How To: Short Shifter Install

[Buckeye6V6]

I will do my best to make this simple and straight forward. I am hosting the pics for now on my CarDomain site. If there is a better way to get pics in these threads please let me know.

First thing you want to do is unscrew your shiftnob. No need for a pic here, just turn it lefty loosey til it comes off.

Next thing you want to do is take the cup holder out. All you have to do is open it, stick your hand in with your thumb on the outside and squeeze like the pic below. It will pop right out.



*Please note here, there is a tab at the top right of the cupholder connecting to the console around the shifter. I broke this, so I don't know how to safely remove that but beware. I am no worse for wear without it though.

Remove your ashtray and set it aside

Next lift up on the shifter console carefully as there are 2 wires connected behind the ashtray area. Note the broken tab at the bottom right.




The large plug is easy to squeeze and remove but the little light plug is annoying. I used a small flat head to press the tab and release it. Not much slack there either. Also see in this picture those 2 black square plastic things at the end of the shifter cables. We'll be fighting with those later.


Here is the exposed shifter. Note at the bottom right in the plastic the empty hole where a screw should have been from Mazda holding the side of my center console in place. They must have implemented some cost savings.


Next we're going to disconnect the left of the 2 cables you see in the picture above from the shifter arm by using a 10mm socket. Also slide the cable on the right off to the left (reverse that on a 6i/4 cylinder) and remove the two philips screws holding the sides of the console on (if you have 2, like I pointed out above I only had 1 on the left).


Here they both are disconnected.


Next I have a theory. They tell you here to remove the 4 large nuts you see connecting the whole white plastic shifter assembly to the car (use a 12mm socket AND and extender). This will loosen the whole thing but the shifter cables are still attached via those previously mentioned black square clips.

After that they tell you to use a flat head to press on the bottom of the square shifter cable clips and pry upwards to remove them from the shifter base. I broke one of these by following the directions (small plastic tab at the bottom snapped off). Costmetic damage essentially and had no effect on my install but still.

I think you could likely remove the shifter cables BEFORE removing the 4 12mm nuts and it might go easier. Maybe not, take these 2 steps in the order you prefer. See pics below.



Here is the assembly fully removed from the car.


Now it get's greasy. Have some shop towels around to handle the mess.
The next thing you need to do is remove the 4 metal and rubber bushings that the bolts went through. I used my 10mm socket to push out the metal and then just grab the rubber and pull it out.


Now for the cutting, WORST part of the install. First if you look at any of the pictures of the assebly above you will see that there is a brass colored bolt that runs perpendicular in front of the shifter stick itself. This holds the plastic retainer that the stick runs through to the main plastic assembly. You have to reuse this bolt so they make you cut the push nut on the right side of the bolt to allow you to remove it and free the stick to come out of the assembly. Note you have a new push nut in your shifter kit for comparison and it's the side of the bolt that isn't a machined head. I don't know if this bolt is flipped for the 6i. Doubt it.
Sorry no pic of the cutting, I was too busy working the Dremel and cursing. Compared to what's next this isn't that bad though.

Now remember above when we used the 10mm socket to remove the left shifter cable from the stick? Notice how that bolt is attached to a metal plate that is welded to the stick? You get to cut that plate off the stick now. Cut it close to the stick because the purpose is for the stick to be able to slide out the bottom of that plastic retainer that is covered in grease and spinning around it at this point. I think it would have been easier to simply include a new plastic piece in the kit, but that's just me.

I used a Dremel here again because the directions said I could (they lie). I also got my metal snips an a hammer. By alternating these 3 tools I was able to accomplish the task in an hour or so. This might be easier if you have a hacksaw. A nice big vice on your workbench would make it much easier as well. I had neither of those.

Please make sure you wear safety goggles. Metal shavings go everywhere. Also do not damage any of the plastic pieces since the point of this is to reuse them.

On to part 2 it is. Look for the second thread for the finish. Thanks.

[dawei213]

I wonder if the plastic retainer is available from Mazda parts? If it's cheap, then it'll probably be easier just to go out and buy it. That way if you need to revert to stock, you can.

[MZBuckeye]

Good writeup. You broke one of the shift cables? Eeek, you sure it's all good? I had a hell of a time getting that push nut off that rod man, that was a real bitch.

According to TWM, that plastic piece is not available without buying the entire shifter assembly, which would have made for a very expensive short shifter. Good writeup though. One note- you don't have to cut that plate off the shifter. Instead, you can just cut the whole damn shifter in half below the plate. That's what I did seeing as how it's gonna be damn hard to go back to stock no matter how you cut it. I don't plan to go back ever though.

[AzMz6]

nice write up. and i think i know the part you broke, as i broke one on one of the three of these i have installed. made no difference. and once the cable is in the groove, its not going anwhere.

this is one of my favorite installs on the 6, just too bad i cannot do it on my atx..lol. good thing i have a club with sevral mtx cars around to do this mod on.

[RoX]

Do you have any pics of the plastic retainer? Maybe i can replicate it at the nearest workshop? I get to install my Short throw sat morning

[Travis72]

nice write up. and i think i know the part you broke, as i broke one on one of the three of these i have installed. made no difference. and once the cable is in the groove, its not going anwhere.

this is one of my favorite installs on the 6, just too bad i cannot do it on my atx..lol. good thing i have a club with sevral mtx cars around to do this mod on.
[/b]

You wanna meet me in the four corners and do it to my car, lol. Great write up.

[Buckeye6V6]

You broke one of the shift cables? Eeek, you sure it's all good?
[/b]

To clarify, I did not break a shift cable. I broke a small tab off of the black square plastic clips that hold the shift cables to the main big white plastic assembly. They tell you to use a flat head and press on this tab and pry up to dislodge the cables and by doing so on of the tabs broke off the bottom.

As AzMz6 said below, these things are actually hard to get back on in place. There's so much pressure on them when you slide them on they're not going anywhere.

I did a visual inspection of everything the other day and it all looks perfect. I'll go finish that HowTo now.

[Buckeye6V6]

Crap!

I can't finish the HowTo. It says I have posted more images than I am allowed to.

Where can I move this so that I can complete it?
Anyone?
Buehler?

I think I'm gonna go install my brake pads.

[MZBuckeye]

you'll need to add another post with the remaining pics. It only allows a certain number of pics per post.

[madduck99]

Thanks for the post, i am picking up my Mazdaspeed shifter today at DHL, hopefully will minimize any problems that i may have