Trying to rebuild a lose shifter assembly:: 240sx

[tony602]

Hi everybody!
Im new to this forum, and i'm new to the 240sx car and this is my very first post! Yay!

Anyways i just bought a 1990 240sx. It is in pretty average to bad shape. Had a blow head gasket which im getting fixed now and also had a very loose shifter.

So i took the whole shifter assembly out and i want to rebuild the damn thing. I already searched google and the forums and going back 5 or 7 years nobody has really solved this problem on any forum, none that i can find. The most common suggestion is to get a B&M short shifter, but it's 200 bucks and I don't want to mess up my transmission with shortened shifts - I like the oem shifter.

Im planning on just rebuilding it, cleaning it and adding new washers and i ordered that circuit sports metal bearing for it. I only have a few question I would like to ask you guys.


1. Is there a place to buy the bushings or bearings it needs? Perhaps as a kit? Or is there a legitimate online store that can sell me the Stock OEM shifter assembly at a fair price?

2. Anybody know how to clean the whole assembly? Mine has sand and dirt all over it. Im thinking just dipping everything in mild dish soap and scrubbing it with a toothbrush.

3.Anybody know what kind of lubricant goes in there? I assume there would be transmission fluid in the transmission, but the whole assembly and the square hole where the assembly goes is covered in what seems like brown and greyish motor oil IDK, i thought transmission fluid was redish. Also the shifter assembly is covered in a greyish gunk. It's as if someone lubricated the parts with grease. Not sure if once im done i should lube it up with grease, motor oil or transmission fluid. there seems to be a mixture of all there in the shifter assembly IDK.


BTW, i looked at the white plastic bearing in the shifter.... it doesn't look that bad. IDK what gives? Im hoping nw bearings, washers and boots will get the shifter feeling like new again. IDK im also looking at the HKS return spring kit, perhaps that can help out a bit?

Cheers!
-Tony

[Razi]

Here's a post from MrGreenEye's build thread.
post5265032.html#p5265032

according to said diagrams:

1x 32204P (upper snap ring)
1x 32850N (socket assembly)
2x 32879 (wave washer *i use two, one below the top snap ring and one in the bottom OEM spot*)
1x 32862 (boot)
1x 32861 (bushing for the bottom of the lever)

Then assemble in this order:

FROM THE BOTTOM UP (aka how you'll reload the shifter)

wave washer
socket assembly
shifter lever w/ ball pivot
second wave washer
snap ring w/eyelets
"c" shaped snap ring (the one WITHOUT little eyelets in it) (save this from your current oem setup)

the second wave washer takes up a lot of the slack, in case you were wondering.

any questions?

ask ILOVEMYRHS13 how it feels... aka brand new. we rebuilt his when doing his 5 spd conversion

I ordered all new OEM parts from CourtesyParts.
Here's the shifter page:
http://www.courtesyparts.com/240sx-part ... _1503.html
Make sure to buy 2 spring washers like Greeneye'd said. It helps remove a lot of slack.
Doug (RHS13) also posted pictures of reassembling it right under Greeneye's post.
You can grease it up before you put it in, but I believe a fair amount of transmission fluid splashes up so you won't need to.
I think I cleaned mine by spraying engine degreaser and a plastic brush, then I rinsed it with soap and water.

[tony602]

Sir if nobody has told you they love you this weekend let me be the first. I love you. I don't think anybody has gotten a better answer on the first comment, on their first post about a topic that has been asked before. Kudos to you and this forum. I was on the edge of buying a BRM exhaust, but now im fully committed to buying it if it means supporting this forum.

Cheers!

[Razi]

No problem!
Welcome to Nico.

Also, another reason our stock shifters feel a bit mushy is because the shaft is actually 2 pieces joined by rubber, even the Nismo "Solid" shifter.


A member on another forum decided to split them, then cut and weld a shaft from a B13 Sentra, so it was one long solid shifter.


Very neat idea, I'll probably do the same.

Uras makes one like it, but it's $143 dollars.

[tony602]

I feel like i may still have a question, but i keep reading your post and i'll be damned if it doesn't answer every question i had or might have about this shifter.... uhm return springs! HKS good? Or stick with OEM?

Also do i need to hunt down the paper gasket? or can i use a bit of RTV? If the first where do you acquire the paper gasket? Sorry to ask im just new

Also whats the meaning to life?

[tony602]

Hmm interesting I didn't know it was split. Damn yeah 140 plus shipping is to much just for the shifter. I spent 20 bucks on the Circuit sports bushing and now i'll order the bushing you said. hopefully that will be enough to give it a solid feel.

I didn't know there was a nismo shifter. How much is it? Have you heard anything good from it? All i want is for this damn slack to go away. LOL hahaha

[Razi]

You can order the paper gasket from Courtesy too probably.
You can click on the Part #'s on their picture diagrams and it'll take you to it's parts page.
I just used RTV silicone.

HKS return spring will just make the shifter stiffer when you move the shifter left and right.
I've heard some people use stiff springs for RC cars or something from Home Depot, or double up on stock springs to have the same effect.
It won't take away the slack though, it's just there to center the shifter when in neutral. Might make the shifter feel nicer though.

I've seen Nismo shifters go from $200 to $300.

[tony602]

Ok i just went through the list and the shifter, There is another C-clip with no eyes on it, how can i take that one out?

[Razi]

I think I used 1 or 2 flat head screwdrivers and struggled with it for a while.
A plier or wrench might've joined the party as well.

[tony602]

Oh i see, i guess i'll have to play with it. Well that shifter stick was 140. So the Nismo doesn't sound to bad for 200 if it's the whole assembly LOL. BTW thank you so much, parts are ordered and on their way! Woooo, this forum rocks!

[Razi]

Yay! Good luck and enjoy.