I got tired of my RSA shifter having a good inch of slop when in neutral. Here is how I fixed it.

The slop is a result of several things. The main source is the return spring. Even if it's new, the plastic coating on the spring quickly breaks apart where it contacts the shift lever, but not the tab on the bracket. So you get side to side play. Here's my new one after a few days:



That's an easy fix. Add a section of heat shrink to each end and one source of play is removed.



The RSA shift lever is slightly undersized where it connects to the gear shift cable, creating forward and backward play. A new bushing is a few dollars from your dealer, but it still fits loosely. A few wraps of teflon tape around the pin that passes through the bushing got rid of that.



Finally, even with new bushings on each end, the shifter body itself is slightly loose inside the plastic bracket. I couldn't find a washer thin enough to fit in there, so I made some out of an aluminum can, flattening any burrs. It took three to get rid of the play. Remove the main bolt that holds the shifter and return spring to the bracket, and work a few homemade washers in place. I have a new bracket, so if yours is the original, it may be loose enough to allow a real washer to fit.



If you still have slop after performing these steps, then the source is the control arm marked "Lever B" below. The bolt that holds the arm down relies on a cotter pin under the bracket for tension. Yours may be bent. Cotter and hitch pins are available at hardware stores in several sizes, get the thickest one that will fit. In my case it was so loose and the bolt so worn that it was causing major shifting issues, so I had to replace it. That bolt and nut will cost you $35 from the dealer, since it's only sold with the main bracket.



I hope this helpful to anyone as annoyed as I was with a loose shifter.

 

Nice job man. If you have time, put up some part #'s or pics where some of the stuff goes.

What bushing are you talking about?

 

This is an awesome DIY. Getting rid of the slop is a great fix.

 

mmmmuhhh i think that i will give that one a try.

good ideal there .. fing02.gif fing02.gif

 

I've got another way to do it soon, but it's not this cheap.

 

hey redz is it the way were were talkin about earlier with abq?

 

Yup.

 

This is good stuff! I was just noticing the other day how damn sloppy my shifter has gotten over the years. I've replaced all the white bushings but it didn't help much.

Isn't there also a plastic piece under the hood in the cable assembly known to wear out/go bad and cause sloppy shifting? I swear I read about it years ago but now I can't find anything.

 

I'll post some part numbers and more explanatory pics soon. But Redz has a great shifter install guide in this forum with photos and instructions that explain what I skipped over. But I was a bit vague about thje different bushings and where some things go.

Speedracer, I remember the fix you're referring to, I believe it was adding a washer or two to the other end of one of the cables at the tranny to help with slop when going into gear.

 

You can also replace the bushings with skateboard bearings, they are about the same size.