DIY: aluminum shifter cable bushing install

[ace of spades]

aluminum shifter bushings to improve shifter feel. simple and straight forward DIY.

tools needed:
- large flathead
- needle nose pliers
- channellocks
- light
- razor knife (optional)

- ratchet (stock airbox)
- extension (stock airbox)
- 8mm deep socket (stock airbox)
- 10mm socket (stock airbox)
- 14mm deep socket (front stb if you have one)
- 14mm shallow (front stb if you have one)
- swivel extension (front stb and stock airbox)
- tools for cold air/short ram intake removal (if you have one instead of stock airbox)





- pop the hood

- if you have a front strut tower brace in the way like me, you'll need to remove it. if you have a cold air or short ram, you should be fine with leaving the strut tower brace and just removing the intake.



- next remove the stock airbox or cold air/short ram if you have one. I have the stock airbox, so here's how to remove it:

- there is a breather tube coming from the valve cover, squeeze the clamp with channellocks and slide it over to the left. pry the tube off the airbox.




- loosen the 10mm clamp on the throttle body tube. pull the tube off the airbox.




- loosen the five 8mm bolts holding the top of the airbox. there are two on each side and one at the bottom. they won't come out, so don't try to remove them.




- remove the top half of the airbox. kind of a tight squeeze.


- remove the air filter.

- there are two 10mm nuts (on left) and one 10mm bolt (on right) holding the lower half of the airbox in place. remove these three.






- disconnect the air inlet tube from the lower half of the airbox. (facing the front)


- remove the lower half of the airbox.


- the air inlet tube is kind of in the way. you can either unbolt it from the front support (one 10mm bolt) or tuck it down out of the way. I tucked mine


hellaflush


- now we have some room to work. there are two shift cables, each cable sits inside of a cable guide. I started with the cable on the left that has the larger bushing laying horizontal.


- remove the metal clip holding the cable onto the guide by prying it up from the back with a screwdriver. the metal clips are the only thing being reused in the install.




- pull the cable toward the rear of the car, then lift it out of the cable guide.


- with needle nose pliers, straighten the cotter pin and pull it through the hole it's sitting in.


- on the top of the bushing there is a plastic washer under a metal washer. remove both.

- I took a large flathead and tried to pivot the bushing out with no luck. to make it easier, I cut a notch off the lip of the bushing, then pried it again.

[ace of spades]

- pic of the stock bushing removed.


- I took a rag and wiped out are where the old bushing was, then wiped off the post it was sitting on. then I applied some grease. (just a little)






- take your new bushing and slide it it place from the bottom up. collar on bottom/groove on top.




- slide the snap ring into the groove. I found it easier to slide it into place rather than position two sides of it then the third. I did this by hand.






- reinstall the cable into the cable guide by pulling it toward the rear of the car, then into the guide.


- slide the new bushing onto the lightly greased post.


- install new cotter pin




- reinstall the metal clip onto the cable guide. I tapped it down into place with the butt end of my large flathead.


- onto the smaller bushing on the right sitting vertical. removal and installation of the new bushing is just like the other one.

- remove the metal clip on the cable guide.


- pull cable out of the cable guide like the other side. pull it towards the rear of the car.

- straighten and remove the cotter pin with needle nose pliers.




- remove the metal and plastic washers.


- slide the bushing off the mount.


- with the smaller bushing, I was able to just push it through with a large flathead to remove it.




- wipe out the bushing location and post with a rag and lightly grease both areas.


- insert the new bushing from the left. the snap ring groove should be on the right of the housing.


- install the the snap ring into the groove. there was less flex on this one, so I pressed it in lightly with channellocks.


- install it onto the post.

[ace of spades]

- slide cable back into the guide.


- install new cotter pin.




- reinstall the metal clip onto the cable guide. I just tapped it into place with the butt end of my flathead.


- complete


- untuck the air inlet or re-bolt it back into place if you removed it.

- reinstall the lower airbox or intake if you have one. tighten down the two nuts and one bolt. (reinstall cold air or short ram if you have one)






- putting the air inlet tube back onto the lower airbox can be a pain. the best way is to use two fingers inside of your right hand from inside the airbox while moving the inlet tube with your left hand.

- reinstall the air filter.


- reinstall the top half of the airbox. it's easy to unseat the air filter when doing this. I suggest holding the air filter with your one hand while you maneuver the top of the airbox into place. this should keep it from moving.

- it's also easier to attach the breather tube and throttle body tube before you get the airbox all the way down into position.

- once you have the airbox top in place, tighten down the five 8mm bolts.


- with channellocks, move the breather tube clamp back into position.


- tighten the 10mm hose clamp on the throttle body air tube.


- if you needed to remove your front strut tower brace, reinstall it.

- test drive. feels good man.

[ace of spades]

my pics still work...

[BeaterEP]

[POOPTOOTH]

Looks good Jason, you feel a difference at all?

[k20pr]

very nicee! do they work wheal?

[ace of spades]

Looks good Jason, you feel a difference at all?

very nicee! do they work wheal?

thanks guys

I felt more of a difference with the shifter base bushings, since I did those first. but the two together make it feel so solid when shifting.

[ep3jd]

Nice! Glad to have you over here as well as clubep3 since I hate that site

[ace of spades]

I use both so...

[ace of spades]

considering my shifter base bushing DIY was just removed, that's probably gonna change. if people would rather sift through 3 pages of shit without pics for a DIY, fine with me. if you want a complete DIY without having questions, look elsewhere.

[ep3jd]

Nooooooo ephatch > clubep3

[khiemboy]

thanks man really helpful diy!! i just got mine in. im doing the base bushings this weekend

[eternal780]

Where do you guys get the bushings from?

[khiemboy]

Where do you guys get the bushings from?

corsportusa.com its one of our vendors