UPSman

I have the karboy ss/bushings in my car and love it. Never had any problems and never heard of any from others.

I did drive a P5 this weekend that has the B&M in it. I was shocked at how stiff it was. Took alot more effort than I would like. My shifter feels firm and exact but not as firm as the B&M. Im glad.

Hope that you all get the problem fixed. Good luck!

defchino

What do you work for B&M or something?

We're not actively trying to sway anyone's opinion of this product here - we are letting it be known that in some cases people are experiencing problems. No one has pointed out that there are probably hundreds of members on these boards with the B&M who have had no problems whatsoever. But in any case, people should know that it is a possibility.

I agree with damaster, I love my B&M when it behaves properly, and it does feel like a high quality item - but it takes ALL the fun out of driving when it starts acting up.

I'm pretty much fed up with it and ready to buy a Kartboy to replace it. Now I just have to find someone willing to ship one to Canada. Damaster - do you know of any places up here that sell Kartboy?

damaster

Considering the Kartboy against the B&M, which one do you think has shorter/notchier throws? And was the B&M really a lot stiffer than your Kartboy, or is that a biased opinion?

damaster

defchino, does this mean you've retorqued the linkage bolt to factory spec as you said you would and it still didn't solve the problem? And yes, this problem definitely takes the fun out of driving, to the point that I'm hesitant to drive my car long distances now (long distances as in 25 km!)!

The Kartboy is hard to get in Canada. I got my hands on the bushings through a group buy on another forum. I'd consider getting one too at this point, but don't wanna just throw the B&M away, especially since I got it as a birthday present from my significant other. If you can get your hands on it at the right price, let me know and I might be interested.

pro2ndgen

I had some problems with all the shifter system...after installing the B&M and specially bronzoil bushings, it finally "sease" completetly after a year.
So I got to the dealer and get all the bushings(oem!), bolt, nuts, washers, sleeve... and change everything.
Except the bushing at the "extension rod" connected to the tranny. It is press fit so I go on with the old one, I don't feel like taking all this out again...

I just manage to stiff this up with an extra washer and the brand new sleeve...!
It's defenetly better and smoother/faster.

defchino

No I didn't get time to try this on the weekend, but I really don't see this solving the problem. I will still try it, but if it doesn't work I'm definately giving up on the B&M.
I will let you know if I find anything. I know it sucks to have to give up on the B&M but I figure I still got about a year and a half's worth of use out of it - so its not a total loss. I'd just rather throw the Kartboy in and forget about the whole thing

damaster

Has anybody gotten this resolved? Now that summer is here, my B&M short shifter gets very stiff after about 30 minutes of driving and I'm getting so fed up that I might just stick the OEM shifter back in!

Here's a pic of the "stiff" shifter after about an hour of driving on a warm summer day. Notice how the shifter is in neutral, but its so damn stiff that it's just stuck to the right. Moving it left->right->left in neutral causes the stiff shifter to emit a "grinding" sound.

The pic:

jjac28

i've had my b&m shifter for 6 months now. i havent had any problems whatsoever. the shifter is excellent, i highly recommended.
i had mine installed by my dealership...looks like the problems are from self installations?

macdaddyslomo

You know I noticed a comment about this being such a simple install..if it was then why are these same people asking which parts go back in ???? I love my shifter...hehe...screw kartboy and b & m ...straight mazda baby..MP3 shifter...works perfectly...not even a hint of a problem

damaster

It is a simple install, and I'm not asking which parts go back in. I'm trying to figure out a solution to why my damn B&M shifter gets so damn stiff in hot weather and when the car really warms up. Others have experienced this problem and I'm just wondering if there's a solution:
- synthethic fluid for tranny?
- get rid of kartboy bushings?
- tighten nut under shifter to factory torque specs?
- anything else?

gcs118

I've got the B&M and it only becomes a little sticky after long highway trips. I assume this is because the transmission is heated up because of the constant high RPMs. I don't see how a metal rod, pretty much isolated from intense heat, is the problem. Perhaps our Kartboy bushings expand upon significant heating and make the shifter "tighter" per say, but in my opinion I think a tranny cooler would solve the stickiness.

damaster

thanks gcs, but my OEM shifter never got stiff with the Kartboy bushings even after hours of driving. I am certain the B&M shifter is at fault here.

gcs118

Hmmm I remember probably the same level of stickiness from my OEM one, however with the soft factory bushings the feeling was diminished. The Redline MT-90 gear oil I'm running may be keeping my box a little cooler than yours, hence less guminess in the shifting? Either a solution to the problem or a longer lasting gearbox, I'd recommend synthetic gear oil/tranny fluid anyways.

damaster

how easy is it to change the tranny fluid out for synthetic fluid? I do my own engine oil changes, but I'm no mechanic. If its simple to do like engine oil changes I could do it myself. Thanks.

gcs118

You need a 23mm socket for sure, and preferably a funnel and tube with hand pump, but some opt not to use the pump. The change the gear oil, first take off the fill plug. It is slanted at a downward angle for your convenience Once this is off, remove the bottom drain plug and let it pour into a container. It will take 2.83 US qt. I just put in all 3 because lots spilled From here just replace the drain plug along with a new crush washer (like the oil drain plug, but larger, dealership has these for free usually) and start pumpin' in the new stuff. It should come right up the edge of the fill hole, or as long as almost 3 qts are in you should be set.