rmondoh

iTrader: (5)

So I decided to buy some shifter cable bushings as well as the transmission arm bushing to replace the rubber ones that Mitsu puts on our awesome cars. I decided to go with TWM as I already have their Short Shifter and Shifter Base Bushings (only thing missing would be a TWM weighted shift knob, lol). Here is what I got (keep in mind that this is for the Evo X):

Shifter Cable bushings (except one of the cotter pins is actually different)


Transmission Arm bushing



The instructions provided by TWM were spot on. Very easy to follow and very accurate. Since I'm running an AMS Intake, I had enough room to work with so no need to remove the intake as they suggest.

So I got to work and everything went smoothly. Cable bushings were pretty easy to replace. The transmission arm bushing on the other hand, was what gave me problems.

Changing it out was not an issue. The issue was that once I put everything back on and tried out the shifter, the side to side movement was stiff as hell. I played with it for a minute or two to get it somewhat breaking in. I went for a test drive thinking "Ok, it needs to be broken in more, so let me take a drive to try this out." That test drive sucked ***. Changing from 2nd to 3rd caused me to shift horribly. There were quite a few times where I couldn't find the notch it should go in. I came home and let it sit for a bit. When I came back to play with the shifter some more, it was no longer stiff...it was an immovable object! I literally had to use 2 hands to move the shifter side to side.

I ended up calling Kracka because I knew he had changed out his bushings recently. I asked if it was supposed to be THAT stiff until broken in. He suggested that I take it apart and apply some grease to the arm and bushing to see if that would help. So back to work I go.

Taking it apart was a pain in the ***. The 2 pieces that make up that pivot were stuck together REALLY good. I had to put the thing in a vice and carefully hammer it out. One that was out, I applied some grease to the arm bolt that goes in the bushing as well as the inside of the bushing. I put the 2 pieces back together and OMG, it went in much much smoother. So i assembled it back together and played with the arm before putting it back in the car. It was not as stiff, but it was still a bit hard. Turns out I also tightened the nut a little to much. I loosened it a bit and BINGO. It felt perfect. So back everything went into the car. I tried out the shifter and it was back to only needing to use one hand to shift and it was definitely better than the stock rubber bushings and definitely NOT an immovable object now.

Overall impression is that it feels really good. Shifts feel precise and solid. After greasing the transmission arm bushing, everything was perfect. Great product and great feel to it. Also, thanks to Kracka for advising to use some grease on it. That and loosening that nut a bit made all the difference in the world.

Kracka

iTrader: (49)

Glad it all worked out in the end! I'm not really sure why AMS and TWM don't recommend greasing the bushings. Whenever I install a moving part I always make sure to at least give it a thin coating of grease (or assembly lube if it's an engine internal) to make for the smoothest shifting possible.

rmondoh

iTrader: (5)

The Evo is the first car I've ever actually wrenched on (besides oil changes and general maintenance). You live and learn. Now I know what to do and look for next time or for any other similar parts.

ElectrIX Blue

iTrader: (6)

What type/brand of grease did u use to grease the bushing??

rmondoh

iTrader: (5)

Not sure what the brand is, but it is lithium grease. I bought a can of the stuff when I installed the TWM short shifter because in those instructions TWM actually tells you to grease it down. I used some of that to grease down the bushing and arm/bolt. I should have tried to find a tube of the stuff initially because I have pretty much the entire can left.

SiliconTek

iTrader: (3)

I went out today and greased my AMS under hood bushings and holy crap! I got rid of all of the squeak I have been hearing shifting form 1st-2nd and 2nd-3rd. I am with Kracka, I don't know why they do not recommend this. There was noticeable wear on the aluminum from use only for about 4 months. Everything is silky smooth now. Made as big a difference as any of the other mods in my shifter line. I used Mobile 1 Synthetic Grease, same as what I used on my short shifter.

Nomad4g63

iTrader: (16)

sweet! This company makes some pretty solid products

rmondoh

iTrader: (5)

Yeah, I'm thinking of going back in and greasing the shifter cable bushings as well now. I don't know why I didn't grease them when I did the Transmission Arm bushing yesterday since it made such a huge difference. I guess I was just relieved that my shifter stopped being an immovable object that I just called it a day.

EvImVictim

iTrader: (11)

I'm going to have to check into the transmission arm bushing... already have the cable bushings and were an improvement but it still sticks sometimes if I drive a bit in 5th and try shifting to 6th. Been doing this since the car was new.

Kracka

iTrader: (49)

The bushings we are discussing here are for the X.

simulatedwood

Are you sure you put the black plastic spacer on the correct way for the shifter gate bushing? If the black plastic spacer is on the wrong side the pivot will bind when the nut is tightened, if you have it on correctly the nut can be tightened completly and the pivot will not bind at all. I know this is the case with the ams version, id assume it is the same on the TWM.

rmondoh

iTrader: (5)

Yup. They give pretty good instructions for their stuff. Here is what they say:

In the picture, they show the bracket where the bushing is mounted and the control arm. The arm is being inserted into the bushing.

In this picture, they show the the whole thing put back together and mine looks just like it and I made sure the black washer fit into the bushing.

The problem is that the bushing is made to exactly the size of the control arm. There is no give or take (which is good. don't want it slopping around). In my case, it was TOO stiff, but as Kracka said, adding a little lubrication fixed it up.

EvImVictim

iTrader: (11)

My bad, the ones on the top look like a nine.

davey111483

iTrader: (4)

this is my problem right now, i can't remove the bronzoil bushing anymore cause it was so stiff, i did not put any grease on it so it was really immovable. i might try again tomorrow. Can anyone help me removing it? Anyone from orange county here?

rmondoh

iTrader: (5)

I don't think you can take the bushing out unless you hammer it out. It's a REALLY snug fit. You don't actually have to grease the outside of the bushing. Grease the inside of it and then reassemble the whole thing. After you tighten the nut, move the entire assembly with your hands to see how tight it is. If you can move it freely with ease, then you're all good to reinstall it back on the car. Not sure if that's what you were asking about but I hope it helps!