre console came off pretty easily, a little bit of trouble as the fog light switch is wired into it along with an LED for the alarm. This is what it looke dlike underneath



4 screws to remove the plastic bit that holds the gaiter in place.



The gaiter came prepunctured so just clip it onto the frame work and screw back on. Put it all back together and....



or



Of coruse now i don't like the handbrake - a bit too platicky. Have to see what i can do about that......

[MX-5 Lazza]

Now you just need to replace that rubber boot and the lower boot (I can guarantee that it will be knackered too), top up with oil and you'll find the gear-change will feel better and the gear-stick won't get as hot.

[GravelBen]

browno said:

GravelBen said:

So if you're tempted by a cheap shortshift kit on ebay or the like...don't.

Slight Hijack, but did you find that yours had terrible shift quality, and needed lots of force to get between gears? I've just bought a 1991 UK car, with an ebay shortshift fitted, and the shift is rubbish... I fitted a new clutch yesterday (which was not helping - the release bearing came out in FIVE pieces!!!), but if anything the shift is even more obstructive now...

I've just ordered a standard gear lever assembly from MX5 heaven - so hopefully that should make things work a little more smoothly...

Shift quality seemed fine, it did require a bit more force but thats to be expected with the changed lever effect on the shifter. Very tight, precise shift like a rifle bolt until it fell apart though - other than the quality of materials and engineering I was happy enough with it .

[bluetone]

That's a real shame - the rifle-bolt action gearshift is one of the delights of 5 ownership (or should be). Overhauling it a piece of cake though, as above. Can't see why you'd need a short-shifter anyway, the standard throw ain't exactly long..

[MX-5 Lazza]

browno said:

GravelBen said:

So if you're tempted by a cheap shortshift kit on ebay or the like...don't.

Slight Hijack, but did you find that yours had terrible shift quality, and needed lots of force to get between gears? I've just bought a 1991 UK car, with an ebay shortshift fitted, and the shift is rubbish... I fitted a new clutch yesterday (which was not helping - the release bearing came out in FIVE pieces!!!), but if anything the shift is even more obstructive now...

I've just ordered a standard gear lever assembly from MX5 heaven - so hopefully that should make things work a little more smoothly...

Again, replacing the 2 rubber gaiters should help a little but it could probably do with an oil change. I find that using a good full synthetic (I use Redline) improves the gear-change.

[GravelBen]

bluetone said:

That's a real shame - the rifle-bolt action gearshift is one of the delights of 5 ownership (or should be). Overhauling it a piece of cake though, as above. Can't see why you'd need a short-shifter anyway, the standard throw ain't exactly long..

Agreed, my shortshift was cheap enough that I bought it for novelty value as much as anything to see how much shorter it could actually get.

[GravelBen]

MX-5 Lazza said:

Again, replacing the 2 rubber gaiters should help a little but it could probably do with an oil change. I find that using a good full synthetic (I use Redline) improves the gear-change.

Redline for me too, but I changed mine at the same time I installed the shortshift so can't really tell how much difference was made by the new oil.