I was getting frustrated with shifter slop, so the last time I had the trans out of the car I decided to try replacing the carrier bushing with a solid brass piece. I had heard it mentioned by someone else here - I want to say it was Stuck.
Anyway, quick shifter slop overview:
Parts that wear out and cause shifter slop are:
2 - The carrier bushing - it's rubber, and deteriorates with time. Held in by the infamous bitch clip.
8 - The rear carrier mount - there is a rubber bushing built into the metal bracket here.
10 - The selector rod - shitty, single shear design. Even with new plastic washers, it has quite a bit of slop.
13 - Selector "nub" - there is a bushing inside this part that usually gets contaminated with gear oil and deteriorates.
Unfortunately there isn't a simple DIY solution for the selector rod slop. You could fabricate something yourself, or buy a UUC DSSR.
However, you can work with 2, 8, and 13 with some simple hardware store parts to tighten up the shifter.
Firstly, you're going to need to get the carrier out of the car. This means removing the exhaust, driveshaft, ect. to get at the bitch clip.
Once you have it out of the car, take it and the bitch clip with you to a hardware store. Home Depot / Lowes may not have what you need - try hitting up a smaller dedicated hardware place. They should have brass bushings somewhere. Use the bitch clip to help size a bolt. You want the most snug fit possible - there was some mold flash in the hole of the carrier that prevented the bushing from being inserted more than about a 1/4 of its length. CAREFULLY using a dremel you can grind away on the carrier until the brass bushing fits nice and snugly. You want the carrier to be able to rotate on the bushing, but not allow any lateral play. You'll probably have to cut the bushing to fit in the 'ears' on the trans as well.
The finished bushing. I used the steel sleeve pictured earlier to center the bushing on the bolt, though this isn't really necessary.
Torque down the bolt, and you're good to go.
Now, for the rear carrier, there are a couple of simple solutions. You can buy a new one, use self tapping screws around the perimeter of the bushing itself to press against the carrier, or fill it with Honda Bond! :D
Honda Bond is just a type of RTV. There are gaps around the bushing you can fill. It won't do much, but it's simple. Just make sure you let whatever it is cure fully before you put it back in the car.
One final step is taking care of the "nub" - #13. You can take a small length of rubber fuel line and use it as a replacement bushing. You want it very snug, so it may take a few tries to get the right length piece in there. You should have to press pretty firmly to get the "nub" on far enough to drive its retaining pin back in.
Total cost was $5. I still need to pick up a DSSR to get rid of the rest of my slop, but there was still a drastic difference in shifter feel.
Anyway, quick shifter slop overview:
Parts that wear out and cause shifter slop are:
2 - The carrier bushing - it's rubber, and deteriorates with time. Held in by the infamous bitch clip.
8 - The rear carrier mount - there is a rubber bushing built into the metal bracket here.
10 - The selector rod - shitty, single shear design. Even with new plastic washers, it has quite a bit of slop.
13 - Selector "nub" - there is a bushing inside this part that usually gets contaminated with gear oil and deteriorates.
Unfortunately there isn't a simple DIY solution for the selector rod slop. You could fabricate something yourself, or buy a UUC DSSR.
However, you can work with 2, 8, and 13 with some simple hardware store parts to tighten up the shifter.
Firstly, you're going to need to get the carrier out of the car. This means removing the exhaust, driveshaft, ect. to get at the bitch clip.
Once you have it out of the car, take it and the bitch clip with you to a hardware store. Home Depot / Lowes may not have what you need - try hitting up a smaller dedicated hardware place. They should have brass bushings somewhere. Use the bitch clip to help size a bolt. You want the most snug fit possible - there was some mold flash in the hole of the carrier that prevented the bushing from being inserted more than about a 1/4 of its length. CAREFULLY using a dremel you can grind away on the carrier until the brass bushing fits nice and snugly. You want the carrier to be able to rotate on the bushing, but not allow any lateral play. You'll probably have to cut the bushing to fit in the 'ears' on the trans as well.
The finished bushing. I used the steel sleeve pictured earlier to center the bushing on the bolt, though this isn't really necessary.
Torque down the bolt, and you're good to go.
Now, for the rear carrier, there are a couple of simple solutions. You can buy a new one, use self tapping screws around the perimeter of the bushing itself to press against the carrier, or fill it with Honda Bond! :D
Honda Bond is just a type of RTV. There are gaps around the bushing you can fill. It won't do much, but it's simple. Just make sure you let whatever it is cure fully before you put it back in the car.
One final step is taking care of the "nub" - #13. You can take a small length of rubber fuel line and use it as a replacement bushing. You want it very snug, so it may take a few tries to get the right length piece in there. You should have to press pretty firmly to get the "nub" on far enough to drive its retaining pin back in.
Total cost was $5. I still need to pick up a DSSR to get rid of the rest of my slop, but there was still a drastic difference in shifter feel.
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