Final update
Well just wanted to update the final progress with my shifter woes.
Turns out that at the end of the day, there were may issues, however, with time and perseverance I have prevailed!
So in December I ordered my UUC DSSR shifter linkage, just needed to wait until the weather and my schedule cooperated.
I had also decided to replace all the rubber bushings for the shifter support fork as well, 2 small bushings up front and larger round bushing pressed into floor pan in the rear. I was told by someone these bushings do not go bad, well I think they are wrong.
So yesterday I pulled the shifter out, the shifter support fork and went to work. Yes it is a pain in the backside doing the job on my back, but I was able to do it. Had to drop the trans cross member to gain some access, but did not pull the exhaust. Lets just say if you have large hands, you may have some issues without going further than I did to access the parts.
Once everything was out, time to clean up and inspect. One note, I was only able to get the shifter support fork out because I popped out the rear support bushing, otherwise, I think the exhaust would need to be pulled?
Was not sure about the rear shifter support bushing, but in the end, not too bad to get out. I used a screwdriver and gently pried the old on out and had to use a large 2 foot long screw driver to leverage the bushing back in.
So what I found was all the shifter fork bushings were dried out, shrunk, loose and the rear bushing was sagging badly. I think the problem with these cars is with all the plastic under panel shields, the hot exhaust kind of slowly cooks a lot of the rubber bushings and parts?
Once the shifter support fork was removed, I replaced the 2 smaller front bushings, they were each to push out with the end of some needle nose pliers. To install the new front small bushings, a spray of silicon and just pushed them in with my thumb.
Next was to remove the existing UUC shift collar, clean up everything and properly re-assemble. The original shifter installation did not use Loctite on the 6 small Allen screws, so over time 4 of the 6 fell out, which is the way I received the car. I decided to use Loctite along with some small flat and lock washers that I had laying around from some computer D jacks, they really supported the screws better and kept them from cutting into the shifter support fork slots.
Then I had to get the shifter support fork back in the car. Not so easy as you are working mostly by feel that this point, or at least I was. I used silicon grease on both ends of the shifter support fork in case I ever need to remove it in the future. This way the rubber does not stick to the hardware. Getting the rear shifter bushing back in the body was a bit tricky. It on goes in 1 way, arrows up and toward the front of the car, backcut to rear of the car and up. Put body tab in one side of the bushing then rolled the bushing upward toward the driveshaft tunnel and used a long, large screwdriver/pry bar against the driveshaft to push the bushing into place. Once you get the bushing moving, it pops into the body quit nicely.
Then on to the shifter re-installation. Made sure everything was still clean, used Moly lube in the shifter pocket, on the shifter ball and on the top shifter collar. Re-assembled spring, washer and made sure the snap ring was properly seated in the shifter pocket. Then I added a bit more Moly lube to the top of the exposed shifter ball, so it can work its way in over time.
Next was the UUC DSSR. This was a bit tricky as the pins were VERY tight going into the DSSR. I ended up using 400 grit paper on the pins and on the inside of the DSSR rod and as it is stainless steel, it is not easy to size, but it helped. I also ended up putting the pins in the freezer for about 1 hour as I knew that space was very tight under the car and I needed the pins to move easily. Lubed up the ends of the DSSR and placed it into position. I quickly realized that the DSSR needs to be supported on 1 side to keep it from falling when moving hands around. You could use a bent coat hanger to temporarily slide through the rear part of the DSSR and the bottom of the shifter to keep the DSSR up in
So after getting the pins from the freezer, installing the plastic washers and putting a small amount of grease on them, then the blind put the pin in the hole game started. A bit frustrating at first as the trans shifter interface is a bit flexible, but after some perseverance, I had success. Then it was on to the shifter pin, this was a bit easier is you have more room, easier to see and you know you are almost home. Again, took pin from freezer, installed washer, lube and install.
Check Guibo clearance on DSSR just because it is close. Some DSSR have a small backcut to clear the Guibo. I guess the good news is if the Guibo starts to fail, it can easily hit the DSSR and you will probable have some advance warning?
Test out shifter before finishing up, things seem fine.
Now properly install the rubber shifter boot. While car is still up in the air, you can then get under the car and make sure it is properly positioned and sealing up nicely. Note, the rubber shifter boot has and arrow that should point toward the front of the car as well as he smaller pocket seals over the shifter support pocket quite well. Make sure you seat the boot around the shifter fork pocket to keep dirt and water from getting in the shifter ball. Note, I have a newer rubber shifter boot as the original was torn due to sloppy work and the larger shifter shaft. The newer book has some nice rigid plastic rings to hold its shape better and a plastic ring to help when removing the boot.
Next installed the shifter sound proofing, new tri-stitched leather shift boot and ZHP weighted shift knob.
Then button everything up under the car.
Final thoughts: Well you need to understand where I started with the car. It is hard to believe that something as simple as a shifter could be so screwed up and perform so lousy. Well I had the poster child for a MESS.
Not only was the original UUS EVO3 shifter so poorly installed it was ready to fall out, the adjustable UUC EVO3 shaft was never tightened down! I had the original shifter knob and lets just say for the $300 (UUC DSSR, ZHP knob, new tri-stitched boot, replacement bushings) I have spent getting it where I am now was well worth the time and money!!
I can now say this car shifts like it should, precise, short, positive and is really transformed. Given the shifter is the single item that gets worked and worked in these cars it is really an important piece and gives the drive a lot of feel and feedback.
I will say that although the short shifters are nice, I really think adding the mass of the ZHP knob and the DSSR, along with the straight line geometry makes a HUGE difference.
I also changed the trans fluid last week with Royal Purple SyncoMax. I had searched a bit and it seemed that many have used this. The fluid that came out of the trans was some form of ATF, not the original fill, but the change did seem to improve shifting as well. Although I am somewhat happy with the SyncoMax,I am now considering using a 50/50 mix if SyncroMax/MTL as I have read about some mixes that have been used successfully.
For what ever reason, it seems any manual transmission car I have ever purchased over the past 30 years that was now new has had issues with shifter and clutch linkage. The good news is I am pretty well versed in resolving these problems and now have a car that shifts quite well.
