Shifter Bushing
When you drive a manual transmission vehicle you are responsible for shifting the gears to get it to move forward at the proper speed. Over time shifting gears can cause the gear shifter to become loose. When you first purchase a manual transmission vehicle you will notice that the gears are nice and tight and the shifter does not have a lot of give. After driving the car for several thousand miles the gear shifter may begin to move quite a bit when in gear. Sometimes you can move the gear shifter several inches at a time from left to right or from front to back. You many also begin to notice a rattle coming from inside the gear shifter that can become quite irritating after a while. This is not ideal for driving and means that your shifter bushings are due to be replaced.
Shifter bushings can be replaced and are actually an inexpensive fix to a simple problem. Although you may not want to do the job yourself they can be replaced with some time and patience. For those who do not have the time or the know-how, you may choose to hire someone to replace the shifter bushings for you. If you would rather do the job yourself you will need to first find the correct sized shifter bushings that fit your type of vehicle. Once you have the shifter bushings you must then take apart the gear shifter in the console area to get to the old and worn bushings. You will also need to make sure you have new circlips that go with the new shifter bushings. Most of the time, you can purchase new circlips along with the new shifter bushings. It will be necessary to do some research on the proper way to disassemble the gear shifter along with the shift rod. It may seem easy but once you begin taking apart your car you may realize that there are a lot more car parts that are involved than you originally thought.
Once your new shifter bushings are in place you should be able to tell a very noticeable difference in the way the car drives. It should feel tighter and the rattle should be gone in the shifter. Your car should feel like it did the day you drove it off the lot. Having a loose gear shifter may not seem like that big of a deal until you have driven your car with new shifter bushings. Once you have experienced the new feel of the gears you will no longer want to allow your shifter bushings to wear out again. Depending on how often you drive your vehicle will determine how quickly your shifter bushings will begin to wear out. Typically your shifter should remain in good condition for the first 50,000 miles or so with a slow increase in movement from then on out. To some people the looseness of the gears in not noticeable because it happens so gradually. However once your gears become difficult to maneuver or a rattle begins it becomes more obvious and frustrating to the driver.
Replacing the shifter bushings every 50,000-70,000 miles on your vehicle can ensure that your gear shifter will remain in good driving condition and will help your vehicle transition smoother throughout the changing of gears. This will also prevent you from accidentally sliding the car into the wrong gear when shifting and driving down the road. If you are noticing that your gear shifter is rattling or beginning to have too much room for movement you may want to have your shifter bushings replaced to give your car that fresh off the lot feel again too.
